Beta 1 rocket engine, 1947-1951.

The Beta 1 rocket engine was used on the development model of a British vertical take off and landing (VTOL) interceptor aircraft. Its two combustion chambers burned a fuel mixture of methyl alcohol and hydrazine in hydrogen peroxide. Its design was heavily influenced by the German Walter 509 engines captured during World War II. The engine is being examined by a curator prior to being photographed for a Science Museum book on the Black Arrow Rocket.