Magic (Launch report, long, Machbuster, Micromaxx, etc)
Ted Cochran
memory and more of the same in the first week of June, today's Tripoli
Minnesota launch day dawned clear and calm.
On the way up north to the launch site we stopped at a Toys R Us,
expecting to conduct the usual fruitless search for Micromaxx rockets,
which have been due Real Soon Now for weeks. They didn't have any in
Brooklyn Center on Thursday, but lo and behold, Roseville had 5 starter
sets when they opened this morning. Five minutes later they had two :-)--
I left with two SatV/Shuttle kits and a UFO/Space Fighter. Left a pair of
conventional rockets and an SR-71/Tomahawk set behind.
All the flags we past on the way up were broken (not waving). Not a
cloud. No haze. This time of year, that's magic.
First thing we did after unloading the van and setting up the awning was
give the MicroMaxx a try. I opened the set with a Space Fighter and a UFO
first. As others have reported, these are very tiny rockets! The Space
Fighter is more or less a 4Fnc with a boat tail, with a short shock cord
of what appears to be nylon string and a 12" or so mylar streamer. Motors
lock in a la Bailout or Shell shocked Estes kits, but with really tiny
parts--keep an eye on them; if you drop them in the grass, it is over! The
ignitor system is clever and reliable; the controller has lights and sound
for continuity. Everything packs into the launch pad/canister, which
could probably hold a dozen rockets. I hope they make more than that. I
hope they're eyeing the Hot Wheels marketing model But I digress.
We set up the launch pad in the grass (we launch at a huge sod farm) we
announced the launch needlessly formally as a 1/12A 0.2-1 and pushed the
button. We got a stable flight with ejection at apogee, but the streamer
didn't come out. It didn't matter, once separated, the rocket floated
down nicely. The thing isn't capable of a lawn dart, imo. Maybe a hard
plonk. All in all, I was impressed by the flight, and so were a lot of
the flyers-- I sold the spare SatV/Shuttle set as soon as I got back to
the awning. Inspection revealed that the streamer had been cooked, and
the SC all but burned through. I replaced the SC tonite with thin
kevlar from a Rocketvision Machbuster chute, and I don't think I'll even
bother with a streamer from now on.
Speaking of Machbuster, I'd finished painting it last night, intending to
try it on a D today. However, given the weather, I decided to go for
broke with an F101-10. That's 20 pounds of nearly constant thrust for
almost a second on a rocket that might weigh 4 ounces soaking wet.
Certainly a new high water mark in thrust/weight ratio for me!
I put it into the tower I built for Descon 2, and stood 200' away, with
the sun behind me, to watch the countdown and to try to track the rocket.
First attempt chuffed and spat the copperhead. Next time I used an NCR
ignitor. Range is clear, sky is yadda yadda 3 2 1.
It vanished.
No delayed ignition, no building up to pressure, not much sound (and
certainly not for long), not much smoke, and yet no rocket at all.
But in two seconds, an impossibly high, impossibly thin smoke trail marked
the spot where it had rematerialized after being teleported vertically for
2000+ feet. I was able to get binoculars on it and follow it all the way
down--around two minutes of hang time using a 2" x 24" nylon streamer and
a 2" x 24" mylar streamer (which was flapped to shreds, but which did its
job of being flashy at deployment). Found it intact, about 500' from the
pad. The fluorescent paint on the fins was bubbled, and about a square
inch was stripped off entirely on one fin, leaving only primer, but that's
only cosmetic damage--and that's the only damage there was.
Magic.
Having flown a motor with less than 1 sec thrust to something like Mach
1.2 and to something like 3500 feet we decided to try another <1 sec
thrust motor--in the micromaxx saucer. It is about 1/2" high, perhaps 3"
diameter. No way the thing can fly!
Bzzzt. We got a perfectly stable, very slow (I'd say majestic, but let's
not be ridiculous) flight to at least, oh, 15 feet or so. Maybe 25. We
were all laughing, but it was cool. Perhaps we can have a new event:
Stepladder recovery. No way it could be so stable, I thought, and just to
be sure, launched it again later in the day. Same results.
Magic.
I put up my 6', 6.5 lb stretched Tethys on an I-211 with a Pillsbury
Doughboy (Beanie clone) sharing the altimeter bay with Mr. Olsen's
hardware. There's a window there (future camera position), so he could
look out all the way up and back. 2055 feet, perfect recovery, but the
Doughboy looked a little green. Alan "Broke the Estes 30th Anniversary
Saturn V news on RMR" Estenson later gave the little dude a ride on a
Solar Warrior scale-up on another I motor, another perfect flight, and now
the Doughboy isn't giggling any more, either. Good. I think he gets to
ride in the Level 2 cert attempt later this summer. :-)
We launched Deltie Thunder on a D12-3. It zoom/stalled twice until it got
down to a speed it was comfortable at. By then it was only maybe 100'
high, but it turned downwind and flew straight as can be for nearly 100
yards.
Magic.
My son spent the day hawking Flammable Solid stickers--sold 100 at prices
way higher than you RMR preferred customers get, and used the money to buy
a yo yo from Ky Michaelson. (I couldn't figure out how to put a motor in
a yo yo, so I bought a video tape. BTW that spun nozzle on Rocket Boy
looks terrific. So does Miracle.)
Other flights included a Bailout on a C6-3 (the only and minor casualty
when the BT chute didn't make it out--the Army Ranger on the 18" nylon and
mesh chute took all the energy away!), a Snitch saucer on a B6, and an NCR
Eliminator on an F62. Nine flights, motors from 1/12A to I, almost
entirely successful, and home for dinner.
There were lots of terrific flights today. Tiny through L impulse, lots of
successful certs including a successful L2 cert on a 3" or maybe even
smaller rocket, big hybrids, shorter walks than usual, fewer than usual
CATOS, and all around, a wonderful day of rockets.
It doesn't get any better than this, even with beer!
--tc
My opinions only.
Default
>
> It was a magic launch day in Minnesota. After one of the wettest Mays in
> memory and more of the same in the first week of June, today's Tripoli
> Minnesota launch day dawned clear and calm.
snip of some micro maxx minutia... 8*)
> Speaking of Machbuster, I'd finished painting it last night, intending to
> try it on a D today. However, given the weather, I decided to go for
> broke with an F101-10. That's 20 pounds of nearly constant thrust for
> almost a second on a rocket that might weigh 4 ounces soaking wet.
> Certainly a new high water mark in thrust/weight ratio for me!
>
> I put it into the tower I built for Descon 2, and stood 200' away, with
> the sun behind me, to watch the countdown and to try to track the rocket.
> First attempt chuffed and spat the copperhead. Next time I used an NCR
> ignitor. Range is clear, sky is yadda yadda 3 2 1.
>
> It vanished.
>
> No delayed ignition, no building up to pressure, not much sound (and
> certainly not for long), not much smoke, and yet no rocket at all.
>
> But in two seconds, an impossibly high, impossibly thin smoke trail marked
> the spot where it had rematerialized after being teleported vertically for
> 2000+ feet. I was able to get binoculars on it and follow it all the way
> down--around two minutes of hang time using a 2" x 24" nylon streamer and
> a 2" x 24" mylar streamer (which was flapped to shreds, but which did its
> job of being flashy at deployment). Found it intact, about 500' from the
> pad. The fluorescent paint on the fins was bubbled, and about a square
> inch was stripped off entirely on one fin, leaving only primer, but that's
> only cosmetic damage--and that's the only damage there was.
>
> Magic.
Congratulations Ted. You had the right conditions and the "kahoonehs"
to go for a fast flight. Mach type flights are very impressive,
especially when they occur within a second. I hope others at the launch
were aware of what happened and got to watch? (how do you watch what ya
can't see?) it too.
Thanks for taking time to write the report. It's been awhile since I've
been out. Too long.
Steve Bloom
Hoping for balmy weather today...
R Brashear
Ted Cochran wrote:
> Speaking of Machbuster, I'd finished painting it last night, intending to
> try it on a D today. However, given the weather, I decided to go for
> broke with an F101-10. That's 20 pounds of nearly constant thrust for
> almost a second on a rocket that might weigh 4 ounces soaking wet.
> Certainly a new high water mark in thrust/weight ratio for me!
>
> I put it into the tower I built for Descon 2, and stood 200' away, with
> the sun behind me, to watch the countdown and to try to track the rocket.
> First attempt chuffed and spat the copperhead. Next time I used an NCR
> ignitor. Range is clear, sky is yadda yadda 3 2 1.
>
> It vanished.
>
> No delayed ignition, no building up to pressure, not much sound (and
> certainly not for long), not much smoke, and yet no rocket at all.
Ted,
I swear I saw this tiny "curdle" open up just above the rocket at
launch. What I want to know is how you fit the teleporter in that thing.
What with the 1/4 scale mosquito drag race and your micromaxxes, Tripoli
Minnesota is pushing the tiny end of rocketry.
Your right, The day was magic.
Bob Brashear
Kevin Reed
The teleporter is a closely guarded trade secret. Only part of the
process is known by me, the President of the company, and Our Lady Of
Marketing : we each perform a step without revealing our part of the
secret to the other two :)
Ted, congrats on the good flight! It's the kind of report we like to
hear.
Kevin Reed
Chief Engineer, Rocketvision.com
www.rocketvision.com
On Mon, 14 Jun 1999 07:26:22 -0500, R Brashear <r...@artimex.com>
wrote:
>
>
>Ted Cochran wrote:
>
>> Speaking of Machbuster, I'd finished painting it last night, intending to
>> try it on a D today. However, given the weather, I decided to go for
>> broke with an F101-10. That's 20 pounds of nearly constant thrust for
>> almost a second on a rocket that might weigh 4 ounces soaking wet.
>> Certainly a new high water mark in thrust/weight ratio for me!
>>
>> I put it into the tower I built for Descon 2, and stood 200' away, with
>> the sun behind me, to watch the countdown and to try to track the rocket.
>> First attempt chuffed and spat the copperhead. Next time I used an NCR
>> ignitor. Range is clear, sky is yadda yadda 3 2 1.
>>
>> It vanished.
>>
>> No delayed ignition, no building up to pressure, not much sound (and
>> certainly not for long), not much smoke, and yet no rocket at all.
>
Ted Cochran
(Alan Jones) wrote:
>
>Magic indeed. You have no idea have rare recovered supersonic model
>rockets are. Congratulalations! Please e-mail me a photo if you have
>the technology. That peeled paint on the fins sounds interesting.
Duh. I could have taken a picture, but didn't. Unfortunately, I've
started cosmetic repairs already--steel wool on the paint, sandpaper on
the stripped fin.
The paint was less than 24 hours old, and was Rustoleum fluorescent, over
a flat white primer coat. Rustoleum, I find, goes on much better than
other fluorescents, but is relatively soft even when fully dry. The model
looked great in the tower, but when I got it back it looked like I had
put too much paint on the fin edges, the NC, and in the fin valleys--the
paint in those places looked like it had been hit with a heat gun--not
charred, but softened and thickened. The stripped area was from the
valley out to about mid chord on one fin--not what I'd have expected (I
would have expected an area from the leading edge in toward the valley.)
Perhaps it was scuffed on one of the tower rails, and peeled after that?
I used steel wool on the affected areas of paint and it polished them down
to their original appearance relatively easily.
>
>I encourage you to try to measure your speed performance.
>
Hmmmm.
Well, it isn't infeasible, especially at night, but it is a bit beyond the
effort I can imagine in the near future.
At night you could do a time exposure from a known distance with a
rotating slotted disk in front of the camera. Maybe with two cameras on
baselines at different angles for better accuracy. A Machbuster might
even be recovered if you put a bright LED and tiny battery in the NC to
see after deployment....
Daytime is harder. Since MachBuster reaches max velocity at nearly 1000',
and is so small, photographic methods are way hard. Current accelerometers
are too big and heavy, at least the ones we civilians can afford. ( But I
bet that in a few years we'll be buying MEMS devices for ten bucks each,
and then we can do it in style :-) Same issue with size and weight
constraints on rF transmitters for doppler methods.
Maybe rig up a pair of timing gates with a couple of lasers and a rotating
prism?
Maybe borrow a fancy schmancy radar system?'
What other ways are there?
--tc
My opinions only.
Alan Jones
Cochran) wrote:
>On the way up north to the launch site we stopped at a Toys R Us,
>expecting to conduct the usual fruitless search for Micromaxx rockets,
>which have been due Real Soon Now for weeks. They didn't have any in
>Brooklyn Center on Thursday, but lo and behold, Roseville had 5 starter
>sets when they opened this morning. Five minutes later they had two :-)--
>I left with two SatV/Shuttle kits and a UFO/Space Fighter. Left a pair of
>conventional rockets and an SR-71/Tomahawk set behind.
Lucky . I'm going on a quest for Quest this sunday.
>Speaking of Machbuster, I'd finished painting it last night, intending to
>try it on a D today. However, given the weather, I decided to go for
>broke with an F101-10. That's 20 pounds of nearly constant thrust for
>almost a second on a rocket that might weigh 4 ounces soaking wet.
>Certainly a new high water mark in thrust/weight ratio for me!
>It vanished.
>
>No delayed ignition, no building up to pressure, not much sound (and
>certainly not for long), not much smoke, and yet no rocket at all.
>
>But in two seconds, an impossibly high, impossibly thin smoke trail marked
>the spot where it had rematerialized after being teleported vertically for
>2000+ feet. I was able to get binoculars on it and follow it all the way
>down--around two minutes of hang time using a 2" x 24" nylon streamer and
>a 2" x 24" mylar streamer (which was flapped to shreds, but which did its
>job of being flashy at deployment). Found it intact, about 500' from the
>pad. The fluorescent paint on the fins was bubbled, and about a square
>inch was stripped off entirely on one fin, leaving only primer, but that's
>only cosmetic damage--and that's the only damage there was.
>
>Magic.
Magic indeed. You have no idea have rare recovered supersonic model
rockets are. Congratulalations! Please e-mail me a photo if you have
the technology. That peeled paint on the fins sounds interesting.
About 10 years ago I was involved in a supersonic model rocket
project. The daytime test vehicles were lost, but one turned up a
couple days later. We launched several later at night with cameras
set up. None of the night launched models were recovered, but nobody
had time to search later. They were already a day late with thier
final reports, due to a rained out launch. We achieved M1.42 +/- 1.4%
on an Aerotech F80 (the F101 was not NAR certified at that time). I
encourage you to try to measure your speed performance.
>It doesn't get any better than this, even with beer!
>--tc
>My opinions only.
Alan Jones, al...@avalon.net