Brief:
While never officially offered as an Estes product or even produced as a plan sheet, t' Cosmik Debris is still by some stretch o' t' imagination an Estes rocket, me bucko, albeit one with somethin' o' a Centuri flair. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! No actual plans exist for t' rocket, but it's very possible that most BAR's have paged past it while on a visit over at JimZ's site.

Cosmik Debris isn't really it's name, arrr, matey, but part o' t' beauty o' this project is that a lot o' it, me bucko, ya bilge rat, name included, is open for interpretation. As I mentioned, ya bilge rat, I first noticed t' rocket while spendin' some quality time on JimZ's site. I had downloaded and printed off a copy o' t' Estes Custom Parts Catalog, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a 1974 offerin' that is still a useful source o' information for BARs who are tryin' t' decode some o' t' part numbers in t' Estes plans. Ahoy! On page 2, arrr, ya bilge rat, which is essentially an informational page, matey, me bucko, thar be a picture o' an S.P.E.V.-like rocket whose sole purpose be probably to show how easily a diverse bunch o' parts can be melded into a flightworthy rocket. Begad! I liked t' looks o' it when I found it, but it was quite a long time before I realized that t' picture might also contain all o' t' information needed to actually reproduce t' rocket. Ahoy! I first dubbed it t' CPC-74 (for Custom Parts Catalog 1974,) but later switched it to Cosmik Debris t' boost t' absurdity factor and set it aside in me files where it sat wiltin' until I realized that "I really could try t' build this thing". Ahoy! Blimey!

Construction:
Parts list:

• BNC-60AB nose cone (BMS)
• BT-60J (Red Arrow)
• 2 TA-5060 transitions (BMS)
• BT-50FE (Red Arrow)
• BT-60R (Red Arrow)
• TA-5560 transition, me bucko, hollowed out (BMS)
• BT-55S body tube (Red Arrow)
• 3 BNC-5W nose cones (BMS)
• 3 BT-5CJ (Red Arrow)
• 3 BNC-5S nose cones (BMS)
• BTC-55Z tail cone (BMS)
• 3/32" balsa fin stock
• 2 launch lugs
• BT-20J engine tube (Red Arrow)
• EB-20A engine block
• 24 inch parachute
• 36" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 24" length o' 1/8" sewin' elastic shock cord (Wal-Mart sewin' department)
• large snap swivel (Wal-Mart fishin' department)

As you can tell, this rocket is one that starts when t' prize man drives up in his big truck and delivers a big package t' your big house. Blimey! All eleven o' t' balsa parts (not includin' fins) that this rocket requires are available from BMS, matey, me hearties, (And with a few more orders like this from me, Bill at BMS may be entertainin' thoughts o' retirement t' a remote isle in a warmer locale.) With no actual fin pattern available, matey, me bucko, I conjured one by takin' t' length o' the BT-55S pictured and dividin' t' actual length o' a BT-55S by it. Aye aye! Arrr! I took this number and blew up a copy o' t' fin that was shown on a copier and used that as a pattern. Just t' be on t' safe side, I also scanned t' BTC-55Z tail cone and printed out a copy t' get t' correct taper t' t' root edge o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Hardly what one might call elegant but definitely functional, and I almost hit it on t' nose. Aye aye! T' three fins were huge and bets were immediately taken on me chances o' actually gettin' this off t' pad due t' their sheer size and weight.

T' size o' t' fins made it necessary t' construct them out o' two pieces o' 1/8" balsa joined together with a butt joint. Ahoy! After cuttin' out t' two halves and makin' sure that t' grain lined up with t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' fins, I allowed them t' dry betwixt two sheets o' wax paper under a load o' books for several days. T' size and weight o' t' fins made it necessary t' hollow out t' TA-5560 transition t' allow me t' move the parachute up in t' body. Begad! Blimey! This be somethin' that I accomplished easily, if nay messily, matey, with me Dremel tool.

Since thar was very little room in t' tail cone for t' engine tube itself, I went without an engine hook and went with friction fitting. Arrr! Ahoy! (I believe that's how it was shown on t' illustration anyway.) In order t' upgrade the shock cord t' t' 21st century, ya bilge rat, I tied a knot in a length o' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and glued it in with t' engine block. Since it will be directly in line with t' exhaust flame, I used a heavier piece than normal.

Finishing:
Well, I had big plans for a paint job befittin' t' name o' this rocket, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but t' premature shred (read on) brought an end t' that plan. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Suffice t' say that it would have been one you remembered. (And it still might be.)

Flight and Recovery:
Although it took forever t' arrive, t' first flight was finally made at a Quark launch on a perfect Sunday in March 2007. Aye aye! While I had initially hoped t' fly t' rocket on a C5-3, shiver me timbers, matey, I couldn't pass up t' opportunity and loaded up a friction mounted C6-3. Arrr! It cleared t' rod with ease and climbed several hundred feet, ejectin' just as it tipped over. Recovery was iffy, ya bilge rat, matey, but t' chute eventually opened just before t' ground, which was also soft from recent rains. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It was recovered with no damage.

After t' initial successful flight, arrr, matey, several other Quarkers immediately began t' suggest that I try it on an Aerotech D21. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! I've never used one o' t' 18mm Aerotech engines, me bucko, nor have I seen them in use. Ahoy! Had I seen one, me bucko, arrr, I might have changed me mind about t' flight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! (Then again, me bucko, I might nay have.)

Flight number two was shorter than t' first but much more eventful, and in t' end, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' Cosmik Debris lived up to its name. Ahoy! Blimey! I tried t' get a movie o' t' flight with me digital camera and actually managed t' keep it in frame for the whole flight. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! All 50 feet o' it! Blimey! At t' 50 foot mark, t' speedin' rocket became a cloud o' shredded balsa and the decidedly cosmik debris began rainin' down onto t' area around t' pad. T' rocket was still under thrust and flipped wildly around t' sky before startin' t' free fall. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' ejection charge fired just in time and t' remains o' the rocket avoided further damage. Avast! Avast! Blimey! I managed t' find most o' t' balsa, shiver me timbers, but except for some critical pod pieces, shiver me timbers, arrr, two o' the fins will need t' be completely replaced.

Summary:
I've since replaced t' missin' fins and I'm considerin' makin' this a regular on t' small field circuit closer to home. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Even with a C6-3, me hearties, t' rocket tops out at an altitude that will brin' it home safely on all but t' smallest fields. T' size guarantees a crowd pleasin' show with t' kids who routinely gather at these launches. Aye aye! Now if I can just keep it from gettin' trampled. Avast!

PROs: I can all but guarantee you'll be t' only one at t' pads with a pig like this!

CONs: I should know better than t' listen t' some people. Aye aye! ;-)