Shown here is the fuel injector for the larger chamber of the two-chamber, liquid-fuel engine that powered the Navy's surface-to-surface Lark missile. Total thrust of the engine, which burned red fuming nitric acid and aniline, reached 620 pounds. Like the combustion chamber, the injector used regenerative cooling technology, visible on the inside walls of this cutaway. Pioneered by Reaction Motors in the late 1930s, regenerative cooling gained wider acceptance during and after World War II as Reaction Motors commercialized the technology.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

PROPULSION-Components (Engine Parts)

Manufacturer

Reaction Motors, Inc.

Dimensions

Overall: 12.1 x 7.9 x 4.4cm (4 3/4in. x 3 1/8in. x 1 3/4in.)
length, body, 4.25 inches; diameter, 2 inches

Materials

Stainless steel

Inventory Number

A19990027001

Credit Line

Found in collection. Donor unknown at this time. Found on NASM premises.

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

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