Guess the Altitude, Win a Prize!

[troj]

So, complements of QuickBurst, we have another little contest for our users...

What's the contest, and how do you enter? It's so easy, even a moderator can do it! (and yes, all members, including mods and admins, are welcome to participate)

How's it work? Read this thread, http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=11427 which details what will be my fourth (yes, fourth) Level 3 attempt, and predict the altitude. Closest to the actual altitude as determined by the on-board altimeters (MAWD first, G-Wiz HCX in case the MAWD doesn't cooperate), without going over wins the prize!

A couple errata... First, no private questions -- all information about the rocket that is public is in that build thread. Rocket, motor, etc. I won't answer any private questions about specs -- everyone gets the same info.

In case of a significant failure (motor CATO, airframe failure, etc) there will be no winner. There must be a "fairly nominal" flight -- if there's a recovery system failure, but the altimeters still provide information, then the contest is still on.

How do you enter? Post your prediction to this thread. If two people post the same number, the first post gets that number, and the second must pick a new number.

So, what do you have the potential to win?


From Quickburst (http://www.quickburst.net)
1 - How to Make Igniters DVD
1 - 40 Gram bottle of QuickDip
1 - Small Igniter Kit (wire, etc .....)

All that is yours, free, complements of Dave at Quickburst! You don't even have to pay the shipping!

Addendum: Submissions must be posted by midnight September 2nd, US Central time. Any posts/edits after that date/time will not be accepted.

-Kevin

[ScrapDaddy]

15,027

[JDcluster]

Launch site altitude?




JD

[trippkid]

14,319 ft. is my guess

[cjl]

I'll go with 12,526

[troj]

Launch site altitude?

Dunno.

KLOUDBusters field in Argonia, KS.

-Kevin

[BsSmith]

11,693' and 2"

[WillMarchant]

10' AGL :dark:

[The EGE]

14159'

[Rocketman248]

13,296

[tsai]

I'm going with 12,345

By all rights, it should be higher, but that number appeals to me. :)

[Sandy H.]

13,606

Sandy.

[DAllen]

13,101

SWAG rules baby. Great contest idea by the way.

-Dave

[BBrown]

Field Elevation is 1249' MSL.

[troj]

Addendum: Submissions must be posted by midnight September 2nd, US Central time. Any posts/edits after that date/time will not be accepted.

-Kevin

[redsox15]

13,475'

Good luck on the level 3!

Matt

[Fred22]

13,720 feet is my final guess Trebec :)
Cheers
fred

[G2Rockets]

I am going to guess 13,263'

John

[Mindcrime]

My guess -- 9 ignitors.

[G2Rockets]

My guess -- 9 ignitors.

Buuuuuurrrrrnnnnnn. :hot: I wondered if someone would say that.

[WillMarchant]

So, complements of QuickBurst, we have another little contest for our users...


Three cheers for Dave! :w:

[rocketkyle]

14,050

[thunderrockets]

8,000

[MattieShoes]

12,551 :-)

[MarkM]

11,560 ....

[CharlaineC]

im going to say 13900

[Donaldsrockets]

I'll say 14,239.;)

[sailmike]

My guess is 13,237.6875'.

[Pantherjon]

I am going to say 13,750' and 4 ignitors..:p

[blackjack2564]

Some very pertinent questions that must be addressed before a qualified scientific estimate for altitude can be ciphered:


Well which motor are you flying? The M-1850 GG or the M-1890 R? I see reference to both. [hmmm... red or green. some kind of Xmas fetish?]

Will the launch device be a rod, rail, chimney, old piece of gutter?
Or will you simple stand the rocket on the ground Wildman fashion for less drag resistance?

Will there be an on-board flotation device in case of water landing? Or do we just deduct the depth of water from altitude?

Will altitude be adjusted for "horizontal travel" in case you launch in the proverbial "Argonia Doldrums" which can approach gale force 5?

Or do we include the total distance of a "cruise missile" rainbow arch which you are famous for?

And do you have a ready for pad sans motor weight yet? I could not find that. With all the extra nuts and bolts & gallons of epoxy, I can't even begin guess ! Need hard data.LOL!

Is it safe to assume there will be no "last minute" strap on boosters?

In case you forget to attach the quicklinks,and the fin can passes the payload, do we still go with the payload because it contains the altimeter, or can we add the estimated "added" altitude of the fincan?

Will you be adding anything to the payload for "luck" such as a lightning rod, boat anchor, anvil, case of beer, small child or pet? If so, weight of items needed.
Don't forget to include added weight if child or pet is to be fed right before launch and whether beer is Lite or regular!

Until the required, highly sensitive data is supplied :at this point I can only guess 12ft....distance of Nose cone from the ground when vertical on the selected "launch device".
You'll probably forget to hook up the igniter.:roll:
Or put the motor in. :confused2:


Ps Iv'e built 2 more large projects. Maybe we should add to the contest: How many L-3 capable rockets will Jim build before Kevin finishes/launches his.

[Gillard]

12,350 feet

[compass1]

11,230:wave::wave::wave:

[troj]

Well which motor are you flying? The M-1850 GG or the M-1890 R? I see reference to both. [hmmm... red or green. some kind of Xmas fetish?]

The M1890R; that's what is listed as the final motor.


Will the launch device be a rod, rail, chimney, old piece of gutter?
Or will you simple stand the rocket on the ground Wildman fashion for less drag resistance?

Actually, Tim offered to strap a rail to your back and you have stand out there....


Will there be an on-board flotation device in case of water landing? Or do we just deduct the depth of water from altitude?

Water? In Argonia?! Does it even rain there????


Will altitude be adjusted for "horizontal travel" in case you launch in the proverbial "Argonia Doldrums" which can approach gale force 5?

Wind, unless recorded by the altimeter, will be ignored. As will any hot air generated by the LCO or Launch Director.


Or do we include the total distance of a "cruise missile" rainbow arch which you are famous for?

I've only done that once....


And do you have a ready for pad sans motor weight yet? I could not find that. With all the extra nuts and bolts & gallons of epoxy, I can't even begin guess ! Need hard data.LOL!

Nope, I don't.


Is it safe to assume there will be no "last minute" strap on boosters?

No strap-ons, of the booster, or any other sort.


In case you forget to attach the quicklinks,and the fin can passes the payload, do we still go with the payload because it contains the altimeter, or can we add the estimated "added" altitude of the fincan?

The altimeters rule the show.


Will you be adding anything to the payload for "luck" such as a lightning rod, boat anchor, anvil, case of beer, small child or pet? If so, weight of items needed.

No. The neighbors don't let me near their dog anymore...


Ps Iv'e built 2 more large projects. Maybe we should add to the contest: How many L-3 capable rockets will Jim build before Kevin finishes/launches his.

What's the prize, Jim? I'm all for more contests for the membership!

-Kevin

[sylvie369]

13209 feet.

And I notice you have two people who have guessed 12345. Is there a tie-breaker, or two prizes? Or will one of those people need to change his guess?

[troj]

And I notice you have two people who have guessed 12345. Is there a tie-breaker, or two prizes? Or will one of those people need to change his guess?

The second one doesn't count. From the rules I initially posted:


How do you enter? Post your prediction to this thread. If two people post the same number, the first post gets that number, and the second must pick a new number.

-Kevin

[nxj]

12,755

[ScrapDaddy]

10' AGL :dark:
Remember, you cant go over :roll:

[Rocketeer Gator]

13,512' unless the neighbors dog disappears 13,511'
GL with LVL 3 will be doing my LVL 1 same weekend.:cool:

[brianc]

11,200 feet.

[cbrarick]

I'm willing to bet it weighs a ton! the real question will be "will it land-shark?" the thrust to weight ratio would be good to have. if it goes up straight, 9500 feet....

I'm betting Crazy Jim builds 3 more M-capable rockets before he flys in sept.

[SwingWing]

9,999 ft

[hognutz63]

9876'

Eric

[terryg]

9713

[Marsman]

13,000 flat

[gdiscenza]

11,294

G.D.

[jdud]

9,453 ft.

JBD

[JDcluster]

13,155ft



JD

[bandman444]

12,467

[Scott Evil]

Alright Kevin, I'm in.

00,000 feet! (an old firmware joke) :bangpan:

[berlinetta]

My guess is 13,522 feet. :confused2:

[MrGneissGuy]

10,007.5

[Scotty Dog]

12,749' Scotty Dog

[kramer714]

00,000 feet (Old Copperhead Joke)

[Mikus]

10' AGL :dark:

Ooh, that's evil. ;)

13,382

[Gillard]

And I notice you have two people who have guessed 12345. Is there a tie-breaker, or two prizes? Or will one of those people need to change his guess?

that was me - sorry , did not check the previous list, i've gone back and added a few feet

[cjp]

13,057 My guess,Good luck.cjp.

[cjp]

13057ft.Good luck,cjp.

[TheAviator]

8250 feet.

[troj]

I made a minor adjustment to the rules -- my RRC2 Mini needs to go in for updated firmware, so I won't be flying it. In its place, I'll be using a G-Wiz HCX.

The only change this causes is that if the MAWD is uncooperative, the official altitude will be from the HCX. The MAWD is still the primary data source.

-Kevin

[Kaycee]

11020

[rcktnut]

GOOD LUCK!!!!! 11,700 ft.

[nukemmcssret]

My extrapulation will be 12,635 FT Hope you certify with your flight. :cheers:

[troj]

Temporarily locking the thread, until after the flight...

I will unlock it again afterwards.

-Kevin

[troj]

In case of a significant failure (motor CATO, airframe failure, etc) there will be no winner. There must be a "fairly nominal" flight -- if there's a recovery system failure, but the altimeters still provide information, then the contest is still on.

Okay, so this clause is being invoked (unfortunately)...

I'll post pics later, but the altimeters are in no condition to provide any sort of data. So, I'm going to figure out another way to award the prize.

That said, the up part was really awesome! The down part, and its result, was pretty awesome, too, just not in the way I would have preferred....

-Kevin

[DM1975]

I was rootin for ya. Such a cool flight too. :(

[DAllen]

The down part, and its result, was pretty awesome, too, just not in the way I would have preferred....


NNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!

:bangpan:

Kevin...you know I (and everyone else who has flown a rocket) feel for ya. Better luck next time.

-Dave

[Peartree]

I heard that you crashed a rocket and I was SOooo hoping that it wasn't this one.

I'm sorry for your loss...

[troj]

I've joined a rather exclusive club -- the folks who've entirely buried a 12' tall rocket. The butt-end was 6" under ground!

I have pictures I'll post once I get home.

-Kevin

[DM1975]

It looked awesome going up though. And with such a clear day I had no problem following it all the way down either. I felt so bad for you when it didn't open up, but then I remembered the ribbing I got when my L2 rocket crashed up in Nebraska and suddenly I felt a lot better... :D

[quickburst]

The pictures sound interesting and I'd love to see them. Hell .... he flight was interesting. Crying shame it didn't work out for you.

I'd be willing to bet the next try is a booming success.

[WillMarchant]

Darn, really sorry to hear that, Kevin! :(

[rcktnut]

Sorry to hear things did not go well. A report on what you know or suspect caused the problem would be appreciated. Iv'e witnessed a few flights with back up DD that went straight up and come straight down with no recovery events.

I could see something "coming loose" with extreme g force flights, but the ones I've seen were "normal", nothing extremely fast. Maybe we could start a separate thread, with others that may have experienced this chiming in.

[Fred22]

Sorry pal. Better luck next time:)
Cheers
Fred

[daveyfire]

Oh man Kevin, that's really no fun... again. Hope the post-mortem goes well.


I've joined a rather exclusive club -- the folks who've entirely buried a 12' tall rocket. The butt-end was 6" under ground!

You, along with Tim Lehr, Dennis LaMothe, the OuR project, and others I'm probably forgetting... that's some good company to be in, at least! I remember someone (Neil Davis, I think) referred to it not as burying a rocket, but "planting a rocket tree" :D

[BsSmith]

Ouch...

How does one go about getting a 12' tall rocket out of the ground? It seems that it would require a very large hole.

[BBrown]

Ouch...

How does one go about getting a 12' tall rocket out of the ground? It seems that it would require a very large hole.

That's easy! You send in the recovery dog! Kevin will have to post the pictures.

[troj]

That's easy! You send in the recovery dog! Kevin will have to post the pictures.

If Payload had made the ride, she could've kicked the recovery out for me!

-Kevin

[Peartree]

Ouch...

How does one go about getting a 12' tall rocket out of the ground? It seems that it would require a very large hole.

At least a part of the answer is that the rocket is no longer 12 feet tall...


(Sorry Kevin) :D

[troj]

At least a part of the answer is that the rocket is no longer 12 feet tall...

Nope, it's not!

The coupler started out life about 4 feet ahead of the rear of the rocket. When last seen, it was about 2 feet ahead of the rear of the rocket....

-Kevin

[sylvie369]

10' AGL :dark:

I guess Will should have gone for 10' BGL.

[cjl]

Oh man Kevin, that's really no fun... again. Hope the post-mortem goes well.



You, along with Tim Lehr, Dennis LaMothe, the OuR project, and others I'm probably forgetting... that's some good company to be in, at least! I remember someone (Neil Davis, I think) referred to it not as burying a rocket, but "planting a rocket tree" :D

Sean Serell did it on his 2nd L3 attempt too (granted, this one only started around 7 feet tall):

http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy357/sserell/IMG_5365.jpg

Oh, and I'm really sorry about the rocket Kevin. It was a beautiful boost, and I just felt almost sick watching it coming in. Your next attempt (when you get around to it) will work perfectly, I'm sure.

[Fred22]

Sean Serell did it on his 2nd L3 attempt too (granted, this one only started around 7 feet tall):

http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy357/sserell/IMG_5365.jpg

Oh, and I'm really sorry about the rocket Kevin. It was a beautiful boost, and I just felt almost sick watching it coming in. Your next attempt (when you get around to it) will work perfectly, I'm sure.

OMG:eyepop: That is the most amazing lawn dart I have ever seen.
Cheers
fred

[cbrarick]

Sorry to see the lawn dart! Do you know what happened? Do you have any pictures of the "up" part?

[troj]

BTW, if you didn't see them, there are pictures starting about midway down this page (http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=11427&page=7).

Leading candidate is that while the ejection charges were ground-tested, in flight with aerodynamic forces on the nose, they were insufficient.

But, we have no evidence as to whether the charges fired, or not -- they were too far buried, and we couldn't reach them.

-Kevin

[Mindcrime]

I know I am disqualified to win the prize. It lit on the first ignitor!! Maybe not a good thing :(

[troj]

I know I am disqualified to win the prize. It lit on the first ignitor!! Maybe not a good thing :(

When I took Smemo's Folly out to the pad, I stopped and told Bob I had grabbed a spare igniter or two....then pulled out a bag with about a dozen igniters in it.

Lit the first time. :)

-Kevin

[Adrian A]

I was sorry to hear about that, too. Kevin really took it well. That was a very impressive hole.

[MaxQ]

Well damn.

You know, Kevin, for whatever reason....I have to confess I thought you were already a L3.

So, if it makes you feel any better, you're a Level 3 in my mind.

Look at the bright side, you may have the lead position in the "how dep can you go?" contest.