Author Topic: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket  (Read 37713 times)

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #20 on: 03/19/2016 05:31 pm »
Umm... those solids are just empty casings, right?

I'd be somewhat uncomfortable seeing a museum display with aging SRBs, complete with fuel, sitting there.  Maybe it's not possible for the fuel to go unstable over extended periods -- I'm not a chemist.  But as a layman, those are awfully big firecrackers to be sitting there, if they're not just casings.  For example, what would happen if a fire broke out near them somehow?

Just -- sort of makes me itch, thinking about it.   :-\
Empty, yes.  There was apparently a loaded SRMU pair for this vehicle that was expended in the desert somewhere, somehow, at the end of the program.  The pair at the museum might be ground test articles or something, but I'm not sure.  They certainly look like the real thing.

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 03/19/2016 05:33 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline Jim

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #21 on: 03/19/2016 05:53 pm »
they are empty.
a.  Safety doesn't allow them to stored like that or have personnel near them without PPE and grounding
b.  Propellant is not visible in the photos
c.  Much higher capacity cranes would be required to lift them.

Offline Graham

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #22 on: 03/19/2016 09:29 pm »
c.  Much higher capacity cranes would be required to lift them.
Just out of curiosity, how much does an empty casing weigh vs a loaded casing?
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Offline edkyle99

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #23 on: 03/19/2016 11:36 pm »
c.  Much higher capacity cranes would be required to lift them.
Just out of curiosity, how much does an empty casing weigh vs a loaded casing?
Loaded, each SRMU weighed about 345,510 kg.  Empty they weighed about 37,050 kg.

SRMU was the most highly-evolved, most efficient big-throat solid motor ever developed in the United States, and arguably in the world.  (More propellant, more thrust, and better mass fraction than Ariane 5 EAP-E, but lower vacuum specific impulse.)

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« Last Edit: 03/19/2016 11:42 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline Graham

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #24 on: 06/08/2016 01:22 pm »
The restoration is finished and the rocket is now on display!

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060816a-air-force-museum-space-gallery.html
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Offline Blackstar

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #25 on: 06/08/2016 02:05 pm »
I'll be there next Tuesday. Phil Pressel is speaking in front of the KH-9 HEXAGON.
« Last Edit: 06/08/2016 02:06 pm by Blackstar »

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #26 on: 06/08/2016 02:30 pm »
XB-70, X-15, Titan 4B, Hexagon, X-40A, Apollo, Gemini, and Mercury spacecraft, and much more.  That has to be one of the most interesting hangars on the planet right now!

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 06/08/2016 02:31 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #27 on: 06/08/2016 03:30 pm »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.
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Offline alk3997

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #28 on: 06/08/2016 03:37 pm »
About the fourth photo down in the article will answer your question (yes, it flew without on some flights)

http://www.x15x24.com/x-15.html

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #29 on: 06/08/2016 04:52 pm »
As collectspace's article reports that the payload fairing is 86 feet long, this indicates that the configuration for this museum display is the Titan IV(401)B. The "1" meaning a Centaur-T third stage.
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Offline catdlr

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #30 on: 06/08/2016 07:14 pm »
Titan IVB Feature

 
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Published on Jun 3, 2016
The Titan IVB was the U.S. Air Force’s largest and most powerful expendable single-use rocket. It was a space launch vehicle used to place satellites into orbit. Titan IVB rockets boosted payloads into low earth orbit, polar orbit, or geosynchronous (stationary) orbit from either Cape Canaveral, Fla., or Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

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Offline Ronpur50

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #31 on: 06/09/2016 01:03 am »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.

I have been building an X-15 model and doing a lot of research.  The X-15 book I have says they were not coated because they were dropped before the ablative coating would be needed.  They also had a LOT of different markings! 

Offline DatUser14

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #32 on: 06/09/2016 11:48 am »
I'll be there next Tuesday. Phil Pressel is speaking in front of the KH-9 HEXAGON.
Can you give me more info about this event? Is it public?
Titan IVB was a cool rocket

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #33 on: 06/09/2016 03:07 pm »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.

I have been building an X-15 model and doing a lot of research.  The X-15 book I have says they were not coated because they were dropped before the ablative coating would be needed.  They also had a LOT of different markings! 
I was referring to the X-15 itself, did the X-15 itself ever fly with drop tanks without the ablative coating on the X-15. If so, they need to paint it pink :D
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Offline Blackstar

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #34 on: 06/09/2016 04:43 pm »
I'll be there next Tuesday. Phil Pressel is speaking in front of the KH-9 HEXAGON.
Can you give me more info about this event? Is it public?

Yeah, it's public. He will be speaking in front of the H for about 15-20 minutes about four times during the day. I don't know the exact times, but I can ask him. I'll be there. I'm going up to see the new building.

Offline Ronpur50

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #35 on: 06/09/2016 04:58 pm »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.

I have been building an X-15 model and doing a lot of research.  The X-15 book I have says they were not coated because they were dropped before the ablative coating would be needed.  They also had a LOT of different markings! 
I was referring to the X-15 itself, did the X-15 itself ever fly with drop tanks without the ablative coating on the X-15. If so, they need to paint it pink :D

Oh, yes, it flew with tanks and no ablative.  That is why I have to build two models. LOL

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #36 on: 06/09/2016 05:02 pm »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.

I have been building an X-15 model and doing a lot of research.  The X-15 book I have says they were not coated because they were dropped before the ablative coating would be needed.  They also had a LOT of different markings! 
I was referring to the X-15 itself, did the X-15 itself ever fly with drop tanks without the ablative coating on the X-15. If so, they need to paint it pink :D
Yes, without any coating on flight 155, Robert A. Rushworth at the controls...
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Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #37 on: 06/09/2016 05:06 pm »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.

I have been building an X-15 model and doing a lot of research.  The X-15 book I have says they were not coated because they were dropped before the ablative coating would be needed.  They also had a LOT of different markings! 
I was referring to the X-15 itself, did the X-15 itself ever fly with drop tanks without the ablative coating on the X-15. If so, they need to paint it pink :D

Oh, yes, it flew with tanks and no ablative.  That is why I have to build two models. LOL
No, you will have to build three... Flight 158 Ablative test on nose gear door, horizontal stabilizer, and lower fixed ventral only... Four if you want it in pink... ;D
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
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Offline Lars-J

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #38 on: 06/09/2016 05:11 pm »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.

I have been building an X-15 model and doing a lot of research.  The X-15 book I have says they were not coated because they were dropped before the ablative coating would be needed.  They also had a LOT of different markings! 
I was referring to the X-15 itself, did the X-15 itself ever fly with drop tanks without the ablative coating on the X-15. If so, they need to paint it pink :D

Pink, are you sure? All the pictures I've seen of the X-15 in flight (or flight ready) with ablatives has been with white ablative. So did the pink ablative turn white, or was it never used?

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket
« Reply #39 on: 06/09/2016 05:12 pm »
Not to nit pick, did the X-15 with drop tanks ever fly without the ablative coating? Otherwise they need to cover it in the pink stuff.

I have been building an X-15 model and doing a lot of research.  The X-15 book I have says they were not coated because they were dropped before the ablative coating would be needed.  They also had a LOT of different markings! 
I was referring to the X-15 itself, did the X-15 itself ever fly with drop tanks without the ablative coating on the X-15. If so, they need to paint it pink :D

Pink, are you sure? All the pictures I've seen of the X-15 in flight (or flight ready) with ablatives has been with white ablative. So did the pink ablative turn white, or was it never used?

They painted over the pink ...
http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/X-15/Small/ECN-1736.jpg
« Last Edit: 06/09/2016 05:15 pm by Rocket Science »
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
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