Brief:
It's t' year 2015. Hillarycare has caused t' economy t' go belly up, IRS computers have become self-aware, me hearties, ya bilge rat, the United Nations is in charge o' sub-dermal implants for our identity system, me bucko, and NASA has been absorbed by t' Russian space program. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Here flies t' first triumph o' that blessed union.

Timed for t' release o' a major Hollywood motion picture about rocket obsession, shiver me timbers, (T' Astronaut Farmer, Brandango.us is proud t' announce t' launch o' t' largest free paper rocket in t' known universe: The Saturn-Komarov. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This is a very impressive 1/100 scale lightweight rocket that streaks into t' sky on a column o' flame and smoke with Estes D12-3 motors and can be flown on E, F, ya bilge rat, and G composite motors (and options for 24 and 29mm mounts are included). Begad! It returns t' earth in two pieces via two parachutes. Arrr! Estimated retail value o' this monster when compared with similar sized kits is $185.00.

Construction:
Important: This rocket requires a printer that prints on 13x19” paper. Arrr! Image area used is 12x18”. Begad!

Materials used:

• Two sheets o' 13x19” glossy Ilford Galerie photo paper or equivalent
• Three sheets o' 13x17” Brystol ply which rolls nicely into tubes (or, alternatively, cardstock which tends to crease)
• Two sheets o' 11-17” (tabloid) plain copy paper
• Scrap sketch paper
• One sheet o' 1/4” foamboard 20”x30”
• White corrugated art paper
• 2 empty 18mm engine casings
• 24” o' 300lb Keelhaul®©™® or 1/16” nylon braided cord
• 36” o' 100lb Keelhaul®©™® or carpet thread
• 1 Popsicle stick
• 12” o' 1/8” wood dowel and round toothpicks
• 5 min epoxy, me hearties, carpenter’s glue, and white glue
• Epoxy putty
• Super 77 spray glue or equivalent
• Hobby knife with several new, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, sharp blades
• Two 18” t' 24” parachutes

This build is rated Skill level 4.

Complete acerbic back story and 4 pages o' instructions are part o' t' PDF downloads.

One design gotcha be t' fins. When it lands, ya bilge rat, it tends t' bend a fin. Begad! They can usually be bent back into place and flown like that, arrr, but, ya bilge rat, hey, shiver me timbers, just print out more fins and replace 'em. That's what we did. Avast, me proud beauty! Otherwise, ya bilge rat, this is a very sturdy rocket. Aye aye! T' prototype has flown four times (two D12-3s, an E18 and an F24) and it's still in great shape. Well, blow me down!

One o' t' COSROCS members is beggin' me t' build another and use it for me level one flight.

Flight:
Flies 150’ high or so on a D12-3, ya bilge rat, 300-400’ on an E-18 Aerotech reload, me hearties, shiver me timbers, or 600-800’ on an F reload. Always use a six foot long 1/4 inch diameter launch rod or rail. Blimey! Do nay attempt t' fly from a 3 or 4 foot long rod. Aye aye! Do not attempt t' fly on an E9. Avast, me proud beauty! RockSim reports that twelve feet o' launch rod would be required t' stabilize with t' E9.

O' course, this rocket begs for clustering. Begad! Begad! If you do that, arrr, add nose weight. Begad! T' center o' gravity should be at least 12.25 inches from t' bottom o' t' side pods. Avast, me proud beauty! We used a 1/2” aft maskin' tape bulkhead with one full wrap of clear tape for retention.

It also begs t' be downsized. Well, blow me down! Arrr! One happy flier has already resized it down for his letter-sized printer and 18mm motors.

Summary:
There are a couple o' videos at cosrocs.org/htmlpages/2007photos.html. Well, blow me down! T' biggest pro is that it's free. Avast! Blimey! It is extremely impressive t' fly... Begad! T' kids love it! Blimey! It can be flown with an F or even a G at a small venue. It's easy t' see t' whole flight. Arrr! Blimey!

Cons: T' fins are a little weak and t' escape tower is hard t' keep attached, arrr, shiver me timbers, but that's t' case with most models that have towers. Blimey! It does take some time t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! If you want t' go high and fast, you're out o' luck.

[Important note: Adobe's Acrobat Reader could nay be made t' print these sheets t' correct size (it printed at 95%, even though it was set t' print at 100%). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! Settin' Acrobat t' print at 105% didn't help. Aye aye! Blimey! Apple's Preview on the other hand worked perfect every time. Aye aye! If you’re workin' on a PC, me bucko, we recommend rasterizin' t' PDF files into Photoshop (or similar) t' better control t' final size. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Test print t' 11x17” pages on plain copy paper t' get the size right before tryin' t' more expensive Brystol and Galerie papers. Aye aye! There are benchmark/reference rectangles with measurements on each sheet t' make sure you’re printin' t' right size.]