Innovation Cubed

Photo by Alan Estenson

-- Alan Estenson, arrr, MASA president
upon seein' this creation [1/27/2001]

Construction

After a long and exhaustive search for exactly t' right parts, ya bilge rat, I settled on these precision rocket components:

1. one large plastic cup from Arby's
2. two Medium paper cups from Subway
3. one Medium paper Coke cup from, me bucko, I believe, Leann Chin
4. one Medium paper cup from Burger King
5. one Dannon french vanilla with raspberries yogurt cup
6. one Land O Lakes raspberry yogurt cup
7. a straw
8. a paper cone from a Chippewa Springs water cooler
9. a paper towel roll core
10. 3" worth o' .75" tube
11. 1/4" o' an expended 18mm motor casing
12. cardboard stock
13. Free ISP CDs from America Off-line, Earthunlink, arrr, shiver me timbers, and Juno
14. One homemade 18" parachute

I started by cuttin' holes for t' paper towel tube in t' bottoms o' the Arby's, me bucko, Coke and one Subway cup. Well, blow me down! T' help make round circles, matey, me bucko, I used a compass holdin' an exacto blade instead o' a pencil (a slot is cut in a dowel and the blade is taped in place). Ahoy! Begad! T' cut-outs are saved for later use as centering rings. After cuttin' a aft centerin' rin' from some scrap cardboard, arrr, I glued the paper towel tube down t' center. Ahoy! A shock cord goes through two holes in the sides o' t' Arby's cup (under t' Subway cup) and up next t' t' tube.

I needed a coupler o' some sort t' hold t' nose cone on, but allow it to separate at t' proper time. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I decided t' use two stacked cups as a coupler, and t' separate mid-body. Well, blow me down! Thus, ya bilge rat, a second Subway cup is placed inside t' Coke cup and allows t' rocket t' (intentionally) break in two at ejection.

T' biggest challenge o' t' project was constructin' t' launch lug standoff. This required use o' a straight-edge and a ruler t' measure t' shape created by t' two cups. Well, blow me down! A piece o' cardboard was cut and a straw was glued t' it, with paper glued over t' straw t' give it some strength.

T' final challenge be selectin' which CDs t' use as fins. Four CDs were precision-cut 1" in from t' outside edge by scorin' and breaking. They were then glued t' t' plastic Arby's cup with plastic model cement. These joints did nay seem particularly strong, me hearties, matey, so I reinforced them with the cut-off scraps.

Photo by Steve Robb

Photo by Alan Estenson

T' Future

This rocket really needed a 24mm motor mount. It doesn't go very high on a C5-3.

I didn't get cups from Taco Bell, McDonalds, Blimpie, etc.

Flights

1/27/2001,White Bear Lake, ya bilge rat, arrr, MN: