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back to article LOHAN checks into REHAB chamber

Hot on the heels of the first test of the improvised vacuum pump for our Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) Rocketry Experimental High Altitude Barosimulator (REHAB) experiment, we're pleased to report that we've put together the shed-built hypobaric chamber which will form the centrepiece of our explosive tomfoolery …

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  1. James Micallef Silver badge
    Go

    we have ignition...

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lovely

    The actinic glare of the engine's ravening flames is beautiful.

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    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      Re: Lovely

      Ah, "ravening". Brings back memories of the great Lensman space battles...

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  3. Mr Young
    Happy

    That's more like it!

    No proper project is complete without some welding I'd say

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    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: That's more like it!

      Agreed. Proper hands-on stuff, and plenty of sparks.

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  4. JetSetJim
    Mushroom

    Will no-one think of the doggies?

    H&S, PETA and the RSPCA will have fits if they see the bit of the vid with the doggie running around near an "active space rocket motor".

    Keep up the good work, chaps.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    LOHAN's mighty flaps...

    Hmm... could it be:

    Pressure

    In

    Space

    Simulator

    For

    Launch

    Apparatus

    (in)

    Pioneering

    Spaceship

    (PISSFLAPS for short...)

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  6. Kevin Turvey
    Thumb Up

    Slightly over-engineered

    Looks like a nice set-up if slightly over-engineered for a simple test to see if the motor will ignite at cold and altitude, a piece of plastic piping and good dollops of epoxy resin would have done the job but it would'nt have been reusable.

    Also not having gone with my suggestion of routing the leads under the lid over the seal is probably a good idea looking at the puny pump you are using, it has happened to me several times at work in our test chamber and it has vacc'd down no problem, but we are using a nice Edwards Model E1M8 vac pump which laughs in the face of your puny equipment!

    Looking forward to seeing the results.

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  7. G R Goslin

    Ummm!

    Er, if you're going to ignite the rocket motor inside an evacuated steel tube, what are you going to do with the exhaust gas from the motor? Sounds like you've made quite a nice little bomb, there. A millisecond or so after ignition the chamber is going to be a long, long way from a vacuum.

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    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Ummm!

      That's why the lid isn't fastened on, just held in place by air pressure.

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  8. Sceptic Tank Silver badge
    Trollface

    What if....

    And now what if the rocket doesn't fire in a vacuum? You could land up with a piece of space junk right in you garage before it even flew.

    Anyway, It makes me happy that I'm in the southern hemisphere when I read all this about people firing amateur rockets under uncontrolled conditions at high altitude. I sure hope that thing is pointing out to space when it fires. What are the insurance / legal implications of this?

    INCOMMINGGGGG!!!!!

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    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: What if....

      Well, the point of test is to see if it fires or not. If it doesn't we find another type of motor, which does. That's why we do the tests.

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