Thursday, September 18, 2014

Loki Booster




I got this Loki booster a while ago.  It's a little banged up (the fins are slightly bent) but overall it's in pretty good shape since it's probably around 60 years old.  This one was never fired or filled with propellant. The transition section doesn't have the roll pins installed and can be removed to revel the interior of the motor.  It is also possible to see the rubber liner that protects the thin aluminum motor casing from the heat of combustion.  The black spots seen at the base of the motor and on the nozzle retaining ring seem to be the same material as the liner.  I'm not sure what the pin on the top of the transition section is for; it's spring loaded and maybe it's meant to help ensure a clean dart separation. The pin on the side was, I believe, to keep the dart from spinning as the rocket was spin stabilized.  It's cool to think that this small booster was capable of getting a dart up to 34 miles...