Girl sneaks into Russian Rocket factory

[abomination]

http://m.gizmodo.com/5873441/this-girl-sneaked-into-this-russian-military-rocket-factory?tag=wtf

There not much content in the article, or verification of it's authenticity. But there are some cool pictures.

 

[Dragoner]

Very cool pictures.

 

[FreeTrav]

If only they were posted CC-BY with her name... A couple of those would just be great covers for FT...

 

[kafka47]

If only they were posted CC-BY with her name... A couple of those would just be great covers for FT...

Indeed. Do you want me to write to her and get her permission to use the photos? PM me.

The thing about all these industrial dinosaurs of the former USSR that makes it so interesting is the complete lack of security. When I was Kronstadt in 1996 I was just meters away from a nuclear submarine in the Naval base there (hole in the fence and 200m hike) yet I do not think that I could even remotely close to anything in Nantucket and once they learnt my name - well I would probably be in Gito. The irony of the Kronstadt was that when I was in Petrodvorets making out with my Russian girlfriend that is when the Militia (Police) were promptly called into the station and told to show some respect - this was the residence of the Tsars...

 

[saundby]

I'm not surprised she got in. I'm surprised she didn't have a building fall in on her while she was there, or a staircase fall out from under her. A lot of the old stuff there is a wreck. Those there have their plates full just keeping things running and getting money in the door--never mind security.

The last photo is an interesting one. The "smoke" is from an engine test. They have an indoor facility where the rocket fires into a pool of water, off-center so that it creates its own circulation. Convection draws out the steam from above and can create a simulated altitude condition if desired.

The orange cloud to the right of the steam is N2O4 from the start-up of the engine. You start the oxidizer a bit before the fuel to set up a bit of cooling in the rocket chamber and throat, and to prevent a "hard start".

The "smoke" lasts for about 2-3 minutes during a test then goes away, the site makes it sound like the factory is pumping it out all the time. It's nearly 100% steam, anyway--both the steam off the coolant pool and the rocket exhaust itself once the combustion is balanced some milliseconds into the firing.