Homemade Hybrid Rocket Engine

“For demo only,” Ben Krasnow gives a walkthrough in the video below of his homemade hybrid rocket engine, made by combining a rod of poly(methyl methacrylate) with gaseous oxygen. Watch as he shows the fabrication methods for constructing the rocket as well as detailing the rocket engine’s ignition properties.

I built a small rocket engine for demonstration purposes… I lit the engine by inserting a burning cotton swab (with wooden stick) while a small amount of oxygen was flowing. The acrylic catches fire very easily in a pure oxygen environment. The engine can be throttled and shut off completely, which is a major benefit to hybrid engine designs.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLPWqCMb7DE]