FIRST STEPS TOWARD SPACE - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

NUMBER 10 187
FICURE 3.—Launching of GIRD-Kh rocket.
Polyarny, L.S. Dushkin, and I worked out a draft
project of a liquid oxygen KPD-1 rocket (see Figure
4). This development was performed independently
from the Jet Propulsion Research Institute (RNII),
having been created by them. The characteristics
of the rocket were as follows: the launching weight
was 220 kg; pay load, 50 kg; fuel weight, 75 kg;
length, 3300 mm; diameter, 400 mm; thrust, 550
kg; and the estimated flight range, 12 km. Liquid
oxygen was supplied to the engine by forcing it
out of the tank with the help of gaseous oxygen
formed from a partial evaporation of the lox. A
heat exchanger, which was essentially a coil of pipe
in the interior of the oxygen tank, was employed
to intensify evaporation of the liquid oxygen. In
passing through the combustion chamber jacket
the oxygen was heated, and flowed back through
the coil. That rocket was never used, due to lack
of money.
The Osoaviakhim Rocket (1934-35)
In the period 1934-35, the Association for Promoting
Aerochemical Defense (Osoaviakhim) undertook
the task of developing a very simple liquidfuel
rocket which could be utilized in meteorology.
In cooperation with E.P. Sheptitskiy, I developed
such a rocket functioning on liquid oxygen (lox)
and ethyl alcohol, the fuel feed from the tank
being achieved by self-pressure through partial
evaporation of the lox. The other fuel tank was
filled one-third with alcohol and two-thirds with
compressed air, which forced the alcohol into the
combustion chamber when the valve was opened.
The basic characteristics of the rocket (see Figures
5 and 6) were as follows: the rocket diameter was
126 mm; length with stabilizers, 1700 mm; launching
weight, 10 kg; payload, 0.5 kg; fuel weight,
2.4 kg; engine operation time, 14 sec; pressure in
the alcohol tank varied from 25 to 16 atm and
in the combustion chamber, from 13 to 10 atm;
thrust varied from 40 to 25 kg; estimated rated
vertical flight altitude was 5000 m and estimated
inclined flight range, 650 m. The rocket descended
with the help of a parachute.
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FIGURE 4.—KPD-1 lox and ethyl-alcohol powered rocket.
With the participation of the Osoaviakhim and