Brief:
After readin' about t' unique fin design o' t' Mercury Transport in an Apogee Components newsletter, me bucko, I thought this would be a great project and somethin' to get me teeth into, me bucko, t' become a better rocket builder. Well, matey, blow me down! Usin' the original EMRR design brief I worked out that I could find or build all t' parts needed. Aye aye! Arrr! My previous rocket projects had included some basic transitions and also used RockSim files t' upscale or downscale a design. Blimey! So t' Mercury Transport took this all one step further. Ya scallywag! Begad! My project is very much 'McGuiver' style - only one component o' me Mercury Transport is designed for rocketry - the rocket motor!

Construction:

• EMRR Mercury Transport RockSim file
• (8) 6 X 70 X 45mm balsa pieces for nosecone
• 1 sheet o' 2.4mm balsa
• 200 X 4.2mm OD cardboard (pilfered from a roll o' kitchen paper)
• 317.5 X 2.5mm OD cardboard (pilfered from a roll o' black garbage bags)
• 3 cardboard centerin' rings and 2 transitions made from shoebox cardboard (Transitions were calculated usin' EMRR's Shroud Calculator)
• (4) 24 X 10 X 60mm balsa wood for engine mount
• 16cm o' 1mm Copper wire for engine hook plus around 3 cm for nosecone to shock cord connection (Taken from an electrical transformer)
• 80 X 70mm cardboard for motor mount tube
• 1 black garbage bag
• 550mm elastic from sewin' shop
• Selleys Tradesman's choice Aquadhere (Polyaliphatic wood glue)
• Wattyl Woodstop water based wood putty
• White Knight undercoat, shiver me timbers, colour and gloss paints.

I started t' design by peelin' back several layers o' cardboard from the inner body tube (it was much too thick), then cuttin' t' body tubes t' length. Next, EMRR's Shroud calculator came in handy for designin' two shrouds, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which were around 12mm long. Blimey! These were cut from shoebox cardboard, ya bilge rat, and glued and clamped. Blimey! These were then slid down onto t' inner tube, with t' cones facing outwards.

Next I cut out two centerin' rings from t' said shoebox, arrr, and these were also placed onto t' inner tube and glued. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! (Transitions were slid into the centre t' keep them out o' t' way)

T' outer body tubes were then glued t' t' centerin' rings and carefully aligned t' make sure they were parallel. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

While this be left t' dry, arrr, I started cuttin' out t' fins and strakes, usin' t' same two piece design as t' original Mercury Transport.

T' transitions were slid into place and glued. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then t' upper and lower body tubes were masked, me bucko, me hearties, and t' centre tube and transitions were filled and painted yellow.

While this be drying, me bucko, I started work on t' nosecone. Aye aye! T' NC can be made from any scrap balsa thats lyin' around. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Its a good idea t' choose a glue which can be sanded easily. Begad! Blimey! I glued all t' pieces together and placed some books on top and left it overnight.

T' next day, arrr, usin' a Dremel I carved out t' NC slowly, first makin' the shoulder t' fit t' upper body tube. Ya scallywag! After t' NC is sanded into shape, you can add a coat or two o' epoxy. This adds strength and helps t' NC resist dents from prangs.

T' motor mount tube was next. Ahoy! Begad! Thin cardboard often has a 'grain' it bends better in one direction than t' other. With this in mind, shiver me timbers, I cut out a rectangle o' cardboard so t' 7cm length could be curled.

This can be soaked in water t' help bending, then its just a matter of runnin' a line o' glue along t' edge, me hearties, matey, wrappin' it around a spent motor, and applyin' pressure t' t' joint until dry.

While its drying, I cut out 4 small pieces o' Balsa and these are used t' centre t' MMT in t' outer body tube. Begad! These are spaced evenly around t' MMT and glued, shiver me timbers, me hearties, then a thin centerin' rin' is cut out t' block exhaust gases (See picture). A length of copper wire is then cut. Arrr! Blimey! A spent engine is loaded into t' MMT, arrr, shiver me timbers, until it protrudes about 10mm. Ya scallywag! T' wire is pushed through t' MMT t' act as a motor block, and then its bent downwards t' make two hooks t' retain t' motor (See picture). Ya scallywag! This is then installed into t' lower tube and glued in place.

Before attachin' t' fins and strakes, arrr, I masked up t' inner body tube. Arrr! Avast! Then the nosecone and body were primed and painted, arrr, and finally a parachute was made from black garbage bag material and high tensile string. Aye aye! Begad! Packagin' tape was used t' hold t' strin' onto t' parachute. Arrr! Lead weight was then added until the rocket passed t' swin' test. Begad! Lastly, matey, t' rocket be painted and the maskin' removed.

Flight:
First flight was with a B6-4 for a nice slow flight, but because o' t' weight, the 4 second delay was too long, and t' parachute hardly opened before it hit the ground. Blimey! It received slight damage t' t' upper body tube, but nothing major.

Second flight was with a C6-3, and I decided t' remove some o' t' NC weight, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, which wasn't a good idea! Flight be unstable and nay much higher than before. Begad!

Third flight went much better, me hearties, but still it needs more altitude or a shorter delay.

Summary:
Overall this was a great project t' build. Ahoy! It helped me with transition buildin' and also maskin' and finishin' techniques. Avast! Weight was t' biggest issue, caused by too much glue on t' centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, and also heavy cardboard tubes. Ahoy! A D12 booster stage should help this in t' future though.