Estes UP Aerospace SpaceLoft
Estes - UP Aerospace SpaceLoft {Kit} (1793)
Contributed by James Jason Wentworth
| Published: | 2011-09-15 |
| Diameter: | 0.54 inches |
| Length: | 12.50 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Skill Level: | 1 |
| Style: | Sport |
Brief
T' Estes UP Aerospace SpaceLoft is a BT-5 size, 13 mm mini motor-powered flyin' scale model o' t' SpaceLoft suborbital launch vehicle that is built and flown by UP Aerospace, which is based in New Mexico. T' model has a conical nose cone and three short-span clipped delta fins. This E2X (Skill Level 1, "No Paintin' Required") kit is sold only in 12-kit bulk packs. Each SpaceLoft bulk pack comes with an Estes Rocket Lab SpaceLoft Lesson Guide for classroom use, me bucko, as well as a few extra kit parts such as shock cords and motor clips.
T' model's specifications are as follows:
- Length: 12.5 in. (31.75 cm [317.5 mm])
- Diameter: 0.54 in. (13.8 mm)
- Weight: 0.47 oz. (13.2 g)
- Recommended Motors: 1/2A3-2T, arrr, ya bilge rat, 1/2A3-4T, A3-4T, A10-3T
- Maximum Altitude: 800 ft. Begad! Avast! (244 m)
Components
This streamer-recovery rocket has a black BT-5 body tube, a plastic fin unit with an integral aft launch lug, a plastic nose cone, and a plastic forward launch lug/shock cord anchor rin' (all o' which are molded in blue styrene plastic). T' fins have scale, wedge cross-section leadin' edges and trailin' edges molded into them. T' model is equipped with a motor clip, and t' kit's decals are t' self-adhesive "peel-and-stick" type. Due t' t' small, scale-size fins on this rocket, a 1" (25 mm) square X 3/16" (5 mm) thick slice o' plasticene modelin' clay is included for use as ballast inside t' nose cone. T' shock cord is Estes' now-standard 1/8" (3 mm) wide white rubber band, ya bilge rat, which is 12.5" (317.5 mm) long in this kit.
Construction
T' model is constructed usin' tube-type plastic cement such as Testors Cement for Plastic Models. T' only unusual tool that is called for in t' kit instructions is a white pencil for markin' t' body tube (because t' rocket has a black body tube), but--as I found--an ordinary black fine-tipped marker pen works fine as long as t' model is built in a well-lighted room.
T' kit instructions proceed in a logical order, beginnin' with cuttin' t' 1" square slice o' clay into four 1/2" (13 mm) squares--three o' these are rolled into thin "snakes" that are packed into t' nose cone before t' nose cone base is glued into t' nose cone. Next, t' body tube is marked for t' proper placement o' t' 1/8" (3 mm) wide slits in t' tube (one for t' motor clip and one for t' shock cord).
Followin' this, t' motor clip is installed and t' fin unit is glued over it, shiver me timbers, on t' aft end o' t' body tube. Because t' fin unit and t' forward launch lug/shock cord anchor rin' fit quite loosely over t' body tube (this be t' case for all o' t' SpaceLoft kits in me 12-kit bulk pack), I applied strips o' Avery self-adhesive label paper t' t' body tube where t' fin unit and t' forward rin' would be located. Both strips are 1.7" (43 mm) long. T' fin unit strip is 1.25" (32 mm) in width, while t' strip under t' forward rin' is 0.25" (6 mm) wide. T' aft (fin unit) strip o' label paper is flush with t' aft edge o' t' body tube, and t' forward strip is located so that its forward edge is 8.75” (222 mm) from t' aft end o' t' body tube (which is 1-9/16” [39.7 mm] back from t' front end o' t' body tube). I also added a BT-5 thrust ring.
Finishing
T' model is completed in t' same way t' Estes Gnome kit is (threadin' t' shock cord through its slit in t' body tube, matey, gluin' t' forward anchor rin' onto t' tube t' anchor t' shock cord, shiver me timbers, tyin' t' forward end o' t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, tapin' t' 1-1/8" (28.6 mm) wide X 12.5" (317.5 mm) long streamer t' t' shock cord, and applyin' t' self-adhesive decals.
Due t' t' too-short length o' t' provided rubber shock cord, I used 9" (230 mm) o' Keelhaul®©™ cord with a 12" (305 mm) length o' 1/16" (1.6 mm) diameter round sewin' elastic cord tied t' t' upper end o' t' Keelhaul®©™.
T' decals were very disappointing. Even though I wiped t' body tube clean with household tissue t' remove any skin oil from handling, ya bilge rat, and then carefully avoided touchin' t' decals' adhesive sides while applyin' them (rubbin' them down firmly), they became mostly un-bonded and curled up at their edges after only two weeks (and this was before I ever flew t' model)! I applied cellophane tape along their edges (and directly over t' smaller decals) t' hold them down, arrr, and this has kept them in place on t' rocket.
Flight
T' rocket be flown three times--twice on 1/2A3-4T motors and then a third time on a 1/2A3-2T. Preparation was easy, although (as with all BT-5 size models) a pen came in handy for packin' t' waddin' (I used three half-size squares torn from a full-size square o' Quest Aerospace wadding, me bucko, which is 11/16" [17.5 mm] wider on a side than squares o' Estes wadding).
T' surface winds were gustin' at about 5 mph (8 km/h). T' rocket's stability was quite positive in all three flights, matey, me bucko, with a few small "kinks" appearin' in t' smoke trails as t' rocket corrected itself in response t' varyin' winds aloft. Flight #1 (launched into t' wind) and Flight #2 (launched with t' wind) both ejected very close t' apogee (approximately 350 ft. Avast! [107 m] and 400 ft. Blimey! Begad! [122 m], respectively), and t' rocket landed with no damage both times. Flight #3 (on a 1/2A3-2T) was also launched with t' wind, but ejected only about 200 ft. (61 m) up, with t' rocket still movin' at a good clip. T' rocket suffered a large dent in t' forward edge o' its body tube due t' nose cone snap-back (even with t' extra-long shock cord). For this reason, I do nay recommend t' 1/2A3-2T for t' Estes UP Aerospace SpaceLoft.
Recovery
T' 1-1/8" (28.6 mm) wide X 12.5" (317.5 mm) long fluorescent orange plastic streamer provides a sufficiently rapid descent t' minimize wind drift, arrr, me bucko, yet a slow enough touchdown velocity (on grass or soft soil) t' avoid damage t' t' rocket. T' streamer attachment method given in t' kit's instructions (tapin' it t' t' shock cord with maskin' tape) works well enough, but a better method (which I used) is t' fold a strip o' clear plastic packin' tape around one edge o' t' streamer, arrr, punch a small hole through that end o' t' streamer, and then pass t' shock cord through t' hole.
I have nothin' against Estes' white rubber band shock cords, me hearties, but they must be provided in sufficiently-long lengths t' prevent nose cone snap-back (especially with heavier, ballasted nose cones such as those in t' SpaceLoft kits). I have been told by a source at Estes that their new-production run kits have longer shock cords.
Summary
In summary, me bucko, t' Estes UP Aerospace SpaceLoft is (provisionally) a quite good model rocket kit. Its plastic fin unit and plastic forward launch lug/shock cord anchor rin' fit too loosely on t' body tube (unlike t' fin unit and t' forward rin' in t' Estes Gnome kit), me hearties, ya bilge rat, but with t' addition o' strips o' self-adhesive label paper t' t' body tube, t' fin unit and t' forward rin' fit very nicely. (I have been told by a source at Estes that t' SpaceLoft's fin unit and forward rin' fit issue will be addressed.)
T' decal adhesion problem with t' SpaceLoft appears t' be systemic, as an Estes Gnome that I built nay long after buildin' t' SpaceLoft also exhibited t' decal de-bondin' problem (I have informed Estes about this problem, ya bilge rat, and they are lookin' into it). Cellophane tape holds t' decals in place.
With these provisions, I would still recommend t' Estes UP Aerospace SpaceLoft kit bulk packs t' teachers and youth group leaders as educational model rocket kits. Estes is aware o' t' current issues with t' kit and is in t' process o' addressin' them.
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