Parts are curing in the oven for MHD generator test number 26. There are several changes in the structure of the unit. The base plate is made of nine segments instead of a single ceramic plate. This is an attempt to avoid thermal cracking by allowing expansion. The upper plate is porcelain coated with two baked on epoxy layers. The epoxy will ablate and throw some of the heat out. In the new design the ceramic core of the unit can now be removed from the motor mount backbone. This will make the unit a lot easier to repair. The test before was a breakthrough for stable power output and measurement. That test was with a “C” motor. This test will be with an “E”, 4X the thrust.
We’re about an hour from the firing.
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