Re: Mystery space ramjet booster looking thing. Any ideas?



Derek Lyons wrote:
Pat Flannery <flanner@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Derek Lyons wrote:
Or it could be missing skin/covers that are not needed for this test,
or that will be installed subsequent to the photo and prior to the
test.
I don't think so, as that would mean the ramjet exhaust would have to exit through the interior of the fuel tank.

Assuming it's a fuel tank. And also assuming the combustion section is
at the front.

This thing looks awfully like a modified Talos (RIM-8) - which had a
similiar nose, and ducted the intake air down the center of the fuel
tank to a combustion chamber in the after portion. (And I'd be
willing to bet the D21 was similiar in internal layout.)

Talos' upper stage was smaller than the thing shown here, and the intake cone not as long in comparison to its diameter.
However, this might be related to a follow-on to the Triton missile project: http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/ssm-n-2.html
Which did use parallel boosters.
In D-21, the ramjet proper was mounted at the back of the fuselage, fed by a long intake trunk from the nose inlet:
http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/d21b39.jpg
Since Scott Lowther hasn't replied yet with any info, I'm going to contact him and Andreas Parch about it.

Pat
.