Brief:

This be t' second rocket I built t' enter t' EMRR Spaceship Design Contest. Havin' never built or flown a rin' fin rocket this challenge proved to be exciting. Aye aye! I chose various materials for its construction includin' balsa wood, aircraft plywood, ya bilge rat, and dowel rods just t' name a few.

Characteristics:

• Height: 27 7/8 inches Width: 4.6 inches Weight (without engine): 2.25oz
• Motor Mount: 18mm (single) Recovery: Parachute

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE Solar Rail <--- This is a link to the pattern for the solar panel. Characteristics Height: 29.4" Width: 4.56" 18mm Motor Mount 4.0 oz empty

Construction:

T' followin' are t' major components used:

Narrative:

I broke this rocket down into three sections and tackled each one separately. Ya scallywag! I began with t' tail section. Well, blow me down! I wanted t' create a mock up before I started cuttin' t' wood pieces. Begad! First I sketched a design I liked on a piece of mate board. (I get scrap pieces from t' local frame shop.) Usin' that pattern, matey, I cut four stanchions out o' t' mate board and glued them t' a scrap piece BT-20 tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I constructed both rings out o' cardstock and attached them to stanchions. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! A roll o' maskin' tape and a heavy cardboard tube served as my forms. Begad!

I liked t' overall look o' this mock up. Begad! Avast! I even created t' lower paper transitions you see on t' finished rocket. Ahoy! T' only change was shortin' the BT-20 tube by a half inch. Blimey! Actual construction o' t' tail end took much longer to create than expected. Well, blow me down! Arrr!

I removed one o' t' stanchions and used it as a template on t' wood. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I rough cut t' wood and used double sided tape t' stack t' birch plywood in four layers. Aye aye! Blimey! Followin' t' template on top, I cut and sanded them t' size. Then I glued them t' t' 6" BT-20, shiver me timbers, with t' bottom o' t' stanchion even with the bottom o' t' tube.

I cut 1 - 5/8" and 2- 1 ¼" strips from t' 1/32 Airplane plywood. Ahoy! Usin' steam on t' outside I began t' carefully curl t' strips into smaller circles. Begad! Begad! Bein' very careful nay t' kink t' wood, matey, me hearties, I placed t' 5/8 strip inside t' heavy cardboard tube I had used earlier. Ya scallywag! I curled t' 1 ¼ strip t' t' inside o' a tape roll. Leavin' them alone, me bucko, I began work on t' mid section frame.

I took some graph paper and taped it t' t' table top and drew out t' frame work. After a few sketches, I determined t' outside edge o' each square should measure 1 ½ inch. Aye aye! With 10 squares, matey, t' frame length ended up bein' 15 3/32". I placed a piece o' clear transparency over t' graph paper and began t' construct t' frame usin' t' graph paper below as a guide. Begad! Aye aye! I constructed two sides and then began t' join them usin' t' same method.

I looked online for a solar panel design and didn’t find one I liked or that closely resembled t' photo. Ahoy! I used t' photo program on me computer and generated me solar panel design. Begad! Printed it on a color printer and cut it to size t' fit inside t' frame and allow a body tube t' go up t' middle.

I debated on usin' either a BT-20 or BT-50 tube through t' mid section. Ya scallywag! I finally decided on a BT-50 for t' inside tube. Ya scallywag! Begad! This selection will allow for the larger parachute. Ahoy! I had t' create a square with a circle cutout t' be placed in t' top o' t' frame as t' center t' inside tube. Blimey! Avast! T' lower portion is supported by t' lower assembly.

Now for t' upper assembly, matey, workin' from t' nose down, I started with PNC-60. Arrr! I cut off everythin' 3/8" below t' shoulder. Arrr! I glued a ½" section o' BT-60 t' t' nose cone. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I created a centerin' rin' out of mate board for a BT-5 tube. Begad! Begad! I glued this rin' inside t' BT-60 tube. Begad! I pushed t' BT-5 tube through t' hole t' t' tip o' t' nose and glued it in place. I created and glued on a paper transition. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

Next I took a 1" section o' BT-50 with a BT-5 centerin' rin' glued in one end and placed over t' BT-5 tube and centered it over t' previous transition. I created two paper ½" transitions t' go from t' BT-50 to t' BT-5. Begad! Blimey! (T' same transition is used under t' barrels.)

T' barrels were created with four 1" pieces o' 5/8 dowel rod. Ya scallywag! Once glued together, shiver me timbers, arrr, I began t' drill out t' center with increasin' drill bit sizes. When I was close, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I used a rat tail file t' center t' hole and allow the BT-5 tube t' pass through. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Though I made t' transition for under the barrels I did nay glue it on at this time. Well, blow me down! I glued a small nylon cord around the upper, mid, and lower sections o' t' barrels.

I also used a piece o' dowel rod t' create a plug that would fit inside a BT-5 on one end and a BT-50 on t' other. Ahoy! Arrr!

Paintin' o' t' rocket was done in sections. Arrr! Blimey! Final assembly occurred after paint.

1. T' barrels had t' added detail o' small nylon cord around them in three places. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Once in place t' barrels were painted tan, me hearties, and later trimmed with dark brown.
2. T' frame was painted metallic silver.
3. T' remainin' rocket be painted gloss white. Begad!
4. T' silver and black accents were added later.

Once t' paint be dried, me bucko, I assembled t' upper section first. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I attached the barrels with a little wood glue and added t' lower transition. Arrr! I hand drilled a small pilot hole in t' wood plug for t' eye screw. I glued a BT-50 couplin' rin' t' t' plug, and then I attached t' plug t' t' BT-5 tube.

Before attachin' t' mid section t' t' lower assembly I inserted t' paper solar panels inside t' frame. Ahoy! I scraped off t' paint where t' lower assembly and frame would meet. Ya scallywag! I glued t' frame at t' four points on t' lower assembly and around t' tube at t' top. Blimey! Begad! I wanted t' make a better fit and a stronger connection at t' top, so I attached a center rin' (which I first painted silver).

It be at this point I realized I didn’t have a launch lug. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! Once I figured out where I wanted it, ya bilge rat, I painted it t' match and attached it with white glue.

I wanted t' test this in some rocket software but wasn’t sure how to put in a square body with all t' other detail o' this rocket. Blimey! I tried t' do a swin' test and could nay get t' rocket t' fly straight. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Usin' RockSim I created t' rocket as though it had large smooth body tubes.

In me design, RockSim said I had an over stable rocket o' 3 something. Aye aye! To counter this I created forward fins ¾" tall and 1 ½" in length. Well, blow me down! This modification brought me stability t' 1.8. Ahoy! T' keep with t' ring fin design o' t' rocket I added a ½" paper rin' t' t' fin tips. This brought me stability down t' 1.1. Blimey!

I created this new rin' fin t' attach t' t' rocket but nay permanently. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I still wanted t' keep t' original look o' rocket like t' photo. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! These fins are only attached for flight (like t' Saturn IV rocket, me hearties, ha-ha). Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! They were made usin' a ¾" BT-55 tube, balsa, me hearties, shiver me timbers, centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and ½" cardstock paper ring.

This fin slides on t' body tube just above t' frame. Ahoy! I conducted t' swing test again with this fin on and it flies straight, backwards. Begad! Begad! Uggghhh. Blimey! I’m just goin' t' launch it and see what happens.

I haven’t launched t' Solar Rail with t' forward rin' attached. I wanted t' get three launches in without t' ring. Blimey! I’ll add t' rin' for a fourth launch when these winds die down. Begad! This rocket has taken some hard hit and survived. Begad! I may build a larger 24mm version, me hearties, me hearties, after I see how others built theirs. Maybe I’ll be able t' pick up some ideas I hadn’t thought of and that wouldn’t be t' hard.

This be an awesome contest. Aye aye! I hope you do it again in t' future. Ahoy! Good luck to everyone!

FLIGHT #1

FLIGHT #2

FLIGHT #3