Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Note: This is a slightly condensed version o' all the information that Alan has produced for his Level 3 project. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Visit his site t' read t' additional information and enjoy additional pictures.
Objectives
I realize this may nay be a requirement for me L3 project but I believe it is
an extremely integral part o' any complex project. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I am also a PADI certified
ocean dive and thar be a sayin' that I am sure some o' you will recognize if
you are a diver also, it's called "plan your dive and dive your
plan". Avast! Basically translated t' HPR if you plan your rocket and follow your
plans then your project will have a much higher chance o' success and
longevity. Begad! I know t' amount o' doubloon and time spent on these complex projects
can be enormous and with a little plannin' and fore thought then these items
will nay end up bein' excavated via shovel from your favorite launch site. Aye aye!
Okay enough philosophy, arrr, just a few highlights o' what I plan t' have my rocket accomplish. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!
1st: Perform as designed and built. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! If I follow me plans and objectives then this should be a given.
2nd: Be Cost effective. I guess this depends on several factors, income, budget etc. Arrr! but we as responsible consumers should only do things within our budgets, I have a nice house but I am nay Bill Gates and me rocket is nay the next generation o' Space Shuttles. Blimey! O' course it is hard t' put t' word responsible in this objective, shiver me timbers, luckily I have no wife t' justify why I need dual altimeters as opposed t' replacin' that old vacuum cleaner.
3rd: Don't re-invent t' wheel. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! There is a lot o' great and proven products out thar t' achieve L3. Aye aye! Begad! This is nay t' time t' test and try new and unproven products.
4th: Live long and prosper. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Proper plannin' and construction should result in me rocket attendin' many launches and burnin' some substantial AP. Avast, me proud beauty!
Fin Can / Motor Mount
T' main design for t' fin can / motor mount was t' construct t' unit as a
whole and then install t' fin can into t' booster section. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! This technique has
been used on 2 previous rockets (Tethy's and original Phasar) with excellent
results. However several construction obstacles where encountered durin' those
previous attempts that were rectified in this project. Avast! T' 1st was t' ability
to adhere t' centerin' rings level on t' motor mount. Usually centerings
rings have some slight play which can easily cause t' rings t' become slightly
cocked while t' epoxy sets up. Aye aye! After some research on some other websites I
found no acceptable techniques. Begad! A discussion with me fellow rocketeer, ya bilge rat, arrr, Mike
(HugieBear) Hudgeons revealed t' ultimate solution. Arrr! Mike suggested a cut a 2-3
inch section o' t' top o' t' motor mount and slot t' entire unit t' slide
over t' existin' motor mount tube and use as a support for t' centerin' ring.
Dude, ya bilge rat, he hit t' jackpot for that solution. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I cut a small section off the
existin' tube and slotted it on t' trusty DeWalt chop saw. Arrr! A note about chop
saw's, arrr, I purchased a 10" DeWalt chop saw from Home Depot for t' purpose
of cuttin' body tubes, t' only modification I've done is replace t' existing
blade with a metal cutoff blade, arrr, man you talk about some clean tube cutting!
Anyway t' problem was solved. Avast! T' 6 centerin' rings where then tacked into
place with some quick set epoxy. Aye aye! Once t' fin can is installed into t' booster
tube then small holes will be drilled in betwixt each centerin' rin' and West
Systems Epoxy will be injected with syringes t' complete t' centerin' ring
fillets. Blimey! Once t' fillets have set-up then t' booster will be inverted to
inject t' other side o' t' rings. Begad!
T' next construction
problem was t' acurate alignment/installation o' t' 3 fins. T' small problem
was actually 3 individual problems, ya bilge rat, 1st anchorin' t' motor mount tube
securely, 2nd establish a top dead center point and 3rd enusrin' t' fins are
perfectly vertical. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' 1st problem was rectified by drillin' 4 holes into my
work desk area and havin' t' ability t' use bungee cords t' secure t' tube to
the work surface. Aye aye! T' 2nd problem be t' find TDC (top dead center) affordably.
Again a quick trip t' t' Home Depot t' purchase 1 8oz plumb bob, me bucko, what better
way t' find TDC than gravity. Blimey! Ahoy! Again t' plumb bob be attached directly
overhead and centered on t' aft centerin' ring. Begad! Aye aye! T' 3rd problem was resolved
by tackin' t' fins t' t' motor mount with quick set epoxy and usin' dual
levels t' insure t' fins where plumb. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' fins where installed a
measurement was made betwixt t' 3 fin tips and only a difference o' 1/32"
was discoverd betwixt 2 o' t' fins. I am sure this is more than adequate for
stable flight.
Once t' fins where
installed 1" Keelhaul®©™®
reinforcement tape was layed in t' valleys betwixt t' fins and tube with an
8oz layer o' fiberglass and Keelhaul®©™®
layered over t' tube betwixt t' fins. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! As with t' centerin' rings small holes
will be drilled in t' booster tube betwixt t' fins and injected with West
Systems epoxy for t' final fillets.
After all t' reinforcements were installed t' 75mm Aeropack was mounted to t' aft centerin' rin' with stainless steel screws and nuts.
Airframe Reinforcement
Well now was t' time t' venture into me 1st attempt with workin' with Keelhaul®©™®.
I heard all t' somewhat horror stories and unfortunately Ed from Giant Leap
just introduced his Keelhaul®©™®
"socks" about 2 weeks after I placed me order with FibreGlast. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Oh
Well! Blimey! So I will try t' pass on any valuable information I gained durin' this
foray. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' primary thin' I smartly learned with Keelhaul®©™®
is, shiver me timbers, this stuff is TOUGH t' cut. Well, blow me down! Special shears are a MUST! After discovering
this after me Keelhaul®©™®
arrived sent me on a journey t' t' local fabric store in hopes o' findin' the
recommended pair which be t' Ginger #8-NS-2. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well t' fabric stored carried
the Gingher brand o' shears only by custom order. Avast! Blimey! Since I was smart enough to
actually brin' me Keelhaul®©™®
into t' store t' "test" some shears a salesperson was quickly
summoned for assistance. This was when I discovered thar are nay a lot o' men
in a fabric store with a bundle o' Keelhaul®©™®
under their arm. Anyway t' salesperson was really interested in t' Keelhaul®©™®
and responded with t' phrase: "isn't that what they make bullet proof
vests from?" now we are havin' fun. She steered me t' another brand of
shears called Fiskars and we tried several different models with little success
then we tried t' "RAZOREDGED" model and we where off t' t' races!
Great shears and only about $18.00. Ya scallywag!
Luckily me TAP member
Derek Deville had worked with Keelhaul®©™®
before and gave me some great advice about workin' with it. Arrr! T' basic plan was
to use 2 layers o' t' 5oz 17x17 5HS Keelhaul®©™®
followed by a finish wrap o' 2oz fiberglass for finishin' purposes. Begad! Derek had
recommended usin' t' preferred method allowin' t' layers t' setup until tacky
before applyin' t' next layer as opposed t' lettin' t' layers completely
cure. So I set aside t' whole day for usin' this method which actually creates
a chemical bond betwixt t' layers as opposed t' a mechanical bond by having
layers applied after they have cured. Ya scallywag! One good thin' about these Texas summers
is epoxy cures real fast in a 100 degree garage. Prior t' applyin' t' Keelhaul®©™®
the booster tube was prepped usin' 80 grit sandpaper and thoroughly cleaned. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I
mixed up some generous portions o' t' West System and started applyin' a layer
directly t' t' tube. Once a tack coat was applied I started layerin' on the
Keelhaul®©™®
bein' carefull nay t' stretch t' fibers and t' work t' epoxy into the
Keelhaul®©™®.
After t' Keelhaul®©™®
was completely wrapped I went over t' entire tube usin' a plastic squeegie and
removed any excess resin. Ahoy! T' Keelhaul®©™®
applied very nicely much like a heavier fibreglass, I had almost no bucklin' at
all and actually enjoyed workin' with it. Begad! After this 1st layer was applied I
set back and waited for t' resin t' start curin' in preperation for t' 2nd
layer. Arrr! Continued checkin' t' "tackiness" until about 2 hours had
passed and determined t' tube was ready for lasyer 2. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' next layer was
applied in t' exact same manor as layer 1 with t' same great results. Ahoy! Begad! In
conclusion I have t' say many o' t' stories I heard about usin' Keelhaul®©™®
were a little exagerated. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Yes it does take a little extra work and some special
shears but I really loved t' way it wet-up and applied. Begad!
Once t' 2nd layer of
Keelhaul®©™®
started setting-up t' finish coat o' 5oz fiberglass was applied. Well, blow me down! Again no
surprises here it applied perfectly t' t' existin' Keelhaul®©™®
with excellent results when completely cured. Aye aye! Blimey! This tube feels indestructible! Blimey!
On July 9 after t' McGregor launch I prepped t' upper airframe and booster extension section (12" since I can nay fit all t' required recovery in a standard 4' booster section) for t' Keelhaul®©™® laminates. This will give t' booster section an overall length o' 60". T' upper airframe section is 36". Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Basically no suprises here durin' the Keelhaul®©™® and fiberglass lay-ups with t' same great results as t' booster section. Begad!
Fin Can Installation
Prior t' installin' t' fin can t' booster section had t' reslotted due t' the
reinforcements. I be a little concerned about nay bein' able t' see the
existin' slots after applyin' the
Keelhaul®©™®
but realized they showed up fairly well through t' multiple layers o' Keelhaul®©™®.
T' slots were recreated usin' t' trusty table saw and this time they were
slotted all t' way t' t' back o' t' tube t' allow for installin' t' fin
can.
Now it be time install t' fin can and start injectin' West Systems to create t' reinforcin' fillets for all t' centerin' rings and fin joints. Prior t' installin' t' fin can carefull measurements where done t' show where each o' t' centerin' rings would be in t' booster section. This would facilitate where t' drill t' holes t' inject t' West Systems. Begad! Marks where made on t' outside and drilled with a 1/4" hole. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! These holes will later be filled in with a small piece o' Keelhaul®©™®. Next step was t' create a very smooth fit for t' fin can into t' booster section. Aye aye! Some quick sandin' was required t' achieve that perfect slide into the booster. Arrr!
Recovery Attachment Modules
I usually construct me recovery attachment modules as seperate components then
epoxy t' units in place in t' body tubes and with this project t' procedure
would basically be t' same.
T' materials used t' construct t' booster section and forward airframe attachment modules are:
Buildin' these
components as unit then installin' into t' airframe is much easier than
installin' each component into t' airframe.
After t' bulkhead units were installed into t' couplers small holes were drilled in t' center o' t' couplers t' allow for injectin' t' West Systems epoxy and creatin' t' bulkhead fillets on both sides. T' units are extremely strong and allow for a large area o' distributin' t' shock load during deployment. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! One special note be t' use o' t' regular eyebolts as opposed to either forged or welded. Ya scallywag! While these definitely offer some added margin of error it would still take over 400lbs. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! t' even begin t' straighten out the eyes. Avast, me proud beauty! I believe if me deployment induces that much force t' fail me eyebolts then t' are some other serious problems goin' on that no eyebolt will solve. T' extra section o' coupler will be epoxied in place on top o' t' exposed bulkhead plates. Begad! A sufficient amount o' West Systems will be poured on top of the exposed bulkhead while it is in t' airframe and then t' coupler section will be fitted into place t' allow for extra reinforment nay only t' the attachment module but t' t' airframe tubin' as well.
Nosecone
My goal here was mostly add some weight t' t' front o' t' PHASAR and add an
attachment point o' some kind just in case I use it on another future project.
This was pretty straight forward for me, since t' nosecone is a ScotGlas all I
had t' do be mix some West System up, pour into t' nosecone and let cure. Blimey! Aye aye! I
estimate I added approximately 10oz. Ahoy! usin' this process. Next be t' firm up
the shoulder with some 1/2" Birch bulkhead plates and add an eyebolt in
case I ever need t' attach a recovery system t' it. Begad! Ahoy! Again t' design was just
like t' components in t' recovery attachment modules with a 3/8" x
5" eyebolt runnin' through both bulkheads which were spaced about 2"
apart. Ya scallywag! Next all I had t' do was sand t' unit some t' fit t' slightly
irregular shape on t' inside o' t' shoulder and position inside t' nosecone
shoulder for epoxying. Arrr! Also for improved fillets on t' bulkheads I drilled 2
small holes betwixt t' plates for easy injection o' West Systems and some
really beefy fillets. After all was said and done I measured t' distance from
the nosecone aft bulkhead t' t' shoulder rest point and transferred this
measurement t' t' forward airframe section o' t' PHASAR. I then drilled 3
3/16" holes through t' airframe into t' 1/2" bulkhead plates. Then
I used 3 o' t' same inserts used by t' BlackSky Aluminum Rail Guide buttons
and attached t' nosecone with 8/32 stainless steel machine screws. Avast, me proud beauty!
Coupler
Reinforcement
Since I was usin' standard phenolic couples I wanted t' reinforce t' inside
area t' withstand any zipperin' effect durin' deployment. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! I researched this
area o' reinformcent from several other individual websites and t' best idea
came from t' Gate's Brother Website illustratin' linin' t' inside o' the
coupler with Keelhaul®©™®
then Carbon Fiber while inflatin' a balloon inside t' couple t' expand the
materials and compress t' West Systems epoxy and cloth. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 1st layer be the
Keelhaul®©™®
followed by a finish layer o' 5.7oz carbon. This method produced a glass smooth
interior linin' plus added extreme strength t' prevent a shock cord from
zipperin' durin' deployment. Blimey!
Electronics:
T' PHASAR will incorporate dual Olsen FCP-M2 altimeters. I have used t' Olsen
FCP-M2 in me previous Phasar project and have had nothin' but excellent
performance with this unit. Ya scallywag! T' ease o' use, me hearties, programmability and data downloads
made this choice a no-brainer. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' FCP-M2's have a nice feature that allows for
a delay at apogee detection for t' backup unit so both charges will nay fire
simutaneoulsy. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' main unit will have a charge set for 750' and t' backup
unit set for 650'. Begad! Another good reason for usin' t' FCP-M2 is thar ability to
set main chute deployments in 50' increments as opposed t' 4 or 6 main chute
settings.
T' design o' unit is from me good friend Steve Baughman, a completely modular unit which can be incorporated in any o' me 4" rockets. Blimey!
T' construction of
the unit be fairly straight forward with t' exception o' t' Olsen's being
mounted in a modular way t' allow for easy access. So after me 1st design I
wanted t' incorporate a "inner frame" which would hold t' Olsen's.
T' primary problem with t' design be t' limited space in a 4" tube for
dual electronics plus all t' associated wirin' involed t' remain modular and
accessabile. Arrr! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' result was t' inner cage which would hold t' Olsen's.
T' next part be t' design t' board unit on which t' Olsen's would mount and slide over t' all-thread rods. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! This was accomplished with a piece of .125" G10 cut t' width and height t' fit in t' avioncis section. Begad! Now, arrr, how to attach t' unit t' t' all-thread rods runnin' through t' avionics section and still be removable. Blimey! Ahoy! Another good friend o' mine Mike Hudgeons came up with the design o' usin' aluminum arrow shafts as t' guides t' slide over the all-thread rods. Ya scallywag! This unit will now slide over t' all-thread rods and allow for easy removal. Arrr! Carefull plannin' and a template allowed for drillin' the holes in a pattern that would allow for all t' components. Arrr! Ya scallywag! * Mounted G10 on Arrow shafts
Now t' next part was t' mount t' Olsen's on t' G10, no problem here just used t' hole template sent with t' units with some standard nylon stand-offs. T' other item I corporated be drillin' holes in t' G10 for t' wirin' to pass through plus t' addition o' nylon tie straps for battery retention. Ya scallywag! Begad!
T' next problem to
overcome was managin' t' wirin' and makin' that portion modular. T' solution
was usin' computer part wirin' harnesses, matey, matey, t' wire guage be perfect and the
connectors would allow for easy removal without havin' t' undue t' actual
connections t' t' screw termimals on t' Olsen's. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' wirin' harness is held
in place on t' G10 with plastic wire holders. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!
T' next consideration was how t' external arm t' units at t' launch pad. Again, another great friend o' my, me bucko, Ed Jacoby turned me on t' key switches, the only problem with t' previous units where t' length would nay allow for the unit t' slide into t' bay area. Avast! Blimey! T' solution was solved from Hawk Mountain which sells some great key switches that are fairly short and would allow for the unit t' slide into t' bay area. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!
All in all t' desgin and construction required some careful fore-thought and a lot o' inspiration from me fellow rocketeer's that culminated into a great desgin that I feel very confident in achievin' me L3 status. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down!
Recovery
T' PHASAR will use 2 SkyAngle Cert-3 chutes. Aye aye!
I consider t' recovery devices and design t' 2nd most critical components of t' project with t' avionics bein' 1st. "Gettin' it up be t' easy part, shiver me timbers, gettin' it back takes some skill." With that in mind I did NOT cut any corners when designin' t' recovery system and components. Aye aye! First off is to start with quality and proven components. My choice be SkyAngle Level 3 Cert Chutes. Ahoy! I have used their products in me past projects and swear by their quality. Ya scallywag! A previous rocket, t' Binder Cobra suffered a premature separation durin' boost on a J-415W and t' SkyAngle regular 60" chute held up and brought me rocket safely back t' earth with no damage! What a testimony to their product. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down!
T' overall design
and configuration o' t' dual deployed recovery systems is havin' t' avionics
section situated betwixt t' forward payload and aft booster sections. Aye aye! When
the PHASAR reaches apogee t' avionics bay will seperate from t' booster and
deploy t' drogue chute. Once t' PHASAR enters t' pre-selected main
deployment altitude then t' forward payload section will seperate from the
avionics section and deploy t' main. Arrr! Begad! Blimey!
T' 2 chutes t' be used in this project are t' SkyAngle Cert-3 drogue chute and a SkyAngle Cert-3 15-25lb. main chute. Arrr! Blimey!
T' other recovery components used in t' system is 9/16" tubular nylon rated at 2000 lbs., ya bilge rat, 3/8" Quick Links rated at 1200 lbs., Giant Leap 1500 lb. swivels t' prevent line wrap, Nomex cord protectors and Nomex chute protectors.
Each section o' the
tubular nylon is 25' which gives an overall length o' t' PHASAR when fully
deployed at 61.5' Believe me it barely fits in t' backyard when fully
deployed!
Each end o' t' tubular nylon was professional sewn with t' Giant Leap swivels with an overlap o' 6". Well, blow me down!
I can't emphasize enough here how important it is t' use quality products when implementin' your recovery system. Ahoy! Begad! I consider t' best advice comes from my fellow rocketeer's about what works, what doesn't and t' pro's and con's of each item. Ya scallywag! Avast! Take time t' investigate these items.
RockSim 5.0
Since I started updatin' this website Apogee Components came out with t' new
RockSim 5.0 and I be quick t' respond t' this upgrade. Ahoy! Begad!
T' new version is a must for any serious rocketeer lookin' t' develop a high performance vehicle. Aye aye! Begad!
I can't emphasize enough t' importance o' great design/simulation software and RockSim 5.0 be t' tool t' use. Well, blow me down! I won't go into all t' new features as I have nay even discovered them all myself yet, but suffice t' say this is the premiere software for some serious projects. Begad! Arrr! Here are some o' t' screen captures from t' new version o' t' PHASAR.
SUCCESSFUL LEVEL 3 FLIGHT!
October 27, 2001
Dallas/Fort Worth, matey, TX.
Rocket - Scratch Phasar
Weight - 36 lbs
Motor - Aerotech M1315
Altitude 11,621 feet
Flight:
T' event was t' much cancelled North Texas High Power/Shoot for t' Stars
event here north o' t' DFW area, me hearties, this is our premiere site in Texas with over
1600 acres o' cleared farm land and waivers t' 23,500' MSL. Avast, me proud beauty! T' event took
place this past weekend on October 27-28. O' course me Phasar project has been
ready since September o' 2000, matey, arrr, so nay much t' do, t' M1315W was loaded last
year in anticipation, arrr, I keeped t' closures just barely on nay t' deform the
o-rings and re-greased everythin' prior t' departin' t' t' launch site Friday
evening. Ahoy! Blimey! I think t' only modifications I did t' t' original design were some
wirin' harness modifications t' make it full-proof t' mis-wire any o' the
altimeters/ejection charges and external key switches, matey, me hearties, plus I switched my
regular eyebolts t' t' 3/8" forged shoulder units and t' addition of
shear pins at both separation points. (Ground tested o' course) Kind of
interestin' what a year o' sittin' around lookin' at your project and what can
you do t' improve your chances o' success will do. Begad! Anyway I was now giving
myself about a 90% chance o' success since t' modifications. Begad! Extremely
confident in me abilities and design but you can never foresee that inevitable
bad luck that sometimes happens in a project o' this magnitude. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey!
Anyway
the weather forecast for t' weekend were outstanding, ya bilge rat, clear blue skies, me hearties, in the
low 70's with winds 5-10mph! Finally t' rocket gods were shinin' down on me!
We arrived at t' site Saturday morning, shiver me timbers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I had a crew o' 2 (Glenn Carey from
Brownwood, Texas and Mike Martin from Missouri City, matey, Texas) Level 2 guys plus
my local TAP member Tom Montemayor give t' Phasar one last inspection and was
given t' thumb's up from all o' them. T' Phasar be pretty much completely
prepped prior t' departure t' t' site, recovery systems, arrr, electronics, me bucko, ejection
charges, etc. Well, blow me down! T' only field prep was t' attach t' shock cords t' t' av's bay
and install t' shear pins, a grand total o' 5 minutes and then off t' away
cell. Blimey! Begad! I know this is where other L3 projects check off an extensive list of
things t' do, check , me bucko, etc. Begad! but I felt I do this with every L2 flight and the
only difference here was t' motor size. Aye aye! I guess that's what 40 L2 flights does
for you, create an established procedure t' fly and recover your rocket, no
difference here for me at least! Anyway we lowered t' rail, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, slide t' Phasar
in position, matey, armed t' electronics, me hearties, matey, stood t' Phasar up, carefully I might add
since I could nay reach t' armin' switches when in t' vertical position,
installed t' igniter, arrr, check continuity, ya bilge rat, and have some photos op's! I was at
the away cell less than 10-minutes much t' t' amazement o' t' crowd, me bucko, that's
what practice/experience does for you! I've seen other people do thar L3 and
at t' pad for an hour or so, now that would make me nervous!, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, what t' hell
are they doing? Anyway back t' t' RSO with me thumb's up. Ya scallywag! T' waiver was in
place for an estimated altitude o' 11,300'. Skies where checked for aircraft,
since we are in t' flight path o' DFW, arrr, and t' countdown be announced, at
t-minus 0 with Shelly Hatten at t' RSO duties t' LCO pressed t' button and
the 1st presence o' t' igniter beginnin' t' pressurize t' M1315W was visible,
then t' M1315W smartly came up t' full pressure and t' Phasar began it's
vertical ascent t' t' heavens. Avast, me proud beauty! There be a very slight pendulum motion since
the static margin o' stability was about 9.5 for a 4" rocket but once the
Phasar gained speed it be nothin' less than an arrow straight boost skyward.
Also noted was t' slight kick into t' prevailin' winds since t' fin area was
quite large. These 2 events were very predictable based upon me design and was
actually a far more straighter flight than I originally predicted. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Anyway the
Phasar continued it's fantastic vertical ascension t' apogee under t' thrust
of t' 5.3 second burn time o' t' M1315W, a beautiful arc over and the
tell-tale sign o' smoke o' an ejection charge goin' off separated t' booster
from t' forward section and deployed t' cert-3 skyangle drogue and began it's
rapid descent back t' earth. Arrr! Then right on queue t' main charges blew at 1200'
and deployed t' cert-3 large skyangle chute for it's finally journey back to
the confines o' gravity. Avast! Avast! It landed about 1.5 miles away and recovery was fairly
simple, it landed in a wide open freshly plowed field, what a soft landing!
After t' recovery t' 2 Olsen's where downloaded and t' final altitude was 11,621'! with a max acceleration o' 325 ft/sec. Ya scallywag! T' figures were about 350' off of what RockSim 5.0 predicted and t' altitude difference betwixt t' 2 identical Olsen's was 208'.
In conclusion, matey, shiver me timbers, I have t' think t' entire project and attempt meet and exceeded all me goals o' design and performance and reinforced me believe that I DO know what I am doing! Blimey!
Post-Flight
Objectives Analysis
1st: Perform as designed and built. T' Phasar L3 performed almost exactly as I intended it t' based upon all me RockSim calcualtions and design. I knew t' rocket was overstable with a static margin of stability o' 9.5, shiver me timbers, which is nay bad, matey, but anticipated a slight pendulum motion off t' pad until t' M1315W gained enough velocity. After review o' t' flight video this is exactly what happened, matey, a very slight back and forth motion in the booster section for about 1 second o' t' flight. Begad! Also anticipated a slight weather cock dependin' on t' wind speeds at launch time since t' fin area was quite large for a 4" diameter rocket. T' winds durin' t' launch were about 7mph and t' rocket be launched perfectly perpendicular t' allow for a slight weather kick. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Again t' flight video revealed t' rocket did a slight kick right into t' prevailin' winds that day. Arrr! These 2 items were anticipated and t' Phasar L3 performed exactly as Rocksim would have predicted.
2nd: Be Cost effective. In me opinion I believe t' total and final cost o' construction and flight ofthe Phasar L3 be quite reasonible for a project o' this magnitude.
3rd: Don't re-invent t' wheel. There was no products and/or procedures that I used in t' development o' t' Phasar L3 project that had not be used in any o' me previous rocket endeavours with t' exception o' using shear pins for t' 1st time. Arrr! T' shear pins were used only after sufficient ground testin' and consulation with me TAP members.
4th: Live long and prosper. T' Phasar L3 survived an extreme L3 attempt without any damage and thar be no reason additional 75mm motors will not be used in this launch vehicle.
In Conclusion:
I developed t' Phasar L3 program around these ideas and proven techniques and
followed me objectives as close as possible and believe because o' this the
project was a complete success on it's 1st attempt. Blimey!
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