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Interesting New Rocket Motor for the Collection

ordnance

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
You can find some really odd things at the gun show sometimes. Last week a friend brought me this rocket motor and said he thought it was for an aircraft ejection seat of some sort. I'd never seen one like it before so it seemed like a plausible explanation. It's very small, just less than 6 inches in diameter and height, with a very large venture nozzle in the bottom.

A quick Google search reveals the Hercules SR-11-HP-1 to be a solid fuel retro rocket motor, a component of the first generation LGM-30 Minuteman ICBM nuclear missile. The 1963 date of manufacture seems appropriate for the production era. My first thought was to wonder what this little piece did in a 65 foot long, 5 1/2 foot diameter missile. Can any of our missile experts lend any information on its purpose? I'd love to know more about it. Thanks.


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Retro Rocket= Fired in the direction of travel to slow down. Most likely to separate the active stage from the next stage or payload.
 
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