**Unfortunately we have had to cancel this event due to the speaker having poor health**
Work on a UK composite propellant started in the 1930's at Woolwich by a team headed by (Sir) Alwyn Crow. These early composite propellants were operational only over a limited temperature range and therefore were not used significantly in World War II. However, by the 1950s and 60s, solid propellant rocket motors were developed for a variety of purposes at the Rocket Propulsion Establishment (R.P.E.) at Westcott in Buckinghamshire and later at The Summerfield Research Station at Kidderminster. Dr Penny will take us briefly through his 50 years in the business describing the technology and history of British Rocket Motors and the places they were designed, developed and produced. He then will spend some time describing the internal ballistics, case and system design of a solid propellant rocket motor.

Biography:

Pete joined The Rocket Propulsion Establishment as a sandwich course student in 1964. He received a 1st hons in Applied Physics from Brighton College of Technology and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from The Royal Military Academy of Science at Shrivenham. He moved up through the ranks of The Ministry of Defence & BAE Systems to become Technical Director of Royal Ordnance Rocket Motors Division. He currently works as a consultant in Rocket Motor Technology for the Falcon Project. He is a long time Fellow of The British Interplanetary Society and has contributed to ‘The Textbook of Ballistics and Gunnery,' Pub HMSO, 1987 and 'International Military and Defence Encyclopaedia,' Pub Brassey's (US) Inc., 1993. He is the author of the book ‘The Basic Theory of the Internal Ballistics of Solid Propellant Rocket Motors’, Pub the Falcon Project.

Please arrive from 18:30 for refreshments, the talk will commence at 19:00.

Click here to download a poster to display at your place of work.

All are welcome at this event, which is free to attend!

Please note that at this meeting we will be taking nominations for people who wish to join our committee. This is ahead of our Annual General Meeting which will take place on 6th April at the Swan, Whittington - starting at 6:30pm.