What is involved in 'safing' a shuttle?

On 2/28/2010 12:44 PM, Jochem Huhmann wrote:


Well, there are lots of things that aren't exactly impossible from a
physics point of view, but still really complicated. Repeating all the
uncertainties of ignition (and to do this with changing temperatures of
the systems) hundreds of times a second is surely not going to give you
more accuracy, I think.

RC planes are fueled with a nitromethane/methanol mixture, and pure
nitromethane can be used as a monopropellant, just like hydrazine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitromethane
Simply heating it will cause it to decompose, and it's a lot more benign
to work with than hydrazine.
Another monopropellant is Otto Fuel II, such as is used in torpedoes; it
is mildly toxic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_fuel_II

Pat