Irradiated polymeric propellants and process of rocket propulsion

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PROPELLING ROCKETS COMPRISING THE STEP OF COMBUSTING AN IRRADIATED CROSSLINKED MASS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A RUBBER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF NATURAL RUBBER, AND SYNTHETIC RUBBER POLYMERS AND COPOLYMERS OF 1,3-DIENE COMPOUNDS, AND 1-95 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AN OXIDIZING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POTASSIUM PERCHLORATE, POTASSIUM NITRATE, POTASSIUM PERMAGANATE, POTASSIUM IODATE, POTASSIUM DICHROMATE, AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE, AMMONIUM NITRATE, AMMONIUM PERSULFATE, MANGANESE DIOXIDE, PERCHLORIC ACID, CHLORIDE ACID AND ARYL PERCHLORYL COMPOUNDS, SAID MASS BEING CONTAINED IN THE FUEL CHAMBER OF A ROCKET AND HAVING A TUBULAR SHAPE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSSSECTION THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH, SAID TUBULAR SHAPE BEING ADAPTED TO PERMIT ESCAPE OF COMBUSTION PRODUCTS FROM ONLY ONE END OF THE LINEAR OPENING THEREIN, AND SAID MASS HAVING BEEN EXPOSED TO AT LEAST TWO MEGAREPS AND NO MORE THAN ABOUT 100 MERGAREPS OF HIGH ENERGY, IONIZING RADIATION DERIVED FROM AN ENERGY SOURCE EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST 100,000 ELECTRON VOLTS.