The thermochemistry of Jetex propellant is both complex and fascinating, quite unlike any other solid rocket formulation. We're reinventing this esoteric energy source, from scratch, in a little desert laboratory near Mojave, California. If you have an interest or curiosity about the chemical sorcery, join the conversation. Arm-chair engineers and retired chemists are likewise welcome.
The key ingredients for making Jetex propellant have become available again in America, and I've dusted off the lab bench and reopened the Jetex Propulsion Lab, which I co-founded with Carlo Godel in 1999. Carlo and I spent some years getting near success with replicating the old Imperial Chemical Industries formulae of the 1930s, but lack of guanidine nitrate and other essentials kept us at bay. That has changed, though Carlo has passed, and JPL is again open, and setting up for scientific experiments.
My personal forté is gas generator solid propellant development, and my experience dates to projects with long- and slow-burning formulations for Navy target drones, in 1957. And this isn't a trivial or simple effort. To make it happen, I need support, associates, assistants, and contributions.
Please have a look at the status of things in this project at our website:
sites.google.com/site/jetexpropulsionlab/
And by all means, please join the conversation! Let's talk about this and explore things together.
Dr Edward Jones
Rocket Science Institute
Mojave, California