Dig back in the HAMB archives, many good stories and threads about hydrazine. I think we first talked about it 20? years ago?
Here, good reading https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hydrazene.6864/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nitromethane-hydrazine-madness.71606/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-green-flames-anybody-know-about-this.671603/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/old-60s-explosive-race-fuel.165407/
Racers would often add DYE to the fuel to change its color to mess with the other races, The Surfers team of Skinner & Jobe were famous for doing this. You cant run on 100% Hydrazine , too dangerous and volatile to handle. When the racers did experiment with it, it was only a beaker full to 5 gal, pour it in, cap and shake the tank--- get the hell out of the way
the last space capsule that was recovered and put on the deck was not openedd for 10-15 minutes so the hydrazine vapors could disapate they use it in the small steering jets ( rockets?)
I imagine those ears on the cap were not removed for saving weight but so it couldn't be overtightened, as per the warning. A bit of a pressure relief I assume.
I don't believe the DYMO tape labels have much credibility. The "100% " label is ridiculous. The "Do Not Tighten Filler Cap" is another question as UDMH absorbs atmospheric moisture quite readily. UDMH BP is significantly higher than even gasoline, so that's the least of other safety concerns. Lots of fuels were experimented with in the 50's maybe 60's until finally NHRA squashed. I still like propylene oxide w/ nitromethane used at whopping 3%, but NHRA made a big issue out of it. In my later career I utilized 20K gal railcars monthly w/o ESH issues.
Hydrazine was used for spacecraft thrusters as one component of what are known as hypergolic propellents, usually paired with nitrogen tetroxide. They wanted something simple and reliable, the two components pretty much mind their own business till they are mixed. One of the lesser known "features" of the Apollo lunar module, there could be no actual testing of the actual engines used in the spacecraft because these particular chemicals are so corrosive. So every liftoff from the Moon was the first, and only, instance where that particular engine had ever been fired. If they didn't work for any reason, the Astronauts would be marooned.
Back to the topic here's a thread with 18 pages of MOON tanks. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/moon-tank-photo-gallery.728867/
I’m a nut for anything vintage Moon. Even my 6 volt positive ground has a voltage inverter and a Moon tach. And all their finned aluminum I can find!
It was labeled like that as a joke… I’m sure the other racers laughed. FWIW, that pwrformance automotive shop was the sole supplier of race fuel at Bonneville for decades.
I thought I was the only guy in the world that lopped off the cap wings. I got my Moon tank soon after they started putting the different caps on and I lopped the cap wings off and polished it to look less old. Funny the the things we do to change with the times only to think how silly it was , looking back.
Talked to an older feller at Pomona a few years back. He was a machinist that contracted with Dean Moon in the mfg. of the Moon tanks. He laughingly referred to himself as a 'retired Moonspinner'!
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