Descon U.S.S. Vesta

Scratch - U.S.S. Vesta {Scratch}

Contributed by Ryan Coleman

Manufacturer:

U.S.S. Vesta
(Contributed - by Ryan Coleman)

Idea

Once again, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, me imagination and t' spare parts layin' around got t' better of me, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and t' U.S.S. Avast! Blimey! Vesta be born. Blimey! Blimey! I think it looks futuristic and somewhat cool. Begad! Blimey! T' capability t' cluster with some extra mini's also adds some excitement t' t' design.

Diagrams

Here's a small diagram view o' t' completed rocket: [Diagram]

Pictures

Here's an unpainted but completed picture:
[Rocket Pic]

Flight Report

First flight. Ya scallywag! May 30. Aye aye! Nice day, me hearties, no wind, me hearties, sunny. Avast! Well, blow me down! Flight on B6-4 severely arced (as somewhat expected). Avast! Ejection was at apogee and it recovered nicely on a 18" chute. Arrr! As a result, me bucko, me hearties, me bucko, I'm tryin' t' consider how much weight would be necessary on t' underside for it t' fly straight. Aye aye! Maybe it just needs more power. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Definitely less than a B6-4 is nay recommended. Blimey! Unfortunately, the camera be nay cooperatin' and t' pictures will probably nay come out.

Second flight. Blimey! June 28. Ahoy! Avast! Hot, arrr, light breeze. Begad! Went for t' cluster, 1 B6-4, ya bilge rat, and 2 A3-4Ts. Ahoy! Twisted leads together (the motors are mounted close enough). I used a Estes Command Control (one o' their few decent products), ya bilge rat, any 12 volt or higher system is recommended for clusters. Avast! Arrr! All three lit, model jumped off t' pad. T' model did nay arc this time, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, arrr, it went almost straight up, me bucko, slightly rolling (cool!). Ejection was just about a half-second before apogee, a B6-6 for the main motor might be o.k. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' 12" parachute brought t' model down. Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Because of t' slightly premature ejection, ya bilge rat, and perhaps a shock cord that could be a little longer, a dent developed at t' top end o' t' tube. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! It was bent back into place without damage. Ya scallywag! Still no flight picture :(

Parts

12" length o' BT-50
3" length o' BT-20 (main motor mount)
20-50 Centerin' Rings x 2
Engine block for BT-20
BT-50 45' diagonal cut from 2 11/16" t' 1 11/16" (Upper)
BT-50 45' diagonal cut from 2 1/4" t' 1 1/4" (Lower)
1 7/8" BT-5 (Upper)
7 1/8" BT-5 (Lower)
Engine Block for BT-5 x 2
5 3/8" BT-5 (Upper Wing)
Endcaps for BT-5 from middle o' Centerin' Rings x 2
1 3/8" BT-5 Paper Conical NoseCone
3 3/8" Small Plastic Sticks x 2
Small Strips o' thin Cardstock
30" length o' 1/8" Sewin' Elastic
Paper Shock Cord Mount
Launch Lug
12" or 18" plastic or mylar parachute
4 1/8" length o' BT-4 (10.5 mm)
2" length o' BT-2 (6 mm) x 2
2 1/4" length o' BT-2
2 5/8" length o' BT-2 x 2
3 1/4" length o' BT-2 x 2
3 3/4" length o' BT-2
Endcap for BT-4
Endcap for BT-50
1/2" length o' BT-50
some Clay
1/8" Balsa Stock

Here's a scan o' t' Fins:
[Template]

Construction Outline

Main Body

Engine Mount

Glue t' Engine Block into t' Front o' t' Motor Mount and one rin' at the top and one 3/8" from t' back. When dry, me hearties, glue t' whole thin' so it sticks out 3/8". Avast! Blimey! Add an engine hook if you like, shiver me timbers, I don't.

Nose Cone and Recovery Systems

Instead o' a typical nosecone, arrr, ya bilge rat, which I had none of, I opted for something completely different. Avast! Blimey! T' BT-4 tube forms t' center o' t' nosecone and the multiple BT-2 tubes go around t' sides t' center it perfectly in t' BT-50. All t' ends o' t' tubes are even. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I glued mine in t' followin' order:

T' second shortest length
T' either side o' it, arrr, t' shortest length
T' third shortest lengths on both sides o' those
T' second longest lengths go next
T' longest length. This is nay a perfect fit, but it still looks cool

Glue t' shockcord t' t' inside o' t' BT-4. Ya scallywag! Push some clay in t' top just for stability safety for t' paranoid. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Then glue on t' front BT-4 endcap. Cut a small hole in t' BT-50 endcap, matey, me bucko, me bucko, thread t' shockcord through it, and then glue it on. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Glue t' BT-50 rin' 7/8" from t' back o' t' 'nose' t' act as a forward stop. By t' way, me hearties, these multiple tubes are NOT missile launchers, phasers, laser beams, nuclear weapon devices, arrr, or cannons o' any sort.
I used a long length o' sewin' elastic and a typical paper mount. Blimey! Blimey! I also use snap swivels on all me parachutes, so I'll just throw an old one on. 12" will be fine for smaller fields, arrr, 18" for larger ones.

External Assemblies

Left and Right 'wings'

T' outer parts o' each win' go forward. Well, blow me down! I held mine together with masking tape and glued them together. Sand your favorite airfoil t' each after you glue them. Also, shiver me timbers, a small triangle will need t' be cut off t' back o' each outer portion. Ahoy! Aye aye! Sand and Seal usin' your favorite method and then attach on opposite sides o' t' tube 3/8" from t' rear. Well, blow me down! I angled mine 'down' about 3 or 4 degrees.

'Upper' Assembly

Glue a BT-5 engine block into t' front o' t' shortest tube. Then glue the half-block made from balsa or cardstock into t' same end. Avast! Glue the assembly with t' blocks at t' same end as t' diagonal cut into t' longer of the side BT-50 pods. Aye aye! Aye aye! It should stick out 3/8" like t' main tube. Avast! The closed half should face t' tube. Begad! Avast! When it's all dry, glue it t' t' main tube between t' wings so that t' end o' t' BT-50s and t' end o' t' Engine Mounts are even.
Sand and Seal t' Upper Fins. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' cross goes in t' slot in t' other piece. Ahoy! It should be in t' middle. Aye aye! Glue t' root o' t' fin so t' cross piece is away from t' main tube and down t' t' top o' t' longer BT-50 piece.
Take t' middle length o' BT-5. Ya scallywag! Begad! Glue t' cone into it, slanted down so one edge is even with t' tube. Aye aye! This tube does NOT hold a motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It is for aesthetic purposes only. Blimey! Glue it t' t' top o' t' upper fin and cross piece so it sits 1/2" back from t' back o' t' cross piece.
Lastly, glue t' plastic sticks t' either side o' t' cross piece so they look like forward pointin' antennae. Ahoy! Blimey! These are NOT guns, lasers, cannons, me hearties, or any weapon at all.

Lower Assembly

Start by gluin' t' smaller diagonal cut BT-50 piece t' t' 'underside' of the tube so it is even with t' main tube. Begad! Avast! Push t' Engine Block into t' back of t' tube. Begad! Cut or punch a vent hole at t' top and glue t' whole endcap onto the front o' t' tube. Avast! When dry, glue it t' t' underside o' t' tube 3/8" from t' aft through t' diagonal cut tube. Begad! Avast! T' vent hole should face out. Arrr!
Sand and seal t' lower fin. Avast! Well, blow me down! Glue it t' t' Diagonal cut BT-50 and the BT-5 tube as far back as will fit.

Launch Lug

Glue half t' lug next t' a wing. Glue t' top half 8" up t' tube. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

Decor

Strips o' Cardstock

I used those strips o' cardstock (from a Estes Sidewinder kit) t' add some futuristic lookin' details t' t' main body. Aye aye! I cut down t' biggest piece to 3/4" x 3 1/8" and wrapped it 2" back from t' nose. I then used a 6 3/8" x 1/8" strip from t' upper diagonal tube t' t' wrap I just put on.

Paint

My g/f has been complainin' that all me 'futuristic' type rockets look too dismal (shades o' grey), ya bilge rat, so I gave me U.S.S. Avast! Vesta a white undercoat as a prep surface for silver. Blimey! I masked off most o' t' model, except for some 'wing' areas, me bucko, t' upper diagonal cut BT-50, some fins, and a small stripe around the cardstock ring. Aye aye! Painted silver over t' white, matey, then removed all t' tape. I then painted t' inside o' t' 'nosecone' tubes black.

Flyin' Tips

Single-engine flying.

A B6-4 is suitable for low-altitude test flights. Avast! Arrr! A C6-5 should be just fine. You'll have t' friction fit t' motor, me bucko, matey, which isn't hard. Just wrap maskin' tape around t' motor until you can't yank it out with your fingers. Aye aye! Ahoy! Prep t' rocket just like any other, a bit o' maskin' tape may be needed t' get t' nose cone fit a little tighter. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I'd use a 12" chute or maybe an 18" if you have the field. Arrr! No damage was taken t' t' rocket on either landin' on a 12", though. Aye aye!

Clustered flying

Because o' t' asymmetrical nature o' this rocket, arrr, it probably isn't the perfect first cluster. Avast, me proud beauty! Dependin' on your skill, ya bilge rat, you could try it for your first cluster if you want.
Here are t' motor combinations I'd stick with.
B6-4 & 2x1/2A3-2T
B6-4 & 2x1/2A3-4T
B6-4 & 2xA3-4T
B6-6 & 2xA3-4T
B6-4 & 2xA10-3T
B6-6 & 2xA10-3T
C6-5 & 2x1/2A3-2T
C6-5 & 2x1/2A3-4T
C6-7 & 2xA3-4T
C6-7 & 2xA10-3T
Remember, a B and two 1/2As is equal t' a mid-C motor. Well, blow me down! A B and two As is equal to a C. A C and two 1/2As or As is equal t' a low D. Avast, me proud beauty! This will take t' rocket pretty high. Begad! Ya scallywag! I also haven't flown it yet in that configuration. Arrr! Blimey! If you built carefully, ya bilge rat, even white or yellow glue with fillets can hold up t' low-D power.
This rocket is an in-line cluster, me bucko, shiver me timbers, requirin' no extra clips t' launch, arrr, matey, extra a heavy duty battery is mandatory. Begad! Avast! 12 volts minimum. Blimey! Blimey! Friction fit t' main motor first, shiver me timbers, and then t' sidepods. I lined me motors up at t' back end. Arrr! Now, startin' with one o' t' mini's, shiver me timbers, put in t' igniter very carefully and then insert plug. Begad! Next, matey, put t' igniter/plug into t' main motor. Do t' last mini now. I installed t' igniters so that t' little paper strips are parallel to each other, arrr, me hearties, and perpendicular t' t' line o' motors. Well, blow me down! Now take one lead from each motor, and twist together and away from t' other. Begad! Do t' same with the remainin' three.
Install t' parachute and waddin' like usual. Ya scallywag! Put t' whole thin' on t' rod, hook up t' clips well t' each twisted threesome o' leads. Ya scallywag! Launch it. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! If they all light, me hearties, you're in luck. If only one or two light, you may be in trouble. This is why you are careful t' insert t' igniters properly.
A Cluster will look pretty cool. Well, blow me down! Blimey! A good picture is obtained by takin' it from the side, matey, so (hopefully) all three plumes will be visible. Begad! Blimey! (Even though I haven't managed it yet on this rocket).

Future for t' U.S.S. Vesta

Hopefully I'll be able t' test out some more motor combos. Perhaps t' C & 2xA will be next t' see if it will hold. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! If anyone has any problems, arrr, questions, or comments, contact me by email below. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! rcoleman@erinet.com

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