Huntsville Real-Time News By Lee Roop 2/13/2020
Researchers at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville say they may have a new way to test whether aging Army missiles are still good to fire. The breakthrough could save the military “millions of dollars," they believe.
Dr. Paul Ruffin, a senior researcher and adjunct professor, says the Army currently takes older missiles apart to see if they are usable. “We found Optical Raman Spectroscopy can look at a missile’s propellant to determine whether the missile is still good,†Ruffin said in a university release. “The Raman probe can be inserted in the motor, and it shows us whether the propellant in the rocket motor is still useful.â€
Dr. James Parker, a program manager in the Army Research Office, visited A&M this week to review the research. “It’s costly the way that it’s done now," Parker said, “because you have to actually sacrifice a missile. In the absence of another method, it’s all we’ve got.†But Parker said the method developed at A&M “looks very promising.â€
More:
https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2020/02/alabama-researchers-find-new-way-to-test-aging-army-missiles.html