I've actually gotten a pretty decent start on the MLAS, now. I finished assembling the motor mount, including the kevlar / elastic shock cord. It's all glued into the main body tube now.
I also have made good progress with the nose cone. I coated it with wood glue and white glue, which seals all the cracks and gives it a pretty smooth surface.
I also tested my favorite automotive primer on it, and the results are great! It does not dissolve the foam, and it seems to stick just fine. I'll need to fill a lot of pinholes after I prime it (when it's warmer, and there's not two feet of snow outside...) but it appears that Rustoleum Automotive Primer works well.
Also got some other work done. I'm building a wooden dagger as a prop for a drama show; that's coming along. I fixed the broken fin on the Sudden Mach; it should be able to withstand 1.5 Mach. I also fixed one of my two 29mm rocket stands, and I'm starting work on a third.
Showing posts with label Sudden Mach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sudden Mach. Show all posts
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Sidewalk astronomy
Tonight was "Aerospace Night" for the elementary school club - Aerospace Adventurers - that I help out with. They had all sorts of stuff in the gym - boomerangs, robots, space suits, and more. Patrick McConnell form CATO came down and brought some of his rockets to show the kids. I did too, though I broke a fin on the Sudden Mach. There were also some incredible paintings from a sidewalk artist in Brooklyn - he creates these incredible drawings of alien planets and landscapes, in just ten minutes, using spray cans and a few basic scraping tools.
There was a representative there from the Aldrich Astronomical Society there; he had a number of impressive meteorite samples. He decided not to bring a telescope because the weather wasn't too great up in Worcester. I volunteered to bring my 8" scope down; I live only five minutes away and I figured it was about time I actually got any use out of it.
I set it up around 7:10; I quickly had a steady stream of kids and their parents, and a handful of passerby who were at the school for unrelated reasons. Altogether, I probably had about 80 people in 80 minutes, all of whom saw the moon, Jupiter and its four largest moons, or both. The seeing wasn't great, but you could still see lots of detail on the moon and some belts on Jupiter. Many were quite wowed by the sights.
It was really neat; I'd never showed people astronomical objects en masse before. Just seeing Jupiter - a billion miles away - floored some people, especially when I pointed it out in the sky. It felt really good, and it warmed even my cold black hole of a heart.
It was about the only thing that warmed me, too. It was twelve degrees out (-11 C), and I was outside for seventy-eight of eighty consecutive minutes, in a winter coat and jeans. Thank goodness for ski gloves. (It took an hour afterwards for my toes to be back to normal, though.)
And it prompted an impromptu Taco Bell run with mandachan (my lovely assistant and fellow geek <3 ). Always fun.
There was a representative there from the Aldrich Astronomical Society there; he had a number of impressive meteorite samples. He decided not to bring a telescope because the weather wasn't too great up in Worcester. I volunteered to bring my 8" scope down; I live only five minutes away and I figured it was about time I actually got any use out of it.
I set it up around 7:10; I quickly had a steady stream of kids and their parents, and a handful of passerby who were at the school for unrelated reasons. Altogether, I probably had about 80 people in 80 minutes, all of whom saw the moon, Jupiter and its four largest moons, or both. The seeing wasn't great, but you could still see lots of detail on the moon and some belts on Jupiter. Many were quite wowed by the sights.
It was really neat; I'd never showed people astronomical objects en masse before. Just seeing Jupiter - a billion miles away - floored some people, especially when I pointed it out in the sky. It felt really good, and it warmed even my cold black hole of a heart.
It was about the only thing that warmed me, too. It was twelve degrees out (-11 C), and I was outside for seventy-eight of eighty consecutive minutes, in a winter coat and jeans. Thank goodness for ski gloves. (It took an hour afterwards for my toes to be back to normal, though.)
And it prompted an impromptu Taco Bell run with mandachan (my lovely assistant and fellow geek <3 ). Always fun.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
NERRF Drag Race Picture
Two days ago, Jim Flis, owner of Fliskits, posted his album of NERRF pictures of TRF. You can few the whole giant album here.
One picture, I found, was described as a "HPR drag race". Well, there weren't many of those, so I took a look. Sure enough, it showed two skinny rockets and one fat - the drag race between Crazy Jim and I, with a third rocket launched at the same time for kicks.
My Sudden Mach is on the left, on a G78G. It's about a foot taller than Crazy Jim's Blackhawk, just to the right, also on a G78G. The third rocket, whose name and owner I do not recall, is on a J800T. Our two rockets are almost keeping pace, despite having a tenth the thrust of the larger rocket.
Once again, thanks to Jim Flis for the picture.
One picture, I found, was described as a "HPR drag race". Well, there weren't many of those, so I took a look. Sure enough, it showed two skinny rockets and one fat - the drag race between Crazy Jim and I, with a third rocket launched at the same time for kicks.
My Sudden Mach is on the left, on a G78G. It's about a foot taller than Crazy Jim's Blackhawk, just to the right, also on a G78G. The third rocket, whose name and owner I do not recall, is on a J800T. Our two rockets are almost keeping pace, despite having a tenth the thrust of the larger rocket.
Once again, thanks to Jim Flis for the picture.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Epic repairs session
I had lots of time tonight, so I managed to get a lot done on repairing rockets.
My biggest project was the Alexi Leonov, a slightly modified Estes Loadstar. It hadn't been built too well from the beginning, and these latest mishaps just made it worse. The fins were crooked and loose, the booster didn't fit right, the booster motor mount was crooked, and my original decorating was pathetic. It's five years old, and back then my finishing abilities were limited to putting decals in sortof maybe the right places. No paint, just decals and some random stuff written with marker. It was ugly.
And then it got worse. Last February, I fried the upper stage motor mount and replaced it, badly. Two weeks ago, it pranged and ejected the motor mount - the glue joints had failed. Then I knocked it over and it lost a fin.
So, I decided to give it some justice. Proper fin job, better internals, and a nice looking paint job. I peeled off the decals, rubbed most of the adhesive off. Removed all the fins but one each on the booster and sustainer. Sanded all fins smooth, and sanded the body tube where the fins had been. Drew up fin alignment guides in Word, printed them out, glued all fins on nicely with superglue; the firsy round of wood glue fillets is drying.
Then I started on the internals. I removed a broken centering ring on the upper stage motor mount, cut a new one from cardboard, and glued it to the motor tube. I reglued a centering ring on the lower stage motor mount to better align the motor. Finally, I cut down and sanded the interstage coupler so it fits perfectly.
If you're confused, don't worry. Pictures are coming, as well as a really nice looking paint job.
Second, I worked on the Deltie Thunder's boost pod. I cut out the crimped section of tubing and moved the glider hook and launch lugs further up. (I checked stability; it's good even with the shorter pod.) I sanded the broken bits on the hook to fit the matching hook on the glider and added outside plates for stiffness. Finally, I filled the dent in the balsa nose cone with wood filler, sanded, and coated with wood glue.
Third, I added protective layers of glue to the 5x13mm motor mount of the Multi-Goon to protect it from ejection charges.
Fourth, I reglued the nose cone on the Sudden Mach. It's now fully repaired and ready for business.
Fifth, I reglued a few paint chips on the Svetlana. The baffle and the Heli-roc will have to wait for later, though.
My biggest project was the Alexi Leonov, a slightly modified Estes Loadstar. It hadn't been built too well from the beginning, and these latest mishaps just made it worse. The fins were crooked and loose, the booster didn't fit right, the booster motor mount was crooked, and my original decorating was pathetic. It's five years old, and back then my finishing abilities were limited to putting decals in sortof maybe the right places. No paint, just decals and some random stuff written with marker. It was ugly.
And then it got worse. Last February, I fried the upper stage motor mount and replaced it, badly. Two weeks ago, it pranged and ejected the motor mount - the glue joints had failed. Then I knocked it over and it lost a fin.
So, I decided to give it some justice. Proper fin job, better internals, and a nice looking paint job. I peeled off the decals, rubbed most of the adhesive off. Removed all the fins but one each on the booster and sustainer. Sanded all fins smooth, and sanded the body tube where the fins had been. Drew up fin alignment guides in Word, printed them out, glued all fins on nicely with superglue; the firsy round of wood glue fillets is drying.
Then I started on the internals. I removed a broken centering ring on the upper stage motor mount, cut a new one from cardboard, and glued it to the motor tube. I reglued a centering ring on the lower stage motor mount to better align the motor. Finally, I cut down and sanded the interstage coupler so it fits perfectly.
If you're confused, don't worry. Pictures are coming, as well as a really nice looking paint job.
Second, I worked on the Deltie Thunder's boost pod. I cut out the crimped section of tubing and moved the glider hook and launch lugs further up. (I checked stability; it's good even with the shorter pod.) I sanded the broken bits on the hook to fit the matching hook on the glider and added outside plates for stiffness. Finally, I filled the dent in the balsa nose cone with wood filler, sanded, and coated with wood glue.
Third, I added protective layers of glue to the 5x13mm motor mount of the Multi-Goon to protect it from ejection charges.
Fourth, I reglued the nose cone on the Sudden Mach. It's now fully repaired and ready for business.
Fifth, I reglued a few paint chips on the Svetlana. The baffle and the Heli-roc will have to wait for later, though.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Starting repairs
Between NERRF and my personal launch, I have a lot of rockets to fix in some capacity or another.
- Alexi Leonov: its last flight ended with a crash and the entire motor mount ejecting out the back. The centering rings are pretty shot and the motor tube needs replacing, so I'll put in a new mount with basswood centering rings and a better motor mount tube. I will probably also add fillets to the fins and maybe even paint it. Also, I'm an idiot, I kinda tripped and hit it and knocked a fin off.
- Heliroc: needs a new rubber band for the blades.
- Sudden Mach: first, I need to reglue the nose cone into the upper body tube. Then, I need to figure out how to mount the timer for easier and more sucessful operation.
- Deltie Thunder: the pop pod needs a lot of work. There's a massive crimp in the body tube; I'm not sure if I'll replace the tube entirely or just couple in a fresh section. I also need to fix the glider hook, probably with plywood - it wasn't designed to take an F motor - and to fix the economy-sized dent in the nose cone.
- Multi-Goon: I need to change the 13mm and 24mm engine mounts to prevent them from being burned by ejection charges.
- Svetlana will take the most work. Mainly, I need to figure out a new baffle system. I need to clean off the back end, repair some dings, and put a clear coat of protective enamel on. Plus, if I'm lucky, mandachan will draw Svetlana-the-character on it.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Order from Chaos
I went to Wal-mart today while doing errands with my folks. I bought a 2400-count box of 4.5mm BBs - almost 30 oz of total weight, enough for many rockets - and weighed them using my mini saucepan on a scale. As I poured them in, I noticed something very cool. The BBs were forming a regular hexagonal pattern, in layers. Better than half of them were in a regular pattern - a perfect large-scale model of crystalline formation. Order from chaos. Suck it, entropy.
I also bought two rolls of good masking tape for painting and two cans of spray paint - a can of blue for replacing the can my dad took to paint a sign, and a can of fluorescent orange for rockets that I need to spot at long distances. I wish I'd had it when I painted the Sudden Mach.
I also bought two rolls of good masking tape for painting and two cans of spray paint - a can of blue for replacing the can my dad took to paint a sign, and a can of fluorescent orange for rockets that I need to spot at long distances. I wish I'd had it when I painted the Sudden Mach.
Sudden Mach static pictures
No, not carpet-in-winter static. Static pictures, because unfortunately I don't have any pictures from this flight. But here's what it looks like painted:
And a close-up of the fin unit. I love the design - someone at NERRF commented it made it look like it had split fins - but my paint job could have been better.
Monday, June 28, 2010
NERRF 6
I had such an awesome time yesterday at NERRF. It was one of the best days I've yet had of flying. The winds were low, the skies clear, and all 4 of my flights were sucessful.
First thing after registering, I bought some reloads from Bob of Hangar 11. I bought a G75J reload for my 29/180 case, and two packs of 18mm reloads - D13-4W and D24-7T - that he gave me a really good price on.
I first loaded up the Svetlana with the G75J. The stock delay was 10 seconds, but they tend to run long, so I drilled a small hole about 1/8" in to reduce that by a few seconds. She looked very small out on the high-power pads - a 17" tall rocket among 5-foot rockets - but she flew beautifully.
Boost was fast and arrow-straight to a simulated altitude of 2430 feet. Deployment was past apogee, due to the long delay, and the chute tangled. It landed three fields over, about 1200 feet from the pad. The baffle tube was destroyed by the ejection charge (even though I'd only used half the stock charge), but it had done its duty and the chute was protected enough to carry it down safely despite the tangle.. There's a few dings in the paint and it needs a few baffle, but Svetlana has shown her worth, and earned the right to get a drawing from mandachan on it.
Second flight was the Deltie Thunder on an F12-3. Simulated altitude was 650 feet. It took off pretty straight but started to angle away from the flight line, so it probably didn't get above 550 feet. Ejection was second or two late, but the glider leveled off immediately and started some fast circling turns some 500 feet in diameter. Because it's a big dumb glider - 3 feet across, and no RC electronics like most gliders of this size - it glides fast, probably better than 30 feet per second.
It circled twice in two minutes covering perhaps two-thirds of a mile. It landed softly with no damage. The pod, though, had fallen hard. The nose cone has a dent, the glider hook is damaged, and the pod is bent. It'll take some work, but it'll fly again. Hopefully, on a Cesaroni F30 longburn.
Third flight of the day was the highlight: a drag race with Crazy Jim Henderson from Wildman. His carbon-fiber Blackhawk against my conventional-materials Sudden Mach on single-use G78-10 Mojave Green motors. Simulated to 3400 feet, 816 fps (0.73 Mach). Jim had some crazy-tiny electronics from Robert DeHate of Animal Motor Works. An altimeter about a centimeter square, and a radio-directionality tracker that was barely larger. All he had to do was to tape both to the shock cord.
They launched almost simultaneously; his was perhaps 10 or 20 feet ahead of mine. They were the exact same weight and they stayed within a feet feet all the way up to the 2000-foot cloud bank. We never saw ejection, but he got a decent bead with his radio tracker and we headed off to find our rockets.
The tracker led us over half a mile away, through the treeline, across a stream, and into a second field. He got a decent bead on the tracker, but it was in a third field that he'd have to go in from a different place, and he doubted he'd be able to get to it. As we came out, another group of searchers had found the body of his Blackhawk. The tracker, then, was attached to just the nose cone which might have drifted far away.
At this time, I went back to the flight line and prepped my next flight, the Mozzie on a G64-7 White Lightning. Simmed altitude 1850 feet. That was the fastest I have ever assembled a motor; it probably took me under two minutes. It took off fast and that G64 burns for what seems like forever - two seconds, a very long time indeed for a motor of that size. It was literally a dot at deployment. It took some two minutes to drift down; I though it was going to fall right into the treeline, but it came down about 300 feet short - a very short distance considering it was about 2200 feet from the pad.
On the way back, I rescued someone's Estes rocket from an irrigation canal. I brought it back to the lost-an-found pile and sitting there was the Sudden Mach! Crazy Jim had found it undamaged, sitting just a few feet from his nose cone and tracker. Oddly, the timer had never detected launch, so the main didn't deploy. Oh well; I'll figure that out another time, and I'll get an altimeter with deployment to use in the future. Hopefully he'll contact me soon with his altimeter data. The only bad part about the flight: it took twenty minutes to untangle the shock cords. Falling for two minutes gave lots of time for the different parts to tangle; the shock cord was literally braided to itself.
All in all, it was an absolutely great day. Almost perfect flying weather, and four successful flights, all of which I wouldn't have been able to fly here at CATO because of our limited field. I'll have pictures and information about other flights later.
First thing after registering, I bought some reloads from Bob of Hangar 11. I bought a G75J reload for my 29/180 case, and two packs of 18mm reloads - D13-4W and D24-7T - that he gave me a really good price on.
I first loaded up the Svetlana with the G75J. The stock delay was 10 seconds, but they tend to run long, so I drilled a small hole about 1/8" in to reduce that by a few seconds. She looked very small out on the high-power pads - a 17" tall rocket among 5-foot rockets - but she flew beautifully.
Boost was fast and arrow-straight to a simulated altitude of 2430 feet. Deployment was past apogee, due to the long delay, and the chute tangled. It landed three fields over, about 1200 feet from the pad. The baffle tube was destroyed by the ejection charge (even though I'd only used half the stock charge), but it had done its duty and the chute was protected enough to carry it down safely despite the tangle.. There's a few dings in the paint and it needs a few baffle, but Svetlana has shown her worth, and earned the right to get a drawing from mandachan on it.
Second flight was the Deltie Thunder on an F12-3. Simulated altitude was 650 feet. It took off pretty straight but started to angle away from the flight line, so it probably didn't get above 550 feet. Ejection was second or two late, but the glider leveled off immediately and started some fast circling turns some 500 feet in diameter. Because it's a big dumb glider - 3 feet across, and no RC electronics like most gliders of this size - it glides fast, probably better than 30 feet per second.
It circled twice in two minutes covering perhaps two-thirds of a mile. It landed softly with no damage. The pod, though, had fallen hard. The nose cone has a dent, the glider hook is damaged, and the pod is bent. It'll take some work, but it'll fly again. Hopefully, on a Cesaroni F30 longburn.
Third flight of the day was the highlight: a drag race with Crazy Jim Henderson from Wildman. His carbon-fiber Blackhawk against my conventional-materials Sudden Mach on single-use G78-10 Mojave Green motors. Simulated to 3400 feet, 816 fps (0.73 Mach). Jim had some crazy-tiny electronics from Robert DeHate of Animal Motor Works. An altimeter about a centimeter square, and a radio-directionality tracker that was barely larger. All he had to do was to tape both to the shock cord.
They launched almost simultaneously; his was perhaps 10 or 20 feet ahead of mine. They were the exact same weight and they stayed within a feet feet all the way up to the 2000-foot cloud bank. We never saw ejection, but he got a decent bead with his radio tracker and we headed off to find our rockets.
The tracker led us over half a mile away, through the treeline, across a stream, and into a second field. He got a decent bead on the tracker, but it was in a third field that he'd have to go in from a different place, and he doubted he'd be able to get to it. As we came out, another group of searchers had found the body of his Blackhawk. The tracker, then, was attached to just the nose cone which might have drifted far away.
At this time, I went back to the flight line and prepped my next flight, the Mozzie on a G64-7 White Lightning. Simmed altitude 1850 feet. That was the fastest I have ever assembled a motor; it probably took me under two minutes. It took off fast and that G64 burns for what seems like forever - two seconds, a very long time indeed for a motor of that size. It was literally a dot at deployment. It took some two minutes to drift down; I though it was going to fall right into the treeline, but it came down about 300 feet short - a very short distance considering it was about 2200 feet from the pad.
On the way back, I rescued someone's Estes rocket from an irrigation canal. I brought it back to the lost-an-found pile and sitting there was the Sudden Mach! Crazy Jim had found it undamaged, sitting just a few feet from his nose cone and tracker. Oddly, the timer had never detected launch, so the main didn't deploy. Oh well; I'll figure that out another time, and I'll get an altimeter with deployment to use in the future. Hopefully he'll contact me soon with his altimeter data. The only bad part about the flight: it took twenty minutes to untangle the shock cords. Falling for two minutes gave lots of time for the different parts to tangle; the shock cord was literally braided to itself.
All in all, it was an absolutely great day. Almost perfect flying weather, and four successful flights, all of which I wouldn't have been able to fly here at CATO because of our limited field. I'll have pictures and information about other flights later.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Painting the Sudden Mach
The actual paint job may be a secret until NERRF. But I will say that I've started the paint job on the Sudden Mach. I primed the rocket (hooray for awesome automotive primer), sanded it smooth, and applied the first coat of paint.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Building 'n stuff
I got lots done on Monday. First thing was some work on the Sudden Mach. I reglued the spacers to the Blue Tube couplers, then I added a third fillet to each of the 6 fin / body joints.
Next I made a stand for the Buckeye IV. Not too hard, just 4 2" sections of dowel and a wooden base, but it looks so much nicer standing up.
I then did a lot with the finish on the Orbital Transport. Sanded the first coat of primer, applied and sanded the second coat of primer, then two coats of white. Red paint coming sometime soon.
Finally, I've decided on my next Friggin' Crazy Project, to be completed after the Sudden Mach is done. I'm taking the 1/48 scale SR-71 and converting it for flight. 24mm motor mount, etc. Not gonna be easy, and it'll prolly crash, but it'll be cool.
Next I made a stand for the Buckeye IV. Not too hard, just 4 2" sections of dowel and a wooden base, but it looks so much nicer standing up.
I then did a lot with the finish on the Orbital Transport. Sanded the first coat of primer, applied and sanded the second coat of primer, then two coats of white. Red paint coming sometime soon.
Finally, I've decided on my next Friggin' Crazy Project, to be completed after the Sudden Mach is done. I'm taking the 1/48 scale SR-71 and converting it for flight. 24mm motor mount, etc. Not gonna be easy, and it'll prolly crash, but it'll be cool.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
More CATO 161 Pictures
Two racks of LPR rockets, none of them mine:
And me setting up the Sudden Mach:
Launch Report #38: CATO 161
Yes, another late post. Oh well. I have no no time whatsoever lately.
The weather was great on Saturday - hazy but no wind. The only frustrating bits were that there were a lot of kids around - three school groups totalling almost 60 kids - and that a lot of rockets flew right into the sun and were hard to spot.
My first flight was the L-13 on a C6-3; simulated altitude 500 feet. It was a bit squirrelly and wobbled during boost; I'll add some nose weight before its next flight. It recovered nicely on a 15" chute (repaired from last month's launch).
Second flight was the Mach Goon on a G115WT reload. Simulated altitude 3500 feet; simulated velocity 1250 fps (Mach 1.1+). Way to high for this field, but I was asked to specially and I got permission. The motor ignited almost instantly, and it ripped off the pad:
It took a sharp turn east at a few hundred feet off the ground; perhaps a fin split off or it spit a chunk of propellant. Stability was marginal in any case. It roared off at ridiculous speed, and I heard a crack which may have been it breaking Mach for a moment. I never saw ejection despite the loads of tracking powder, and currently it's lost. I got in contact with the owners of a nearby farm field where it may have landed; they said they'd keep an eye out for it. Nice folks.
Final flight of the day was the Sudden Mach on an E18-4W, simulated altitude 1350 feet.
The drogue was a 6" nylon chute; the main was 15". Al Gloer helped me (a lot) with the charge, and I set the Minitimer 3 to 25 seconds - approximately 400 ft AGL at deployment.
It ripped off the pad rather nicely. I love the E18 reload.
It deployed the drogue right at ejection, but then the whole thing came apart, connected only by the Kevlar shock cord, and the charge never fired.
Turns out, it's hard to glue stuff to Blue Tube. The spacer rings had both stripped right off their couplers at ejection - easily repairable.
I'm not sure why the timer didn't fire the charge; perhaps it was mounted too loosely in the avbay. In any case, that's an investigation for another day, and I'll explain it further tomorrow.
Total was three flights, three rockets, three motors. Total of 188.4 Ns - one of my highest one-day totals.
The weather was great on Saturday - hazy but no wind. The only frustrating bits were that there were a lot of kids around - three school groups totalling almost 60 kids - and that a lot of rockets flew right into the sun and were hard to spot.
My first flight was the L-13 on a C6-3; simulated altitude 500 feet. It was a bit squirrelly and wobbled during boost; I'll add some nose weight before its next flight. It recovered nicely on a 15" chute (repaired from last month's launch).
Second flight was the Mach Goon on a G115WT reload. Simulated altitude 3500 feet; simulated velocity 1250 fps (Mach 1.1+). Way to high for this field, but I was asked to specially and I got permission. The motor ignited almost instantly, and it ripped off the pad:
It took a sharp turn east at a few hundred feet off the ground; perhaps a fin split off or it spit a chunk of propellant. Stability was marginal in any case. It roared off at ridiculous speed, and I heard a crack which may have been it breaking Mach for a moment. I never saw ejection despite the loads of tracking powder, and currently it's lost. I got in contact with the owners of a nearby farm field where it may have landed; they said they'd keep an eye out for it. Nice folks.
Final flight of the day was the Sudden Mach on an E18-4W, simulated altitude 1350 feet.
The drogue was a 6" nylon chute; the main was 15". Al Gloer helped me (a lot) with the charge, and I set the Minitimer 3 to 25 seconds - approximately 400 ft AGL at deployment.
It ripped off the pad rather nicely. I love the E18 reload.
It deployed the drogue right at ejection, but then the whole thing came apart, connected only by the Kevlar shock cord, and the charge never fired.
Turns out, it's hard to glue stuff to Blue Tube. The spacer rings had both stripped right off their couplers at ejection - easily repairable.
I'm not sure why the timer didn't fire the charge; perhaps it was mounted too loosely in the avbay. In any case, that's an investigation for another day, and I'll explain it further tomorrow.
Total was three flights, three rockets, three motors. Total of 188.4 Ns - one of my highest one-day totals.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sudden Mach Progress
I'm getting more and more done on the Sudden Mach. Today, I mixed some epoxy clay and fixed the eybolts into the ends of the bulkheads for the avbay, and used the epoxy to close the open eyes on the eyebolts. I also attached one of the two rail buttons.
Here's a picture of all the parts together.
Tomorrow, when I've got a little time, I will take the two loose basswood disks and make the 'sled' for the timer. It'll incorporate the switch,, so that I can turn the electronics fully on/off with just one switch.
My mom also fixed two parachutes that were damaged in the last launch, by patching the burn holes. They're all ready to go for the launch on Saturday. The Sudden Mach should be ready by Saturday, so long as I start gluing the fins tomorrow.
Here's a picture of all the parts together.
Tomorrow, when I've got a little time, I will take the two loose basswood disks and make the 'sled' for the timer. It'll incorporate the switch,, so that I can turn the electronics fully on/off with just one switch.
My mom also fixed two parachutes that were damaged in the last launch, by patching the burn holes. They're all ready to go for the launch on Saturday. The Sudden Mach should be ready by Saturday, so long as I start gluing the fins tomorrow.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Marathon Building Session
I probably got more building done today than I have in any single day in the past 6 months.
Most of my work was on the Sudden Mach. I Finished cutting all the tubing for it - forward, avbay, and aft sections cut to length, plus the two spacer rings on the couplers. I glued the retainer rings onto the couplers and cut the couplers to length. I sanded the edge of the forward section down to form a smooth joint with the nose cone.
I test-fit all the avbay components together. With the exception of one of the two bulkheads, which I sanded to shape and glued together today but didn't have time to drill, every part was ready for a rough fit. I cut the lenght of all thread in two to fit the length; all the nuts fit perfectly, and it holds it all together.
I also cut the Kevlar shock cord and tied the ends to prevent fraying.
There's only four major things remaining to do for the Sudden Mach. First, attach and reinforce the fins. Second, build the 'sled' that holds the timer inside the avbay. Third, drill the holes in the last bulkhead plate and attach the eyehooks to both with epoxy clay, and finally, use the epoxy clay to attach the shock cords to the body tubes. Then, it'll be ready for a test flight next Saturday.
I did a bit of work on the Multi-Goon as well. I glued on bits of plywood to the 5x13mm and 3x18mm motor mounts for better retention.
Once the primer was dry and sanded on the L-13, I applied two coats of paint. The first was an all-over coat of silver, then the second was a coat of medium grey, masked off for scale-detail stripes. It looks really nice. Tomorrow comes light grey and red.
Pictures coming soon.
Most of my work was on the Sudden Mach. I Finished cutting all the tubing for it - forward, avbay, and aft sections cut to length, plus the two spacer rings on the couplers. I glued the retainer rings onto the couplers and cut the couplers to length. I sanded the edge of the forward section down to form a smooth joint with the nose cone.
I test-fit all the avbay components together. With the exception of one of the two bulkheads, which I sanded to shape and glued together today but didn't have time to drill, every part was ready for a rough fit. I cut the lenght of all thread in two to fit the length; all the nuts fit perfectly, and it holds it all together.
I also cut the Kevlar shock cord and tied the ends to prevent fraying.
There's only four major things remaining to do for the Sudden Mach. First, attach and reinforce the fins. Second, build the 'sled' that holds the timer inside the avbay. Third, drill the holes in the last bulkhead plate and attach the eyehooks to both with epoxy clay, and finally, use the epoxy clay to attach the shock cords to the body tubes. Then, it'll be ready for a test flight next Saturday.
I did a bit of work on the Multi-Goon as well. I glued on bits of plywood to the 5x13mm and 3x18mm motor mounts for better retention.
Once the primer was dry and sanded on the L-13, I applied two coats of paint. The first was an all-over coat of silver, then the second was a coat of medium grey, masked off for scale-detail stripes. It looks really nice. Tomorrow comes light grey and red.
Pictures coming soon.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Building progress
I haven't made any huge progress, but I've gotten bits and pieces done with a few rockets:
I've been doing bulkheads for the Sudden Mach's aviatronics bay. I made one test bulkhead out of basswood, to make sure everything fits right. Now I'm cutting parts out of 3/16" plywood - 4 disks for the bulkheads, and more for the 'sleds' for the electronics to fit on. Lots of cutting and sanding and frustration. The first 2-piece bulkhead is almost finished, though.
The 18mm cluster motor mount on the Multi-Goon got burnt last flight, mainly because the balsa block holding the mount against the engine hook squished and let the mount partially slip out. The first thing I did was to scrape off the balsa and replace it with a piece if plywood that won't burn as quickly nor squish. Once that dires, I'll coat the whole thing in wood glue to protect it from the ejection charge, and then it'll be ready to fly in two weeks, probably on 3 B6-4s.
I've been doing bulkheads for the Sudden Mach's aviatronics bay. I made one test bulkhead out of basswood, to make sure everything fits right. Now I'm cutting parts out of 3/16" plywood - 4 disks for the bulkheads, and more for the 'sleds' for the electronics to fit on. Lots of cutting and sanding and frustration. The first 2-piece bulkhead is almost finished, though.
The 18mm cluster motor mount on the Multi-Goon got burnt last flight, mainly because the balsa block holding the mount against the engine hook squished and let the mount partially slip out. The first thing I did was to scrape off the balsa and replace it with a piece if plywood that won't burn as quickly nor squish. Once that dires, I'll coat the whole thing in wood glue to protect it from the ejection charge, and then it'll be ready to fly in two weeks, probably on 3 B6-4s.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Sudden Mach Drag Race
I've now got an offer to drag race the Sudden Mach. Jim Hendricksen of ICBM (Tripoli SC) is offering his Blackhawk 29 against the Sudden Mach, motor of my choice, as long as we both manage to make it to NERRF in June.
It should be a lot of fun. The Sudden Mach is designed to drag race the Blackhawk, and it should win - it's somewhat lighter, so it'll get off the pad first.
Now I just have to finish the rocket in 2 weeks for its test flight at CATO 161,and then secure transport to NERRF.
It should be a lot of fun. The Sudden Mach is designed to drag race the Blackhawk, and it should win - it's somewhat lighter, so it'll get off the pad first.
Now I just have to finish the rocket in 2 weeks for its test flight at CATO 161,and then secure transport to NERRF.
Sudden Mach Fins Cut
I finally got all three of the Sudden Mach fins cut and sanded. They're high-quality 1/8" basswood. The long edge is 17 cm (6.7") long.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sudden Mach Parts
- 2x LOC Precision 29mm x 34" tubing
- 36" length of 3/32" allthread for the avbay
- 1/8" basswood for fins
- 2x 29mm x 7.4" Blue Tube coupler
- 12" x 1/8" styrene rod (for timer switch actuator)
- 30' of 1/10" Kevlar (300 lb test)
- baggie of nuts and washers for 3/32" allthread
- 3/16" plywood for bulkhead disks and sleds, and prototype disk
- 2x rail buttons
- 2x 1/8" quick-links
- Perfectflite Minitimer 3 and baggie of hardware
- Apogee 29mm nose cone
Not pictured:
- Screw eyes; I forgot to get them at the hardware store. They will be inserted into drilled holes in the bulkheads then epoxied into place.
- Streamer/parachute - will vary depending on flight profile and conditions
- Chute protector(s) - optional
- 9V battery for timer
- Primer and spray paint
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sudden Mach
So, I've finally crossed the Rubicon; I'm going ahead with my latest crazy project, currently named "Sudden Mach". (Like all my Machbusting rockets except one, it's a Dirty Harry pun). It's going to be a 29mm diameter Machbuster, designed to go as fast at 1500 feet per second (Mach 1.38) on I motors. It's designed to meet a number of criteria:
It's also designed to drag race the Wildman Blackhawk 29. A conventional drag race consists of winning 2 out of 3 of being first off the pad, getting to a lower altitude, and being the first to a (safe) landing. With high power rockets, though, apogee and landing often are out of sight, so the nost important thing is being first off the pad. That means a lightweight rocket... that can still take 1000 mph flight and 50 Gs (i.e, nose-to-tail forces of 50 times its own weight) during liftoff.
To that end, I'm making it out of LOC / Precision tubing. It's 29mm internal diameter, 33mm external diameter, and very strong - it won't even need to be coated with fiberglass. It's also way lighter than the carbon-fiber tubing of the Blackhawk. Fins will be 1/8" plywood or basswood, and the nose cone a cheap Apogee plastic cone. Dry weight (without motor) will be under 10 ounces.
Here's a look at the Openrocket simulation, with design and simulated launches:
The avbay (aviatronics bay) is somewhat unique. The SM is designed to use dual deployment, where a small parachute or streamer is deployed at apogee to slow the rocket to 50-100 feet per second, and another is deployed at lower altitude that slows it to 15-25 fps for landing. This means it can fly to over 1 and a quarter miles, yet land within (hopefully) a quarter mile of the launch pad. The avbay is based around the 9V battery in the center, which supplies power to a specialized mini timer circuit. It's designed to be flexible in size, and even if the rocket suffers a catastrophic failure at 1000mph, the avbay will hold together and protect the timer, which at 50 bucks is the most expensive part of the rocket - even more expensive than most motor cases.
Here's an expanded view of the avbay design. Pictures of the real thing will come eventually.
I can also remove all but one of the blue couplers, tie the shock cords for the drogue and main parachutes together, and fly it like a conventional rocket, with the motor deploying the main parachute at apogee. This will work for smaller motors. It can fly on every 24mm and 29mm motor available, from the C11 (126 feet) to the I200 (6800 feet, Mach 1.35) and beyond. That's a range of 40 times in motor impulse - seven motor classes (C D E F G H I) and 54 times in altitude.
I ordered 29mm tubing, two couplers, 30 feet of kevlar shock cord, the timer, a pair of nose cones, and a pair of rail buttons (to hold it to the launch pad) from Apogee Components on Monday, standard shipping. They arrived today. I need to make a hardware store run for spray paint, allthread and nuts for the avbay, and plywood this weekend, then construction will begin. First flight will be at CATO in May; first Mach flight at NERRF in June.
- Using conventional materials whenever possible - the only exceptions are the two Blue Tube couplers. Unlike the Blackhawk, it needs no expensive carbon fiber, and I intend to do without even glassing it.
- Able to use LOC 29mm tubing and survive flight. This means, among other things, long couplers to ensure straight tube joints.
- Capable of dual-deploy, motor ejection, and combinations thereof, with interchangable electronics
- Easy-to-load payload bay capable of holding one aviatronic board plus a second small payload
- Capable of flying on smaller 29mm and 24mm motors on small fields
- Capable of high speeds (Mach 1+) and high altitudes (1 mile +)
- Cheap. I'm on a limited budget
It's also designed to drag race the Wildman Blackhawk 29. A conventional drag race consists of winning 2 out of 3 of being first off the pad, getting to a lower altitude, and being the first to a (safe) landing. With high power rockets, though, apogee and landing often are out of sight, so the nost important thing is being first off the pad. That means a lightweight rocket... that can still take 1000 mph flight and 50 Gs (i.e, nose-to-tail forces of 50 times its own weight) during liftoff.
To that end, I'm making it out of LOC / Precision tubing. It's 29mm internal diameter, 33mm external diameter, and very strong - it won't even need to be coated with fiberglass. It's also way lighter than the carbon-fiber tubing of the Blackhawk. Fins will be 1/8" plywood or basswood, and the nose cone a cheap Apogee plastic cone. Dry weight (without motor) will be under 10 ounces.
Here's a look at the Openrocket simulation, with design and simulated launches:
The avbay (aviatronics bay) is somewhat unique. The SM is designed to use dual deployment, where a small parachute or streamer is deployed at apogee to slow the rocket to 50-100 feet per second, and another is deployed at lower altitude that slows it to 15-25 fps for landing. This means it can fly to over 1 and a quarter miles, yet land within (hopefully) a quarter mile of the launch pad. The avbay is based around the 9V battery in the center, which supplies power to a specialized mini timer circuit. It's designed to be flexible in size, and even if the rocket suffers a catastrophic failure at 1000mph, the avbay will hold together and protect the timer, which at 50 bucks is the most expensive part of the rocket - even more expensive than most motor cases.
Here's an expanded view of the avbay design. Pictures of the real thing will come eventually.
I can also remove all but one of the blue couplers, tie the shock cords for the drogue and main parachutes together, and fly it like a conventional rocket, with the motor deploying the main parachute at apogee. This will work for smaller motors. It can fly on every 24mm and 29mm motor available, from the C11 (126 feet) to the I200 (6800 feet, Mach 1.35) and beyond. That's a range of 40 times in motor impulse - seven motor classes (C D E F G H I) and 54 times in altitude.
I ordered 29mm tubing, two couplers, 30 feet of kevlar shock cord, the timer, a pair of nose cones, and a pair of rail buttons (to hold it to the launch pad) from Apogee Components on Monday, standard shipping. They arrived today. I need to make a hardware store run for spray paint, allthread and nuts for the avbay, and plywood this weekend, then construction will begin. First flight will be at CATO in May; first Mach flight at NERRF in June.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
