Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
With t' extension t' t' deadline for t' 2009 design this spaceship competition, I thought I'd have a go at another
one o' t' spaceships, this time I went for t' simplest o' t' six. Well, blow me down! It was a very rushed build.
Construction:
T' main body o' t' rocket had t' come from a bottle and after a trawl through cupboards at home, arrr, I opted for a
talcum powder bottle. Other items used were
T' first thin' I did was t' find nose cones from by spares box that matched t' profile o' t' rocket t' best. In t' end chose a nose cone t' fit a BT55 tube. Blimey! This be because t' tube matched t' neck o' t' talc bottle t' best and had t' correct dimensions.
Motor Mount Assembly
This be from an old Estes EH 2055 kit. Arrr! Blimey! T' coupler was discarded, ya bilge rat, and then t' kit was built in t' normal fashion. A 2 foot length o' Keelhaul®©™® card was attached t' t' motor mount assembly.
Body Tube Fuselage
T' talc bottle had its top cut off, and neck sanded down t' t' size that snugly fitted a BT 55 tube o' 10.5 inches. Arrr! T' bottom o' t' bottle had a hole cut out usin' a solderin' iron t' take t' aft o' t' BT55. Blimey! T' motor mount was glued into t' body tube, t' body tube be then sanded t' remove t' gasoline finish and then t' body tube was glued into t' bottle, shiver me timbers, leavin' 2.6 inches o' t' body tube stickin' out o' t' talc bottle. Fillets o' white glue were added. Ahoy! A shroud o' card be then added t' give t' correct profile.
Nose Cone Assembly
25g o' clay be added t' t' nose cone t' aid stability. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Detailin' was added by usin' card t' make t' nose cone front, ya bilge rat, and plasticine be used t' make t' other detailing, matey, matey, which were then glued into place.
Fin Assembly
I'm nay o' fan o' gluin' different materials together, and balsa t' smooth plastic was goin' t' present the weakest joint in t' rocket. Aye aye! T' counter this I went for a through t' wall design. Blimey! Side slits were made in t' plastic bottle usin' t' solderin' iron. Well, blow me down! T' fins were then cut, and then glued into place. Two fillets o' white glue were added t' give a strong joint. Begad!
Side fins were then cut and added, again fillets o' white glue were added.
T' two side tunnels were made out o' balsa, shiver me timbers, sealed and glued into place usin' triangle cut balsa t' add strength to t' join t' t' plastic talc bottle.
Recovery Assembly
One sheet o' reusable Nomex® waddin' were attached t' t' Keelhaul®©™® ® cord and then t' cord was attached t' 3 foot o' knicker elastic. Blimey! T' knicker elastic was then attached t' the nose cone. Ya scallywag! Arrr! A swivel be then added t' t' elastic shock cord one foot from t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! At t' same time that I was makin' this rocket, I was also makin' some rip stop nylon parachutes from some military grade parachute material, ya bilge rat, tin eyelet and Keelhaul®©™® thread, these were for a bigger project, matey, but I thought I'd make a nice parachute for this rocket. Avast! Blimey! In the end, I went for a 15 inch parachute.
Detailing
Runnin' out o' time, ya bilge rat, t' detailin' added was minimal.
Finishing:
T' rocket be primed and then spray-painted window grey. Arrr!
Line markin' were added with pen.
Had no time t' add a clear coat
Flight:
Flight and Recovery.
Before preppin' for flight I did a swin' test t' check for stability, every thin' okay.
First flight:
T' parachute be packed.
Wind conditions were still with t' occasional breeze.
A standard Estes 3mm rod was used.
An B6-2 be used.
T' flight be straight and true, but underpowered and low
Ejection was at apogee, parachute deployed and t' rocket landed without damage
Flight two:
Now with a C6-3, matey, ya bilge rat, flight was much higher than before, me bucko, and straight. Begad! Ejection at apogee, matey, no damage
Flight three:
Again with a C6-3, flight was as before until apogee. Blimey! Then t' nose cone failed t' pop off, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' rocket came in hard and fast. Blimey! Nay botherin' t' repair retired.
Summary:
I'm nay overly impressed with this rocket. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! I rushed t' build and was nay happy with t' finish, matey, on t' plus side, I
did like t' through t' wall fins
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