Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
After readin' about t' unique fin design o' t' Mercury Transport in an Apogee
Components newsletter, matey, I thought this would be a great project and somethin' to
get me teeth into, t' become a better rocket builder. Arrr! Usin' the
original
EMRR design brief I worked out that I could find or build all t' parts
needed. My previous rocket projects had included some basic transitions and
also used RockSim files t' upscale or downscale a design. Well, blow me down! So t' Mercury
Transport took this all one step further. Avast, me proud beauty! My project is very much 'McGuiver'
style - only one component o' me Mercury Transport is designed for rocketry -
the rocket motor!
Construction:
I started t' design by peelin' back several layers o' cardboard from the inner body tube (it be much too thick), then cuttin' t' body tubes t' length. Next, arrr, EMRR's Shroud calculator came in handy for designin' two shrouds, shiver me timbers, which were around 12mm long. These were cut from shoebox cardboard, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and glued and clamped. Well, me hearties, blow me down! These were then slid down onto t' inner tube, me bucko, with t' cones facing outwards.
Next I cut out two centerin' rings from t' said shoebox, and these were also placed onto t' inner tube and glued. (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. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!
While this was left t' dry, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 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. Then t' upper and lower body tubes were masked, and t' centre tube and transitions were filled and painted yellow.
While this be drying, I
started work on t' nosecone. Well, blow me down! T' NC can be made from any scrap balsa thats
lyin' around. Avast! Aye aye! Its a good idea t' choose a glue which can be sanded easily. Aye aye! Arrr! I
glued all t' pieces together and placed some books on top and left it
overnight.
T' next day, usin' a Dremel I carved out t' NC slowly, me bucko, shiver me timbers, first makin' the shoulder t' fit t' upper body tube. Well, blow me down! After t' NC is sanded into shape, shiver me timbers, you can add a coat or two o' epoxy. Begad! This adds strength and helps t' NC resist dents from prangs.
T' motor mount tube was next. Arrr! Thin cardboard often has a 'grain' it bends better in one direction than t' other. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! With this in mind, I cut out a rectangle o' cardboard so t' 7cm length could be curled.
This can be soaked in water t' help bending, ya bilge rat, then its just a matter of runnin' a line o' glue along t' edge, matey, 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. These are spaced evenly around t' MMT and glued, shiver me timbers, then
a thin centerin' rin' is cut out t' block exhaust gases (See picture). A length
of copper wire is then cut. Avast, me proud beauty! A spent engine is loaded into t' MMT, matey, until it
protrudes about 10mm. Blimey! 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). Blimey! This is then installed into t' lower tube and glued in place.
Before attachin' t' fins and strakes, I masked up t' inner body tube. Ahoy! Then the nosecone and body were primed and painted, shiver me timbers, and finally a parachute was made from black garbage bag material and high tensile string. Packagin' tape was used t' hold t' strin' onto t' parachute. Ahoy! Avast! Lead weight was then added until the rocket passed t' swin' test. Well, blow me down! Lastly, t' rocket was painted and the maskin' removed.
Flight:
First flight be with a B6-4 for a nice slow flight, but because o' t' weight,
the 4 second delay be too long, shiver me timbers, arrr, and t' parachute hardly opened before it hit
the ground. Avast! It received slight damage t' t' upper body tube, ya bilge rat, but nothing
major.
Second flight was with a C6-3, shiver me timbers, and I decided t' remove some o' t' NC weight, which wasn't a good idea! Flight was unstable and nay much higher than before. Avast!
Third flight went much better, but still it needs more altitude or a shorter delay.
Summary:
Overall this be a great project t' build. Begad! Blimey! It helped me with transition
buildin' and also maskin' and finishin' techniques. Avast! Blimey! Weight was t' biggest
issue, shiver me timbers, caused by too much glue on t' centerin' rings, me bucko, and also heavy cardboard
tubes. Begad! Blimey! A D12 booster stage should help this in t' future though.
( Contributed - by EMRR - 05/10/02) The Mercury Transport is a new design from Essence Aerospace Technologies (EAT). Its main purpose is to transport 4 passengers the 91.8 Million Kilometers to the planet Mercury for observation, study and experimentation in a high temperature, zero gravity, high sun-radiation environment. The Mercury Transport has fins that are suspended over the inner ...
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