
Russia Lights Rockets with an Oversized Wooden Match - venomsnake
http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a19966/russia-actually-lights-it-rockets-with-a-giant-match/
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jackgavigan
Copenhagen Suborbitals have a good blog post[1] (albeit in somewhat stilted
English) explaining how they ended up using a similar device (visible here[2]
in a slo-mo video of an unsuccessful engine test).

1: [http://copenhagensuborbitals.com/to-make-
fire/](http://copenhagensuborbitals.com/to-make-fire/)

2: [https://youtu.be/f-4n-2MtECE?t=25s](https://youtu.be/f-4n-2MtECE?t=25s)

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aquadrop
That slo-mo video is so good it can win on some short art-house films
festival.

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algorithmsRcool
I hope then that you have seen this classic Saturn V footage then:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKtVpvzUF1Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKtVpvzUF1Y)

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blacksmith_tb
The Apollo 11 launch features prominently in Godfrey Reggio / Philip Glass's
_Koyaanisqatsi_ [1], so most art house theater-goers will have seen it, I
would think.

1:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyaanisqatsi#Synopsis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyaanisqatsi#Synopsis)

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nickpsecurity
This some great, Russian engineering right here. I can't believe I didn't hear
of this before. Only thing I didn't like about it was the brass wire. Might be
too simple. These days, we have highly-reliable, cheap chips with RFID built
in. They might put one or more of those on each pyro-charge with reliable
system listening to each one's, unique signal. When they all die, cheap
cameras (esp phone variety) at useful angles confirm the fires were lit or
spot individual problem. Then, if all are lit, IGNITION!

Alternatively, a few wires acting as a circuit on each charge in different,
physical places attached in a way they won't come loose. Monitoring circuit
sees all of them go down in an instant suggests fire is lit. Either that wire
goes to control room directly to keep things simple, where they see
disappearance, or they go to on-site rig that watches all of them to _create_
a signal for control room that says all the circuits are dead. Pick whichever
is simplest since that's usually most reliable and cheap.

Thoughts?

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JoeDaDude
I heard an unverified apocryphal tale about the Chinese Long March rocket back
in the '80s. The story was that, instead of an automated system, they put a
person very near the rocket to activate something just seconds before T=0.
Once activated, this person would run for their life, jumping into a
tube/slide that would take them to an underground shelter where they would
seal the hatch before the rocket flames came pouring out.

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mikeyouse
I worked with a company that did work on an installation where they made
rocket / missile fuel, but beyond all the security checkpoints and terrifying
NFPA Diamonds (4 4 4 Explosive) were a series of buildings where the actual
production happened. Every building had huge earthen berms along side with
escape slides for employees to use in case of emergency. No real point but I
could completely see the Chinese military making similar use of theirs.

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Aelinsaar
I mean... to be fair didn't our Shuttle basically use giant Bic lighters?
Mischmetal starters and all?

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Artlav
If you are talking about the sparks sprayed towards the engines, then that
wasn't the ignition system.

Igniting a rocket engine like that would cause the flame to travel backwards
into the combustion chamber and the engine to spontaneously disassemble.

The sparks merely burned off the excess hydrogen that might escape from the
engines and avoid unplanned conflagrations around the pad from it.

Actual ignition was done by ignitors inside the engines themselves.

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Aelinsaar
TIL! So... the ignitors inside the engines were... electronic? Chemical?

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tfickett
On the SSME there's something called a Augmented Spark Igniter located in the
center of the injector. It burns fuel and oxidizer to make a jet of flame
which ignites the whole mess.

The details are in here:

[http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph240/nguyen1/docs/SS...](http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph240/nguyen1/docs/SSME_PRESENTATION.pdf)

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Aelinsaar
Thanks very much.

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gozur88
This seems like a good idea to me, provided you only need to fire the engine
once (which, admittedly, is normal for the first stage). Given the amount of
trouble rocket companies have had with igniters over the years a match seems
like just the ticket.

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webwielder2
Russian Scientists Announce Six-Month Delay In Carving New Space Station

[http://www.theonion.com/article/russian-scientists-
announce-...](http://www.theonion.com/article/russian-scientists-announce-six-
month-delay-in-car-547)

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venomsnake
Since properly treated wood is becoming acceptable skyscraper structural
material this as well may be a foot meet mouth article couple of years down
the road.

And if it is stupid and it works, than it is not stupid.

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stcredzero
The Chinese made a heat shield out of oak:

[https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14619738-300-space-
od...](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14619738-300-space-oddities/)

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delazeur
I believe that Mercury/Gemini heat shields included cork and/or balsa wood.

