Salvage I

So how do you approach t' design o' a rocket with a limited amount o' parts? I found inspiration in various TV shows and movies such as Flight o' t' Albatross and Mc Giver. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then I remember a long lost favorite ABC series from the late1970’s. I had me answer, ya bilge rat, SALVAGE 1!

Here’s t' short story…..

Once upon a time, arrr, ya bilge rat, a junkman had a dream...
"I'm gonna build a spaceship, go t' t' moon, salvage all t' junk that's up there, brin' it back and sell it."
So he put together a team. Ya scallywag! An ex-astronaut...a fuel expert...they built a rocketship...
And they went t' t' moon. Ya scallywag! Who knows what they'll do next?

To conserve space, matey, I’ll direct you t' a great website with show info: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/9782/salvage1.html .

For me t' "star" o' t' show be t' rocket ship, me bucko, Vulture.

So on t' me model…..

I probably should first state that thar be no way I was goin' t' try t' pull off a full blown scale model o' the vulture given t' part restrictions. Ahoy! So, I did try t' do t' next best thing. Arrr! Aye aye! I built a charactature o' t' Vulture with similar features.

T' prototype be built with strapped-on surplus NASA engines, me hearties, a gas tanker, me bucko, and a cement mixer as a capsule.

My parts include a large amount o' body tubes. I decided on usin' a length o' BT-70. My parts also include a built-up 24mm mount. As far as "strap-on" boosters, me parts also conveniently contained enough 18mm mount to allow t' possibility o' clustering.

Basic construction techniques were used for t' main body. Aye aye! Split fins were employed only toad some interest. Begad! Arrr! The ladder be built in place with CA out o' what I think were bamboo skewers.

T' capsule be t' hardest t' build t' main part is a piece o' t' BT-70. T' "Shoulder" be made from splittin' part o' t' BT-70 and gluin' t' t' inside. Avast! T' "nosecone" is made from a small plastic cup. The cub was a slightly smaller diameter than BT-70. Avast! Some cardboard tabs were used inside t' reinforce t' joint.

T' capsule boosters are offset from t' tube by two launch lugs put together. Ahoy! Blimey! T' struts are toothpicks that are cut into t' boosters and flooded with Elmer’s t' reinforce. Avast, me proud beauty! I was a little surprised how strong this ended up being.

A really wanted t' include t' engine bells but I didn’t receive any card stock. Well, matey, blow me down! I decide t' grab some tubing, me hearties, cut it, and use a black Brandt nosecone as a mandrel. Ahoy! A couple o' minutes with some CA and a disk sander produced an acceptable set o' bells.

Final construction included basic shock cord mount typical Estes style.

Since I didn’t get any decal paper, matey, t' letterin' would prove t' be a challenge. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' sides o' t' rocket were base-coated in black. Ya scallywag! Peel and stick letters were applied. Avast! A single coat o' silver finished t' Vulture. Avast! Avast! T' stick on letters were then removed t' reveal t' name in black.

Flight Report:

OK, I’ll admit it! I ran out o' time! My flights required me t' sneak into one o' me favorite "no rockets allowed" field and get this thin' off t' ground a couple o' times before security asks me to leave.

In truth, I really didn’t know how this thin' would fly. I be a little concerned about throwin' a "D" into t' rocket, and blowin' all t' details right off.

So, arrr, I adapted a B into t' mount and let it fly. Well, let’s just say it be less than marginal! Well, let’s step it up t' a C6-3 and see what happens…. Begad! Ahoy! Got some better altitude, arrr, but I really wasn’t trying for ground recovery! T' good news is no damage!

So let’s grab t' D and go for it! But wait, in me hast t' launch, arrr, T' D engines seem t' be missing! So much for a successful flight.

But wait, shiver me timbers, it seems I do have an option. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Nah, matey, that would be crazy…. Begad! But it might work…….

With encouragement from me son, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, we loaded up another C6-3, and three more in t' outboard motors! I really never envisioned doin' this, me hearties, but what t' heck. Ahoy! Avast! My clusterin' experience is exactly zero. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I have well over 1,000 launches I’ve supervised but I’ve never plunged into this realm.

So we wired it up, said a prayer t' Baby Jesus (ala Talladega Nights), a hit t' button. Begad! Arrr! T' me surprise we had lift off!

But things were nay well. Seems durin' our quick reload attempts, I didn’t get t' capsule put on correctly. T' launch rod shall we say "went along for t' ride". Ya scallywag! As you can probably guess, this flight was also less than optimum. But short o' losin' t' launch lug, me hearties, no major damage happened.

But I was out o' time, matey, and sometimes its just better t' accept t' situation rather push me luck!

In conclusion, ya bilge rat, this contest was a blast! It really ended up a little harder than I expected, me hearties, arrr, but me son & I had fun. Ahoy! What t' heck, ya bilge rat, me hearties, maybe it’s time t' get that Deuce off t' wall!