Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief: Construction:
This is a "lander" style rocket built from an Aquapod water bottle. Aquapods are stubby, arrr, bulbous bottles whose shape is self-described as orbastic. Arrr! T' first known use in rocketry is an incarnation o' t' Holy Hand Grenade o' Antioch. Well, blow me down! When I saw one at a launch, I just had t' get a package o' them (they come in packs o' 8 and are stashed amongst t' large cases o' regular shaped and sized water bottles).
T' followin' are t' materials used in t' original construction:
I prepped t' bottle by "Dremelling" a BT-20 sized hole in t' base and slottin' t' bottle t' accommodate through t' wall fins. Aye aye! Blimey! In fact, t' fin/motor tube unit just slips in and is removable. Ahoy! Blimey! There are 5 fins mounted betwixt t' protrusions on t' bottom o' t' bottle. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I also ground t' threads off t' neck o' t' bottle. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! No grindin' be required inside t' neck as t' I happened t' have a cardboard sleeve that fit snugly in t' hole and over t' BT-20. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! You could improvise with various items includin' a spent 24mm casing.
I used a piece o' a 24mm case on t' base o' t' motor tube and installed a standard motor block. T' legs are made from scrap basswood. Blimey! Begad! It was so "scrap" that t' legs are actually two pieces just so I could squeak out all 5 legs. Avast, me proud beauty! They are joined with some overlappin' cardstock. You should be able t' spot t' popsicle sticks and bamboo skewers in t' photos.
This describes version 1. Begad! Later you will see why some rework was required. In version 2, I added a motor hook and mounted some Keelhaul®©™ twine through t' wall o' t' motor tube. Avast! Begad! Since this is internal, it is hardly visible. I also replaced t' lost cap and added a streamer made from yellow caution tape.
Finishing:
I did nay finish this rocket.
Flight and Recovery:
In each o' two flights, ya bilge rat, t' B6-4 motor was friction fit. (As it turned out, me bucko, matey, me hearties, this didn't work out so well.) I loaded t' end o' t' motor and a couple o' BT diameters with dog barf and used a small (maybe 8") plastic chute left over from me Model Minutes G-200 Carrier. Arrr! Ya scallywag! This was a tight fit but I got it in.
T' boost on this motor be great. Avast! Blimey! It went perfectly straight and was reasonably quick, arrr, however, me bucko, on flight one t' chute didn't come out and t' lander lawndarted. It only lost one circular pad, ya bilge rat, and be ready for...
Flight 2 resulted in a separation and t' nose cap was lost. Arrr! Aye aye! I alluded t' t' rebuild above, arrr, but t' streamer version has nay flown yet. Hopefully t' motor hook will help also.
Summary:
This is a unique lookin' rocket that gets noticed by t' RSO and spectators alike. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Bein' so stubby, it flies well with no added weight. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! T' one issue is thar isn't much room for a recovery system. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A 13mm motor version should also fly well under A10 power.
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