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, shiver me timbers, this time I went for t' simplest o' t' six. Begad! 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, I opted for a
talcum powder bottle. Avast! Avast! Other items used were
T' first thin' I did be 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. This was 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! T' coupler be discarded, and then t' kit was built in t' normal fashion. A 2 foot length o' Keelhaul®©™® card be 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. Begad! T' bottom o' t' bottle had a hole cut out usin' a solderin' iron t' take t' aft o' t' BT55. 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, ya bilge rat, leavin' 2.6 inches o' t' body tube stickin' out o' t' talc bottle. Arrr! Fillets o' white glue were added. A shroud o' card was then added t' give t' correct profile.
Nose Cone Assembly
25g o' clay be added t' t' nose cone t' aid stability. Begad! Detailin' be added by usin' card t' make t' nose cone front, me hearties, and plasticine was used t' make t' other detailing, ya bilge rat, which were then glued into place.
Fin Assembly
I'm nay o' fan o' gluin' different materials together, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and balsa t' smooth plastic was goin' t' present the weakest joint in t' rocket. Begad! T' counter this I went for a through t' wall design. Ahoy! Side slits were made in t' plastic bottle usin' t' solderin' iron. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' fins were then cut, and then glued into place. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Two fillets o' white glue were added t' give a strong joint. Avast!
Side fins were then cut and added, again fillets o' white glue were added.
T' two side tunnels were made out o' balsa, 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. Well, blow me down! T' knicker elastic be then attached t' the nose cone. Blimey! Blimey! A swivel was then added t' t' elastic shock cord one foot from t' nose cone. Begad! At t' same time that I was makin' this rocket, me hearties, I be also makin' some rip stop nylon parachutes from some military grade parachute material, ya bilge rat, matey, tin eyelet and Keelhaul®©™® thread, arrr, these were for a bigger project, shiver me timbers, matey, matey, but I thought I'd make a nice parachute for this rocket. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! In the end, I went for a 15 inch parachute.
Detailing
Runnin' out o' time, t' detailin' added be minimal.
Finishing:
T' rocket was primed and then spray-painted window grey. Begad! Blimey!
Line markin' were added with pen. Begad! Blimey!
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 was used.
T' flight be straight and true, but underpowered and low
Ejection was at apogee, me hearties, parachute deployed and t' rocket landed without damage
Flight two:
Now with a C6-3, flight was much higher than before, me hearties, and straight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ejection at apogee, matey, me bucko, no damage
Flight three:
Again with a C6-3, arrr, flight was as before until apogee. Begad! Then t' nose cone failed t' pop off, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' rocket came in hard and fast. Aye aye! Nay botherin' t' repair retired.
Summary:
I'm nay overly impressed with this rocket. Aye aye! I rushed t' build and be nay happy with t' finish, on t' plus side, I
did like t' through t' wall fins