Object Details
Manufacturer
Reaction Motors, Inc.
Summary
Reaction Motors, Inc., developed this small liquid-fuel rocket motor from 1944-1948 for the blade tips of helicopters for boost thrust. It was designated the D50C1 because it produced 50 pounds of thrust from one chamber. The propellants were either liquid oxygen and alcohol, liquid oxygen and alcohol with water, or liquid oxygen and gasoline.
The first tests were conducted in 1944 with a Pitcairn Aviation, Inc. autogiro blade mounted on a special tripod type stand set on a concrete testing slab. The tests did not go well, however. The project was thus cancelled and it never became operational. This object was donated to the Smithsonian by the Reaction Motors Division of the Thiokol Chemical Corporation in 1985.
Credit Line
Reaction Motors Division, Thiokol Chemical Corp.
Inventory Number
A19850117000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
PROPULSION-Rocket Engines
Materials
Copper Alloy
Paint
Steel
Dimensions
3-D: 38.1 x 20.3 x 5.1cm (15 x 8 x 2 in.)
Storage: 22.9 x 40.6 x 8.9cm (9 in. x 16 in. x 3 1/2 in.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A19850117000