Launcher Pressure Test

In the last few days we've pressure tested the Polaron IV launcher to make sure there are no leaks. There are a lot of connections and we were not sure how well the seals would seal around the plastic compression seals around some of the copper manifold pipes.

All was good and we took the pressure up to 215 psi ( ~15 bar ) for both the main stage line and the booster manifold.

When pressurising, we really have to think about what valves get open or closed and in what order.

For the first launch the pressures will be in the order 110 - 130psi.

We made dummy plugs for the booster nozzle seats for the test. This allowed us to test that side of things without having to put the boosters on the launcher. We fitted a strapping tape reinforced small 300ml coke bottle to the main stage release head and used the 7mm aluminium nozzle that the main stage will use. All held up well, and we tested the bleed valves
for both the main stage and the boosters with success.

We are now working on the booster retention mechanisms and getting those attached to the boosters and main stage.

The update from last Saturday's launch event is also now available on the main site:

http://www.AirCommandRockets.com/day53.htm

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