In this video we take a closer look at the propellant injector nozzles used on the A4 / V2 rocket. The world’s first ballistic missile and progenitor of all space exploration rockets employed a fuel and liquid oxygen injection system that consisted of complicated 18 pot, so-called, pre-mixer system using large numbers of ‘swirl’ nozzles in each pot. The system was only a prototype, a stop-gap, while an optimised version was developed. But the death of lead designer Walter Thiel in an air raid and the severe pressure to employ the V2 in combat as quickly as possible forced the designers put this steeply compromised prototype injector head into production. In this video, we look at the injectors used in the V2’s 18 pot head in detail and even test the mix patterns and flow rates of some of the injector nozzles. Presented by Robert J Dalby FRAS
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