Scratch - Uranus Explorer 2 {Scratch}

Scratch Uranus Explorer 2 Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Uranus Explorer 2 {Scratch}

Contributed by Tom Markel

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2011-08-14
Manufacturer:	Scratch
Style:	Ring/Tube/Cone Fin

Brief

Personal Challenge: A workin' model built from and themed on Toilet Paper Rolls, Rear Ejection (of course!) and fly-able with C engines

Components

8 High-Quality Toilet Paper Roll Centers*
BT 5
BT 20
Foam Board t' make Adapter Rings
Maskin' Tape (lots and lots o' Maskin' Tape)
Rubber Bands for Shock Cord
Standard 12 inch parachute

(*Regardin' "High Quality Toilet Paper Rolls," t' cores from t' industrial strength extra large rolls used in hospitals and office buildings by professional janitorial services are thicker, smoother, and tougher than t' stuff you get at t' grocery store. Begad! Blimey! T' spirals are however very deep.)

Construction

Challenge: Build a rocket based on theme o' Uranus Explorer (but keep it PG rated)

At t' same time I was buildin' t' rocket (actually t' second rocket, t' Uranus Explorer 1 was a dismal failure) I be makin' up a story that went along with t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I think t' best place t' put that is up front in this review, me hearties, so here it is.

INTERSPACE TELEX FROM SPACE COMMAND

URGENT: You have been ordered t' take IMMEDIATE command o' t' Uranus Explorer II.

BACKGROUND: In t' first half o' t' 21st century, shiver me timbers, concerns on Earth mounted regardin' global warming. While thar was a great uproar about changin' human behavior t' combat this menace, t' problem solved itself in t' second half o' t' century. Blimey! While t' well-meanin' efforts o' t' "Greens," as they came t' be called, shiver me timbers, matey, shiver me timbers, may have had some impact, ya bilge rat, t' finite supplies o' fossil fuels expired by 2075. Aye aye! In addition, t' fight t' obesity epidemic, t' fast grub enterprises were vilified by t' population. Aye aye! Ronald McDonald was hung in effigy in several countries. Since beef hamburgers were t' main stock in trade for these restaurants, matey, t' demand for beef largely expired with t' fast grub franchises. Well, blow me down! T' final major source o' greenhouse gasses, t' cattle farms, also went t' way o' t' dinosaur. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' global warmin' scare be over.

T' loss o' cheap fuel and fast foods led t' a progressive sense o' dissatisfaction among t' people o' Earth, who attempted t' drown their sorrows in entertainment. Ahoy! Blimey! VCRs and DVD players gave way t' IPods, me hearties, ya bilge rat, Androids, shiver me timbers, Playstations, Wiis, shiver me timbers, and other devices, all o' which shared two features. First, they required electricity. Begad! Second, they were a mindless waste o' time.

To replace t' fossil fuels, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' people o' Earth maximized their use o' renewable energy sources, ya bilge rat, includin' Wind, matey, Geothermal, Hydroelectric, and Solar. T' first three were largely limited by geography. Ahoy! Avast! Solar, however, was only limited by surface area. Ahoy! By t' year 2125, solar "farms" had sprung up over much o' t' Earth’s surface, includin' Antarctica, and floatin' solar "mats" covered much o' t' oceans. Low Earth Orbit solar satellites created a virtual "traffic jam" in t' skies, t' t' chagrin o' terrestrial astronomers. Begad! Lookin' up at t' sky at night, more stars "moved" than remained in once place.

T' combination o' t' loss o' greenhouse gas generators and t' impact o' solar collectors shadin' much o' Earth’s surface as well as fillin' t' skies had an effect that should have been anticipated--- t' Earth's climate was headin' for a second Ice Age. Temperatures plummeted.

Many different plans t' restore t' greenhouse gas "blanket" were attempted. Begad! A nationwide chili marathon was probably t' most grandiose. Aye aye! It had little effect on t' global atmosphere, shiver me timbers, matey, but resulted in numerous hospitalizations throughout t' state o' Texas dues t' t' accumulation o' noxious gases. Ya scallywag! In desperation, matey, t' people o' Earth looked t' t' skies for help. Blimey! T' United States, matey, arrr, once an importer o' fossil fuels, now developed a plan t' import greenhouse gases from space.

Of t' four planetary gas giants, shiver me timbers, t' highest concentrations o' methane are found around Uranus, shiver me timbers, at roughly 2% o' t' atmosphere by volume. While further away than Saturn and Jupiter, arrr, manned expeditions t' Uranus in 2186 found t' planet had a rocky core with numerous central caverns. Begad! Avast! Concentrations o' methane within t' caverns approached 75%. Ahoy! Blimey! Unlike Saturn and Jupiter, arrr, t' caverns could be sealed, me bucko, cleared o' t' methane, me hearties, heated, matey, and pressurized. In other words, thar could be life inside Uranus.

Drillin' operations began in 2192, and t' planet was formally colonized under t' leadership o' Admiral Ezekiel Koli in 2199. Aye aye! T' fecundity o' E. Ya scallywag! Koli's descendents became legendary, and within 5 years t' colonists had spread throughout t' bowels o' t' planet. Methane gas generated within t' rocky core be diverted t' natural "vents" on t' planet surface. Begad! Aye aye! This gas was collected in Surface Repositories (dubbed "SuPositories.") T' SuPositories were then harvested by tanker ships and t' gas be transported t' Earth. T' effort has been thus far successful. Earth's temperatures have stabilized and are gradually returnin' t' 21st century levels. Ahoy! T' only casualty was t' state o' Utah, which seceded from t' Union when t' restoration o' "normal" temperatures forced them t' abandon plans for year-round skiing.

Durin' t' drillin' operations on Uranus, matey, me bucko, miners discovered rich deposits o' Amodium. Avast! Blimey! Existin' in two chemical isomers, shiver me timbers, t' "L" or levo form and t' "D" or dextro form, Uranian Amodium was predominantly in t' D isomer. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Valued for its medical properties, me bucko, Amodium-D is extremely useful in t' treatment o' dysentery. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Earth's Amodium supplies were exhausted in t' early 21st century in a vain attempt t' stem t' tide o' large fecal outflows from Washington, me bucko, D.C. Uranus produces 80% o' t' pharmaceutical grade Amodium-D in t' solar system. T' only other major supply o' Amodium-D is in t' asteroid belt. Tanker ships, me hearties, arrr, notorious for poor hygiene, me bucko, me hearties, were plagued with dysentery and t' production o' Amodium around Uranus rivaled t' methane minin' operations in profitability.

T' growin' population inside Uranus yearned for t' same amenities and distractions as their distant Earthly cousins. Entrepreneurs, ya bilge rat, ever anxious t' make a credit, matey, me bucko, established venues on t' Uranian satellites, arrr, includin' a Disney Theme Park, "Part o' Your World," on t' satellite Ariel, me hearties, a Lane Bryant Woman's Clothin' outlet store on t' satellite Titania, arrr, and a romantic bed and breakfast getaway, "A Quiver o' Love" on t' satellite Cupid. By 2250, Uranian commerce had established a respectable amount o' regularity.

Unfortunately, me bucko, t' hygienic habits o' t' Tanker ship crews did nay improve. Ahoy! Due t' failure in interspace decontamination procedures, one or more tankers have carried a type o' "animal fungus" from t' asteroids t' t' surface o' Uranus. These vile creatures reproduce rapidly and are incredibly adherent t' t' rock and ice surface o' t' Uranian core. Aye aye! Aye aye! They are particularly attracted t' t' relative heat around t' vents o' Uranus. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Dubbed, arrr, "Cling-Ons" by t' colonists, t' invaders have destroyed t' SuPositories and have multiplied t' t' extent that they are now obstructin' many o' t' methane outlets. T' buildup o' pressure behind t' vents is reachin' dangerous levels, producin' dyspepsia, arrr, arrr, nausea, and vomitin' among t' population o' t' planet. Begad! Avast! Minin' operations o' Amodium-D have ground t' a halt. Avast! Begad! Because thar be no local supply, shiver me timbers, an outbreak o' dysentery on t' satellite Oberon has required importation o' Amodium from t' asteroid belt. This has put an incredible load on an already strained interplanetary supply system.

T' situation is now CRITICAL.

We have deployed Remotely Operated Infrared Detectors (ROIDs) within all t' major vents t' monitor t' situation. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' ROIDs will detect focal temperature increases which herald obstruction. Well, blow me down! Additional SuPositories have been prepared t' replace those destroyed by t' Cling-Ons. Begad! T' Jovian and Saturnine Fleets have been redirected t' assist in t' emergency.

T' initial scout ship, ya bilge rat, t' Uranus Explorer, was mothballed in 2195. It has been recommissioned for t' rescue effort. T' previous BVD-1 subspace engine has been upgraded t' t' BVD-2. Ahoy! T' ship has also been augmented by 4 Procto and Gamble Sharmin "Ultra" outboard engines t' give it interplanetary capability at 0.25 light speed.

Your mission is as follows:

Rendezvous with t' USS Colon Powell (commanded by Admiral Sigmoid Koli) and guide t' Fleets in t' evacuation o' Uranus.
Scour Uranus and wipe out t' Cling-Ons.
Monitor t' ROIDs. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! At any hint o' sensitivity, me bucko, insert t' replacement SuPositories t' relieve t' obstructed vents.
Restore Amodium-D minin' operations, t' reduce t' frequency and urgency o' the runs betwixt t' asteroids and Uranus.

Addendum: On successful completion o' this mission, shiver me timbers, you and your spouse are authorized a 30 day furlough at t' "Quiver o' Love" on Cupid. Remember, arrr, with 27 satellites, thar be always a full moon around Uranus.

END TRANSMISSION

Back t' t' review. Goals o' t' rocket buildin' were as follows:

Had t' look at least slightly cool
Use Toilet Paper rolls for much or all o' construction
Rear End Ejection (naturally)
Inexpensive project
Standard (A, ya bilge rat, matey, B, shiver me timbers, or C) Engine size (see #4)
Write a background story.

After buildin' t' Estes Porta-Pot Shot, me hearties, and readin' notes from a reviewer who suggested a rear-ejection model, started t' think o' other designs sort o' on t' same theme. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Original design became t' Uranus Explorer 1 (UE1), (which will be fairly similar t' t' UE2, me hearties, shiver me timbers, described here. Blimey! Ahoy! I found that usin' only two rolls for t' nose-cone fuselage combo resulted in a stubby rocket that I could nay get stable (I know, me hearties, me bucko, I built it and tried. Well, blow me down! For some reason Tim Van Milligan doesn't have Toilet Paper tubes in t' RockSim inventory. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Go figure!) So t' lengthen t' fuselage, had t' use two rolls connected (alternative would have been t' use a single paper towel roll, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, but that would have violated t' theme. Ya scallywag! Would have had t' call it t' Brawny or t' Scrubber, or somethin' else. But I digress...) You say, no problem, me hearties, a coupler would work for this. Problem, since I pre-determined t' use aft end ejection, ya bilge rat, I needed a pristine smooth inner contour, ya bilge rat, me bucko, so a (standard) internal coupler wouldn't work. Well, blow me down! So I went with an external coupler. Begad! This o' course was aerodynamically suboptimal, arrr, but since I wasn't plannin' t' set an altitude or duration records, was acceptable. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! So I used an external coupler cut from another tube. Ahoy! I figured I would put t' launch lug in t' gap later (had I really thought it through, would have remember I could hide a launch lug in t' tube fins.) This still left a small step-off or "transition" on t' inside where t' two tubes butted together. Ahoy! Blimey! I ran maskin' tape from end t' end along t' inside so that thar were no transitions t' trap or catch t' engine pod and recovery devices durin' aft ejection.

Next problem: t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Begad! First, nay sure that toilet paper roll centers really come in a standard size for nose cones. Ya scallywag! Second, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I'm cheap. Third, me hearties, wanted t' keep overall weight o' t' body o' t' rocket light (more on this later.) 4rth, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, wanted t' use as many TP rolls as possible. Ya scallywag! Wondered---- how could I make a nose cone out o' a toilet paper roll?

By cuttin' 16 length-wise cuts nearly t' t' end o' t' roll, matey, then cuttin' a diagonal out o' each section, I was able t' create a roughly Ogive cone. Begad! Blimey! Connected t' tips with tape. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Put a "shoulder" (again cut from another TP roll) on t' anterior end o' t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Attached this with CA t' t' previous two tubes I now have a fuselage (one-piece with t' nose cone) just under three TP rolls long I then ran strips o' maskin' tape LENGTHWISE from just beyond t' tip t' just aft/tailward o' t' nose-cone/fuselage joint). Avast, me proud beauty! At t' tip, I cut the corners steeply and wrap around t' nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! I had t' run a few spiral wraps for support and t' maintain shape.

Nose Cone

Shoulder

Nose Cone/Fuselage

Finishing

As mentioned, t' buildin' and paintin' run together as t' paintin' was done before completely fittin' together t' parts.

Once I had t' shape roughed out, it was time t' fill. Blimey! Begad! However, me bucko, matey, I wanted t' have a clean paint job with different colors for t' fuselage and t' tube fins. Well, blow me down! I felt that maskin' would be tough. Avast! But if I painted them first, then I would be tryin' t' glue together painted surfaces. Aye aye! Begad! That didn't sound like it would be t' strong. Ahoy! Aye aye! On t' other hand, matey, I KNEW exactly where all t' joints would be (I be usin' four tube fins, ya bilge rat, me bucko, paired, me hearties, on opposite sides o' t' fuselage. Avast! Since 6 tubes would fit perfectly, me bucko, I just placed marks at 60 degrees, 120 degrees, 240 degrees, me bucko, and 300 degrees on t' fuselage. Ya scallywag! Avast! On t' tube fins, shiver me timbers, two marks each, me hearties, 60 degrees apart, ya bilge rat, would suffice. For increased stability, I let 1/2 o' t' tube fins lag behind t' end o' t' fuselage (also thought would look cooler. Later durin' actual preparation o' t' rocket for launch I found it did make access t' t' engine mount awkward.) So marked on all t' tubes where t' joints should be. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I also marked where I wanted t' put t' launch lug.

I wanted t' "protect" t' joint areas from t' paint and sealer t' set up a stronger joint. Begad! On t' UE1 I had placed thin strips o' maskin' tape over these areas. Arrr! I discovered t' maskin' tape broke down under t' sandin' process, so I tried Mylar tape strips, ya bilge rat, 1/4 inch wide. Begad! I placed a "tail" over t' edge/lip o' each tube, matey, and then wrapped t' very tip INSIDE t' tube. Avast! Turned out t' sandin' still wore off most o' t' tails, but t' tip piece wrapped inside be an adequate marker for removal o' t' tape later. Each strip was 1/2 t' length o' a single tube.

It took five coats/sandings o' Elmer's filler t' get a good smooth surface over t' nose-cone maskin' tape. Therefore regardin' "savin' money" as a reason t' make your own nose cone--Unless your time is worth less than 25 cents an hour, arrr, you’re better off buyin' it from Tim. Arrr! But since this WAS a themed rocket, it seemed worth it. Begad! (Although me lovely wife wasn't happy about t' pile o' filler dust on t' front porch!) I need three coats/sandin' t' fill t' DEEP VALLEYS o' t' toilet paper roll spirals anyway, me bucko, (another reason t' use REAL body tubes.) I sealed t' tube fins (outside only) t' same way.

Note that since this is a rear-ejection model, matey, it allowed me t' cover t' nose-cone/fuselage joint. While I was fillin' in t' maskin' tape defects and t' tube spirals, it turns out I had enough filler t' cover t' external coupler. Blimey! In fact, by t' time I be done t' slight residual "bulge" be hardly notice-able. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! (Performance-minded rocketeers are probably shudderin' at t' added weight o' t' filler required t' accomplish THAT.)

When I be finished, I had a very nice fuselage with a smooth surface from tip t' tail, except for t' "break" in t' external coupler where I planned t' put t' launch lug. Again, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, had I been thinking, I would have filled this in too and put hidden t' lug in t' tube fin/fuselage joint. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I believe t' absence o' a nose-cone/fuselage transition gives t' rocket a retro Buck Rogers look. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! O' course, matey, ya bilge rat, I also believe in t' tooth fairy. Arrr! Blimey! Again, shiver me timbers, I digress......

I knew that tryin' t' fill in t' INSIDE spirals o' t' tube fins be goin' t' be hopeless. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I figured t' insides o' a spaceflight engine would probably look a little "charred", so I planned on paintin' t' inside flat black and hoped that would hide t' defects.

Okay, so paintin' now comes before actually completin' construction. Begad! Before starting, me bucko, I peeled back t' edges o' t' Mylar at t' distal edges o' t' tubes, me hearties, t' make sure I could find them after paintin' (paintin' t' inside would obscure t' "tails" I had wrapped on t' inside o' t' tube.) T' hard part was FINDING t' edge. Avast! Many o' t' "tails" that I had thought would provide "handles" had been sandin' off durin' finishing. Aye aye! But t' tips that I had wrapped on t' inside (unsealed) part o' t' tubes were still there. Avast! Usin' them as guides, I used an Exacto knife t' peel back t' edges o' t' Mylar tape on t' OUTSIDE so I could find it after paintin' t' inside. I wrapped newspaper around t' OUTSIDE o' t' tube fins, tapin' it at t' edges/lips. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I used flat black paint t' finish t' INSIDE o' t' tubes. I actually tried rolled up sandpaper t' reduce t' "nap" inside t' tube, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but it didn't work very well. Primer would have helped, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but I was havin' a struggle justifyin' tryin' t' prime t' INSIDE o' t' engines. Aye aye! Again, me bucko, I figured I was goin' for style, nay performance, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so I gave up on that part. Arrr! I sort o' liked t' internal "charred" look o' t' engines. Well, blow me down! As a prior Air Force guy, me bucko, me bucko, I noticed t' nozzles o' jet engines on t' flight-line often had blackened look, so I felt I be okay with it for space engines.

Color Scheme: All t' pictures o' t' PLANET Uranus showed it t' be a bluish color, me hearties, so I figured I'd stay with this.

I primed t' fuselage with Krylon White Primer, me hearties, three coats, arrr, with light sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! This filled in t' few defects I had left after t' Filler. I used Krylon True Blue for t' fuselage - I really like t' color this gave, and I was happy with t' finish here.

After paintin' t' inside o' t' tube fins black, I took off t' outer maskin' paper. Well, blow me down! I then rolled up paper INSIDE t' tubes t' mask t' insides. Aye aye! Blimey! This allowed me t' "stack" t' tubes, which actually made paintin' t' outside easier. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I had run out o' primer, shiver me timbers, so I went directly t' paintin' t' outside o' t' tubes Blue Ocean Breeze. Blimey! I did 3 coats, arrr, with a light sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! I liked this color as well. Ahoy! Blimey! Although I hadn't thought it out ahead o' time, ya bilge rat, I remember t' three colors that were common for bathroom tiles in t' 60s--- pastel yellow, pastel pink, arrr, and pastel blue. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! This looked pretty close t' t' pastel blue, me hearties, connectin' t' planetary and Toilet Paper theme.

Moment o' truth, me hearties, me hearties, what would happen when I peeled off t' Mylar? Actually, I be quite pleased with t' sharp edges. Blimey! Blimey! Pullin' t' tape off also raised some more "nap" off t' cardboard tubes, matey, matey, matey, exactly what I wanted t' "rough it" for gluing.

As I had expected, shiver me timbers, despite t' masking, thar was a little bleedin' o' black and blue (no pun intended) at t' edges o' t' tube fins. Ya scallywag! I used thin strips o' silver Mylar tape t' cover/accent t' edges here and at t' trailin' end o' t' fuselage. Blimey! As a USAFA grad, shiver me timbers, t' silver and blue together got me right under t' old squadron patch, as me Dad, a retired AF Navigator/Bombardier says. Blimey! I wrapped t' edges o' t' tape into t' inside o' t' tube. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Lookin' back, this gave t' edge a bit o' a rough look; I probably would just have put it on t' OUTSIDE only, matey, just up t' t' edge.

Now that this was finished, time t' see how things fit together. Aye aye! Blimey! I used medium CA t' glue 4 tubes into two tube-fin pairs, placin' t' glue along one o' t' "naked" strips previously covered by Mylar. Layin' t' tubes flat gave me a good alignment. I then matched up t' remainin' strips on each tube pair with t' strips on each side o' t' tail o' t' fuselage. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! They matched up pretty well, arrr, and t' medium CA gave me enough time t' make sure t' alignment be perfect. I got a pretty solid joint (as I later proved in flight, me hearties, me bucko, but more on that later.) Fillets weren't needed, matey, and t' fit covered t' "naked" areas.

I pried t' Mylar tape out o' t' defect in t' external coupler. Avast! This left a rougher edge.I glued in t' launch lug.If I had t' do it over, I would have pulled this off AFTER doin' t' filler step, but BEFORE painting, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' get a better look.

Next question, where t' attach t' shock cord? If I attached it inside, arrr, it would get hit by t' ejection charge fairly directly, and would also cause problem with slidin' out t' motor pod. Begad! Perhaps more importantly, ya bilge rat, if it came out t' tail, me hearties, me hearties, t' rocket would fall nose first. Arrr! My launch site is about 3/4 grass, ya bilge rat, 1/4 asphalt. Invariably t' better t' finish on t' rocket, t' more likely it will land on t' asphalt. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Also, while t' cardboard/maskin' tape/Elmer's Finish nose cone was holdin' t' finish well, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I could feel that it was still a little "soft" and didn't think it would hold up t' a hard impact. Finally, I figured if I could get t' rocket t' descent in a horizontal position, t' rocket body itself would be addin' t' t' drag and slow it down.

With t' rocket painted, t' CG o' t' rocket body be right at t' region o' t' external coupler. I threaded a needle with me Keelhaul®©™ shock cord into t' tube just above t' coupler next t' t' launch lug, and pull about two feet out t' after end o' t' fuselage. Arrr! I then threaded a needle with t' ENDS o' a long loop o' dental floss through a hole just BELOW t' coupler and out t' aft end o' t' fuselage. Avast! Well, blow me down! I then threaded ANOTHER loop o' floss (loop 2) through this loop, me bucko, and pulled loop 2 through t' hole and out t' tail, shiver me timbers, me bucko, keepin' t' ENDS o' loop 2 outside fuselage. I then used loop 2 t' pull t' shock cord BACK into t' tail o' t' fuselage and back through t' hole below t' coupler (there probably is an easier way t' do this, matey, but this is what I came up with.) I then tied a tight "loop" o' shock cord, runnin' it just next t' t' launch lug, me hearties, leavin' about 1 1/2 feet o' Keelhaul®©™ loose. Avast! Arrr! Yes, arrr, this loop DID run inside t' rocket body, ya bilge rat, when t' engine pod would slide in and out, me hearties, but t' cord be runnin' longitudinally and wouldn't obstruct/catch on t' pod. I did add a bit o' thin CA t' secure it.

Since I wasn't sure how well me hollow nose cone would hold up t' t' Estes engine ejection blast, I cut a bulkhead out o' foam board and place it inside t' body. Begad! Begad! Blimey! It slid up t' t' "shoulder" that had been placed on t' front o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Ejection blast would hit t' bulkhead, but nay t' "formed" shape inside o' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Instead o' gluin' it into place, matey, I placed a length o' Keelhaul®©™ on this in case I needed t' pull it out later (such as t' add nose weight), arrr, and left that loose.

Engine Pod: I originally planned t' use a length o' BT20 as an engine mount AND pod. Blimey! However, ya bilge rat, after buildin' it, shiver me timbers, I discovered I wanted more room for me parachute and streamer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used a BT20 for an engine mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I then wrapped t' end o' a BT5 with electrical tape until it just fit inside t' BT20. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' BT5 acted as BOTH an engine block AND a duct t' direct t' ejection force t' t' front o' t' body, shiver me timbers, me bucko, where it hit t' bulkhead. I used foamboard t' cut adapter rings for t' BT20 at t' tail and t' BT5 at t' front o' t' body. Ahoy! These were sanded t' slide loosely, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but hopefully t' front one would be tight enough t' seal t' ejection charges away from t' chute and streamer. Begad! Lookin' back, I probably should have used two adapter rings up front, as a little bit o' ejection charge snuck around t' front rin' and slightly charred t' streamer.

I had initially planned on a long white "simulated TP" streamer t' recover t' rocket (in keepin' with t' theme). However, early on it be clear that given t' weight o' t' rocket a streamer would never safely slow t' rocket AND t' engine pod. Blimey! Also, shiver me timbers, again I knew t' nose cone was a little bit "soft" and wanted t' cushion t' landin' o' t' body as much as possible. My solution had two parts. Begad! First, allow t' engine pod t' completely separate from t' body o' t' rocket, so t' two descend separately. This reduced t' weight o' t' body o' t' rocket (with t' soft cone). If I needed nose weight, I could add it t' t' front o' t' pod, rather than t' body. Begad! Ahoy! This is a NICE trick with aft ejection boost gliders, by t' way. Avast, me proud beauty! You can adjust your CG by addin' weight t' t' front o' t' ejection pod, ya bilge rat, me bucko, without affectin' t' weight or CG o' t' glider itself. Well, blow me down! Then I could use me white streamer t' safely recover t' engine pod (which wasn't really very delicate and was nay that heavy), me hearties, and a parachute t' recover t' body. T' shock cord for t' body be attached t' OUTSIDE o' t' fuselage at t' CG, thus t' body descended horizontally under t' chute.

I used two pieces o' white crepe paper t' create t' streamer for t' body tube. Well, blow me down! I attached them side by side with silver Mylar tape. Begad! I then accordion folded this into squares t' simulate toilet paper sheets. T' silver tape showed on one side, which I thought would be easy t' see (on t' off chance this bird flew outside me launch site-- yeah, right.) T' other side be straight white, which looked like, well, matey, toilet paper. Aye aye! Arrr! While for t' real theme this would be "rolled" around t' engine pod "spindle", me experience is that this is unlikely t' "unroll" in flight durin' descent. Therefore I stayed with t' accordion fold. I used a length 10 times width, me bucko, accordin' t' Stine's book o' optimal streamer length, then added a couple o' inches t' give me space t' attach it t' t' BT5 section o' t' pod.

I used a couple o' thick rubber bands t' link t' parachute t' t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord attached t' t' mid section o' t' exterior body o' t' rocket.

Note: Originally I used Tim Van Milligan's Model Rocket Design & Construction book t' make two semispherical parachutes, ya bilge rat, then "ironed" t' two together side t' side. Ahoy! T' idea be t' create a parachute with a "cleft" down t' middle, shiver me timbers, t' so called "glute chute." (For those who have actually intentionally fallen out o' perfectly good aircraft, thar be a parachute malfunction called a "Mae West" that looks somewhat similar.) However, me bucko, while t' parachute looked good, the "glute chute" didn't pack very tightly, ya bilge rat, and even reducin' t' engine pod diameter from BT20 t' BT5 didn't give me enough room t' actually use this. I made an 8-line 12-inch chute out o' a green garbage bag (okay, was gettin' tired o' t' theme at this point.)

Construction Score: 2

Flight

Moment o' truth arrived. Would this work?

First "gotcha" was t' prep. T' overhangin' 4 tube fins may (or may not) look cool. Begad! They do however obstruct access t' t' tail o' t' body. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! This is bad enough when all you have t' do is stuff an engine in, but when you have t' shove in t' entire engine pod with t' accordion streamer AND t' parachute up t' rear, those overhangin' tubes REALLY get in t' way.

Anyway, seemed like a C6-3 engine would probably be a good start for this.

Loaded it up on a nearly windless sunny day. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Crossed me fingers. Blimey! Fired. Boost be arced t' t' left (not sure if this be due t' some uneven-ness o' t' fins.) Made it t' roughly 150 feet, ya bilge rat, at apogee was travelin' nearly horizontal. Avast! Ahoy! Ejection was at or near apogee. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!

Recovery

Perfect separation o' pod and body. Blimey! Ahoy! Streamer extended nicely and at 36 inches long, shiver me timbers, matey, 3 inches wide, shiver me timbers, white and silver, me bucko, was quite visible. Aye aye! Chute also opened well. Avast! Begad! Rocket was far away at this point, but t' descent was either horizontal or slightly tail down (just what I wanted, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' protect that nose!) Pod and body landed about 100 yards from pad, about 10 yards apart, me bucko, arrr, on t' grass. Absolutely no damage from t' fall. T' white streamer be very slightly singed.

Had I been smart, me hearties, I would have counted me blessings and put t' rocket on t' shelf at this point. However, I'm nay smart. I decided t' try it again. On flight two t' engine pod apparently caught on somethin' (may have been packed too tight.) Probably me combined two tubes were nay as smooth internally as a single standard store-bought tube would have been. Blimey! Negative ejection. Arrr! Lawn dart. Well, blow me down! Begad! Nay sure any nose cone would have come thought this unscathed, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but me (five coats o' filler, me bucko, multiple hours o' sanding, shiver me timbers, multiple coats o' paint - whimper whimper) nose cone accordioned. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Nay fixable.

Flight Rating: 4

Summary

Pros:

I had fun, probably as much writin' t' background story as buildin' and flyin' t' rocket.
T' paper/maskin' tape/filler nose cone came out well, me hearties, and I think I may use this again for aft ejection models (but will start with a REAL body tube!) Also particularly nice for a large but light nose cone. Begad! T' nose finishes well and looks great
Rear Ejection worked well. Downsizin' t' central "duct" from BT20 t' BT5 works great and gives you extra space for your recovery device(s). Ya scallywag! T' BT5 also functions as an engine block. No waddin' required. Aye aye! . Aye aye! Again, you can use t' long engine pod t' add any needed weight far forward on t' engine pod (and thus anterior on t' rocket in boost phase) to brin' t' CG forward on boost phase without addin' weight t' t' glider at separation.
Separatin' t' pod from t' body allows t' more delicate body t' descend slower.
T' Mylar Mask Strips worked well in allowin' me t' pre-finish and pre-paint parts prior t' assembly, matey, but still allow a strong joint. Wonderin' if this might work on an Estes Outlander that I have yet t' build. Suggestions would be welcome.
External shock cord attachment at CG allowed model t' descend horizontally. That a horizontal descent position adds more drag on descent is already well known. However it also allowed me t' avoid t' soft nose hittin' ground, arrr, arrr, matey, which would be t' normal orientation for a rear-ejection model. Arrr! This technique may be useful in rockets where certain parts o' more fragile than others. You can adjust t' attachment position t' make it less likely these parts will directly impact t' ground on recovery.
Stayed with Planet Uranus/Toilet Paper Theme
Parts were cheap (until you think o' t' time it takes for extra finishing)
It WORKED! Blimey! (well, at least once.)

Cons:

Paper/Tape/Filler nose cone is slightly soft. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It requires a bulkhead t' protect it from ejection charge and should nay be allowed t' directly hit t' ground on descent (especially nay ballistically.)
External Shock Cord is a bit difficult t' stuff into t' engine pod as you stuff t' engine pod into t' tail o' t' body.
Separatin' pod from body on recovery means you must track both (but t' pod falls pretty fast, so shouldn't drift much.)
I couldn't leave well enough alone and stop with one flight.
For some reason t' white paper streamer kept catchin' on me heel.

Overall Rating: 4