solid-fuel rocket
前回、打ち上げが直前で延期になった宇宙航空研究開発機構（JAXA）の「イプシロン」が１４日午後２時、鹿児島県肝付町にある内之浦宇宙空間観測所から打ち上げられ、同３時過ぎに衛星を分離し、打ち上げは見事、成功しました。
中学校あたりで習ったと思いますが、solid(-) fuel rocketは「固体燃料ロケット」のことですね（cf. liquid fuel rocket）。Wikipediaによると「固体の燃料と酸化剤を混錬して（fuel mixture）ロケット本体に充填した固体燃料を使用するロケット」とのことです。このタイプのロケットを開発したのはなんと中国！ちょっとくやしい感じもしますが、先人からは学び続けましょう。（UG）
Japan's new rocket Epsilon launched successfully
Japan's new solid-fuel rocket Epsilon was launched successfully on Saturday afternoon and released a space telescope into orbit as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.
Japan's first new rocket in 12 years, which carried the "SPRINT-A" telescope for observing planets, lifted off from the launch pad at the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan at 2 p.m., according to the space agency known as JAXA.
The launch came after JAXA postponed the previous attempt on Aug. 27 just 19 seconds before the scheduled launch as the computer controlling the launch from the ground detected an abnormality in the rocket's posture, which was later found to be normal.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/09/246328.html
Solid-fuel Rockets: Fuel Mixture
Solid-fuel rocket engines were the first engines created by man. They were invented hundreds of years ago in China and have been used widely since then. The line about "the rocket's red glare" in the national anthem (written in the early 1800's) is talking about small military solid-fuel rockets used to deliver bombs or incendiary devices. So you can see that rockets have been in use quite awhile.
The idea behind a simple solid-fuel rocket is straightforward. What you want to do is create something that burns very quickly but does not explode. As you are probably aware, gunpowder explodes.
Gunpowder is made up 75% nitrate, 15% carbon and 10% sulfur. In a rocket engine, you don't want an explosion -- you would like the power released more evenly over a period of time. Therefore you might change the mix to 72% nitrate, 24% carbon and 4% sulfur. In this case, instead of gunpowder, you get a simple rocket fuel. This sort of mix will burn very rapidly, but it does not explode if loaded properly.
