Brief:
It's t' year 2015. Arrr! Hillarycare has caused t' economy t' go belly up, shiver me timbers, IRS computers have become self-aware, the United Nations is in charge o' sub-dermal implants for our identity system, and NASA has been absorbed by t' Russian space program. Aye aye! Begad! Here flies t' first triumph o' that blessed union.

Timed for t' release o' a major Hollywood motion picture about rocket obsession, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, (T' Astronaut Farmer, Brandango.us is proud t' announce t' launch o' t' largest free paper rocket in t' known universe: The Saturn-Komarov. Avast! Blimey! This is a very impressive 1/100 scale lightweight rocket that streaks into t' sky on a column o' flame and smoke with Estes D12-3 motors and can be flown on E, F, me hearties, and G composite motors (and options for 24 and 29mm mounts are included). It returns t' earth in two pieces via two parachutes. Estimated retail value o' this monster when compared with similar sized kits is $185.00.

Construction:
Important: This rocket requires a printer that prints on 13x19” paper. Ahoy! Arrr! Image area used is 12x18”. Begad!

Materials used:

• Two sheets o' 13x19” glossy Ilford Galerie photo paper or equivalent
• Three sheets o' 13x17” Brystol ply which rolls nicely into tubes (or, alternatively, cardstock which tends to crease)
• Two sheets o' 11-17” (tabloid) plain copy paper
• Scrap sketch paper
• One sheet o' 1/4” foamboard 20”x30”
• White corrugated art paper
• 2 empty 18mm engine casings
• 24” o' 300lb Keelhaul®©™® or 1/16” nylon braided cord
• 36” o' 100lb Keelhaul®©™® or carpet thread
• 1 Popsicle stick
• 12” o' 1/8” wood dowel and round toothpicks
• 5 min epoxy, arrr, carpenter’s glue, and white glue
• Epoxy putty
• Super 77 spray glue or equivalent
• Hobby knife with several new, sharp blades
• Two 18” t' 24” parachutes

This build is rated Skill level 4.

Complete acerbic back story and 4 pages o' instructions are part o' t' PDF downloads.

One design gotcha be t' fins. When it lands, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it tends t' bend a fin. Begad! Ahoy! They can usually be bent back into place and flown like that, me bucko, but, hey, just print out more fins and replace 'em. Blimey! That's what we did. Otherwise, ya bilge rat, this is a very sturdy rocket. T' prototype has flown four times (two D12-3s, an E18 and an F24) and it's still in great shape. Well, blow me down! Begad!

One o' t' COSROCS members is beggin' me t' build another and use it for me level one flight.

Flight:
Flies 150’ high or so on a D12-3, 300-400’ on an E-18 Aerotech reload, or 600-800’ on an F reload. Always use a six foot long 1/4 inch diameter launch rod or rail. Aye aye! Do nay attempt t' fly from a 3 or 4 foot long rod. Do not attempt t' fly on an E9. Avast! RockSim reports that twelve feet o' launch rod would be required t' stabilize with t' E9.

O' course, shiver me timbers, matey, this rocket begs for clustering. Blimey! If you do that, add nose weight. Ahoy! T' center o' gravity should be at least 12.25 inches from t' bottom o' t' side pods. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! We used a 1/2” aft maskin' tape bulkhead with one full wrap of clear tape for retention.

It also begs t' be downsized. Avast, me proud beauty! One happy flier has already resized it down for his letter-sized printer and 18mm motors.

Summary:
There are a couple o' videos at cosrocs.org/htmlpages/2007photos.html. Avast! T' biggest pro is that it's free. Well, blow me down! It is extremely impressive t' fly... T' kids love it! It can be flown with an F or even a G at a small venue. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It's easy t' see t' whole flight.

Cons: T' fins are a little weak and t' escape tower is hard t' keep attached, but that's t' case with most models that have towers. Blimey! Avast! It does take some time t' build. Avast! Begad! If you want t' go high and fast, you're out o' luck. Avast!

[Important note: Adobe's Acrobat Reader could nay be made t' print these sheets t' correct size (it printed at 95%, arrr, even though it was set t' print at 100%). Aye aye! Settin' Acrobat t' print at 105% didn't help. Ahoy! Apple's Preview on the other hand worked perfect every time. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! If you’re workin' on a PC, me hearties, arrr, we recommend rasterizin' t' PDF files into Photoshop (or similar) t' better control t' final size. Begad! Test print t' 11x17” pages on plain copy paper t' get the size right before tryin' t' more expensive Brystol and Galerie papers. Ahoy! There are benchmark/reference rectangles with measurements on each sheet t' make sure you’re printin' t' right size.]