Re: Spontaneous ignition

[RC Macaulay]

Another view of such taken from NASA website Hypergolic propellants are fuels and oxidizers which ignite on contact with each other and need no ignition source. This easy start and restart capability makes them attractive for both manned and unmanned spacecraft maneuvering systems. Another plus is their storability — they do not have the extreme temperature requirements of cryogenics. The fuel is monomethyl hydrazine (MMH) and the oxidizer is nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4).   Perhaps the ancient Chinese were the first to experiment with stuff that goes bang in the night and thereafter came Oak Ridge Labs.   Richard

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