Hydyne
Encyclopedia
Hydyne, also unofficially known as Bagel fuel, is a mixture of 60% unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and 40% diethylenetriamine (DETA), developed in 1957 at Rocketdyne
for use in liquid-fuel rockets.
Hydyne was used as the fuel for the first stage of the Juno I
rocket that launched Explorer 1, the first successful satellite
launch conducted by the United States
.
and Juno I rockets used the same first-stage engines as the PGM-11 Redstone missile. While the Redstone engines burned a fuel mixture that was primarily alcohol (like its V-2 predecessor), the Jupiter-C and Juno I engines burned Hydyne. This provided 10% higher thrust, and higher specific impulse
as well.
The standard Redstone was fueled with a 75% ethyl alcohol solution, but the Jupiter-C
first stage used Hydyne fuel, a blend of 60% unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and 40% diethylenetriamine (DETA). This was a more powerful fuel than ethyl alcohol, but it was also more toxic.
The fuel was used with the Rocketdyne
Redstone rocket only once – to launch America's first satellite Explorer I
, after which it was discontinued in favor of higher performing fuels.
) fuel combination used by North American Aviation
in their early U.S. rocket designs of the incipient space race. Sherman suggested calling her new fuel invention 'Bagel
', allowing the Redstone propellant combination to be then called 'Bagel and LOX'. Her suggested name for the new fuel was not accepted, and 'Hydyne' was chosen instead by the U.S. Army.
in November, 2008, and relates the true story of Mary Sherman Morgan, Hydyne's inventor. The play was written by her son, George D. Morgan.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United States company that designs and produces rocket engines that use liquid propellants. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, headquartered in Canoga Park, California, is a division of Pratt & Whitney, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation...
for use in liquid-fuel rockets.
Hydyne was used as the fuel for the first stage of the Juno I
Juno I
The Juno I was a four-stage American booster rocket which launched America's first satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. A member of the Redstone rocket family, it was derived from the Jupiter-C sounding rocket...
rocket that launched Explorer 1, the first successful satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
launch conducted by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Improved performance
The Jupiter-CJupiter-C
The Jupiter-C was an American sounding rocket used for three sub-orbital spaceflights in 1956 and 1957 to test re-entry nosecones that were later to be deployed on the more advanced PGM-19 Jupiter mobile missile....
and Juno I rockets used the same first-stage engines as the PGM-11 Redstone missile. While the Redstone engines burned a fuel mixture that was primarily alcohol (like its V-2 predecessor), the Jupiter-C and Juno I engines burned Hydyne. This provided 10% higher thrust, and higher specific impulse
Specific impulse
Specific impulse is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines. It represents the derivative of the impulse with respect to amount of propellant used, i.e., the thrust divided by the amount of propellant used per unit time. If the "amount" of propellant is given in terms of mass ,...
as well.
The standard Redstone was fueled with a 75% ethyl alcohol solution, but the Jupiter-C
Jupiter-C
The Jupiter-C was an American sounding rocket used for three sub-orbital spaceflights in 1956 and 1957 to test re-entry nosecones that were later to be deployed on the more advanced PGM-19 Jupiter mobile missile....
first stage used Hydyne fuel, a blend of 60% unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and 40% diethylenetriamine (DETA). This was a more powerful fuel than ethyl alcohol, but it was also more toxic.
The fuel was used with the Rocketdyne
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United States company that designs and produces rocket engines that use liquid propellants. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, headquartered in Canoga Park, California, is a division of Pratt & Whitney, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation...
Redstone rocket only once – to launch America's first satellite Explorer I
Explorer I
Explorer 1 was the first Earth satellite of the United States, launched as part of its participation in the International Geophysical Year...
, after which it was discontinued in favor of higher performing fuels.
Unofficial name
'Bagel' was the whimsical name suggested by pioneering rocket fuel scientist Mary Sherman Morgan, who engineered the Hydyne-LOX (Liquid OXygenLiquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
) fuel combination used by North American Aviation
North American Aviation
North American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
in their early U.S. rocket designs of the incipient space race. Sherman suggested calling her new fuel invention 'Bagel
Bagel
A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...
', allowing the Redstone propellant combination to be then called 'Bagel and LOX'. Her suggested name for the new fuel was not accepted, and 'Hydyne' was chosen instead by the U.S. Army.
Popular culture
The creation of Hydyne was dramatized in a stage play entitled Rocket Girl. The play premiered at the California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in November, 2008, and relates the true story of Mary Sherman Morgan, Hydyne's inventor. The play was written by her son, George D. Morgan.