Salvage I

So how do you approach t' design o' a rocket with a limited amount o' parts? I found inspiration in various TV shows and movies such as Flight o' t' Albatross and Mc Giver. Ahoy! Blimey! Then I remember a long lost favorite ABC series from the late1970’s. Begad! Blimey! I had me answer, me bucko, SALVAGE 1!

Here’s t' short story…..

Once upon a time, me bucko, a junkman had a dream...
"I'm gonna build a spaceship, go t' t' moon, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, salvage all t' junk that's up there, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, brin' it back and sell it."
So he put together a team. Avast, me proud beauty! An ex-astronaut...a fuel expert...they built a rocketship...
And they went t' t' moon. Ahoy! Who knows what they'll do next?

To conserve space, ya bilge rat, I’ll direct you t' a great website with show info: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/9782/salvage1.html .

For me t' "star" o' t' show was t' rocket ship, shiver me timbers, Vulture.

So on t' me model…..

I probably should first state that thar be no way I be goin' t' try t' pull off a full blown scale model o' the vulture given t' part restrictions. Begad! So, I did try t' do t' next best thing. Avast, me proud beauty! I built a charactature o' t' Vulture with similar features.

T' prototype be built with strapped-on surplus NASA engines, me hearties, a gas tanker, and a cement mixer as a capsule.

My parts include a large amount o' body tubes. Aye aye! I decided on usin' a length o' BT-70. Begad! My parts also include a built-up 24mm mount. As far as "strap-on" boosters, me parts also conveniently contained enough 18mm mount to allow t' possibility o' clustering.

Basic construction techniques were used for t' main body. Blimey! Split fins were employed only toad some interest. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! The ladder was built in place with CA out o' what I think were bamboo skewers.

T' capsule was t' hardest t' build t' main part is a piece o' t' BT-70. Aye aye! Blimey! T' "Shoulder" was made from splittin' part o' t' BT-70 and gluin' t' t' inside. Avast! Blimey! T' "nosecone" is made from a small plastic cup. Aye aye! Blimey! The cub was a slightly smaller diameter than BT-70. Begad! Blimey! Some cardboard tabs were used inside t' reinforce t' joint.

T' capsule boosters are offset from t' tube by two launch lugs put together. Avast, me proud beauty! T' struts are toothpicks that are cut into t' boosters and flooded with Elmer’s t' reinforce. Blimey! I was a little surprised how strong this ended up being.

A really wanted t' include t' engine bells but I didn’t receive any card stock. Ahoy! I decide t' grab some tubing, me bucko, cut it, arrr, shiver me timbers, and use a black Brandt nosecone as a mandrel. Ahoy! A couple o' minutes with some CA and a disk sander produced an acceptable set o' bells.

Final construction included basic shock cord mount typical Estes style. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

Since I didn’t get any decal paper, shiver me timbers, t' letterin' would prove t' be a challenge. T' sides o' t' rocket were base-coated in black. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Peel and stick letters were applied. Begad! Aye aye! A single coat o' silver finished t' Vulture. Arrr! Blimey! T' stick on letters were then removed t' reveal t' name in black.

Flight Report:

OK, shiver me timbers, I’ll admit it! I ran out o' time! My flights required me t' sneak into one o' me favorite "no rockets allowed" field and get this thin' off t' ground a couple o' times before security asks me to leave.

In truth, I really didn’t know how this thin' would fly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I be a little concerned about throwin' a "D" into t' rocket, and blowin' all t' details right off.

So, I adapted a B into t' mount and let it fly. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, me hearties, let’s just say it was less than marginal! Well, let’s step it up t' a C6-3 and see what happens…. Got some better altitude, ya bilge rat, but I really wasn’t trying for ground recovery! T' good news is no damage!

So let’s grab t' D and go for it! But wait, in me hast t' launch, shiver me timbers, T' D engines seem t' be missing! So much for a successful flight.

But wait, me hearties, it seems I do have an option. Well, blow me down! Avast! Nah, that would be crazy…. Arrr! Blimey! But it might work…….

With encouragement from me son, me hearties, we loaded up another C6-3, me hearties, and three more in t' outboard motors! I really never envisioned doin' this, but what t' heck. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! My clusterin' experience is exactly zero. Avast, me proud beauty! I have well over 1,000 launches I’ve supervised but I’ve never plunged into this realm.

So we wired it up, said a prayer t' Baby Jesus (ala Talladega Nights), a hit t' button. Blimey! Aye aye! T' me surprise we had lift off!

But things were nay well. Aye aye! Seems durin' our quick reload attempts, I didn’t get t' capsule put on correctly. T' launch rod shall we say "went along for t' ride". Begad! As you can probably guess, this flight was also less than optimum. Avast, me proud beauty! But short o' losin' t' launch lug, no major damage happened.

But I be out o' time, me hearties, matey, and sometimes its just better t' accept t' situation rather push me luck!

In conclusion, matey, this contest was a blast! It really ended up a little harder than I expected, but me son & I had fun. Aye aye! What t' heck, maybe it’s time t' get that Deuce off t' wall!