Predicted and Experimented Acceleration Profile of the Rocket Sled

Abstract

In this paper, the world's first application of hybrid rockets to rocket sled system is described. By using N₂O oxidizer which has self-pressurizing capability, simple handling and low-cost operation was enabled. On the other hand, accurate prediction of the time-velocity profile of the rocket sled becomes difficult because the thrust curve of the N₂O hybrid rocket varies with the outside temperature. Based on the preliminary thrust measurement, we predicted the velocity profile of the rocket sled and compared to the actual sled run. Both were well agreed with an error of 10 % in velocity.