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From: raveling@venera.isi.edu (Paul Raveling)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: SR71 to be retired October 1st, rumors regarding SR-71
Message-ID: <7855@venera.isi.edu>
Date: 27 Mar 89 16:17:42 GMT
References: <524@gonzo.UUCP> <1475@petsd.UUCP> <13987@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> <18674@srcsip.UUCP> <5628@brspyr1.BRS.Com> <540@bridge2.3Com.Com>
Reply-To: raveling@isi.edu (Paul Raveling)
Organization: Information Sciences Institute, Univ. of So. California
Lines: 27

In article <540@bridge2.3Com.Com> gfk@vision.3Com.com (Gregory F. Kendall) writes:
>In article <5628@brspyr1.BRS.Com> miket@brspyr1.BRS.Com (Mike Trout) writes:
>... stuff deleted
>>I've heard tales that the fuel's so difficult to ignite that ground crews will
>>terrify neophytes by grinding out lit cigarettes in SR-71 fuel puddles.
>
>Listen up, folks. Cigarettes are not very hot, when it comes to igniting fuel.
>I have, repeatedly, dropped lit cirarettes into buckets of gasoline (that's
>right, mogas, autogas). NO ignition! A cigarettes won't even ignite gasoline,
>let alone kerosine/jet fuel. This trick is, I'll admit, a good one to scare
>the shit out of the naive.

	The real danger isn't the liquid, but vapors.  Although
	most fuels are more benign, watch out for JP-5  -- it's
	volatile and the vapors are heavier than air; it'll
	lie on the ground and wait for your cigarette instead of
	dissipating quickly.

	This problem is why only the military uses JP-5, and I'm
	not sure how much they still use it.  As for buckets of
	gasoline, that may be safe, but I'd prefer not to be close
	if you chuck a cigarette into a nearly-empty gas tank.


----------------
Paul Raveling
Raveling@isi.edu