Hi,
Could use some advice here. My friend's daughter (8th grade) is part of a just-formed TARC team at her school. There are only 3 girls in it. To make a long story short: the advisor, a science teacher at the school, has no rocketry experience. All the girls built rockets based on a previous year's design (dunno where that came from), using parts apparently from Apogee. No simulation of any sort was done, no theory was taught. Some very minimal technique was taught, and everything was build with Home Depot epoxy, so presumably some 5 minute variety.
Two rockets were launched so far: one was lost, another crashed. My friend's daughter's rocket was not launched yet, and tonight I had a chance to look it over. Considering the lack of rocketry knowledge that went into it, it's almost flyable, with a few exceptions:
1) Lower half lacks any form of recovery
2) Payload section is not secured shut (either the nose cone or the transition at the bottom)
3) I am hoping to sim it to check stability. The fins are quite small, although it's possible they're fine. I have no idea where CG will be.
4) The rail buttons are secured to the body tubes with a standard nut in the back, rather than a T-nut or anything like that. They felt a little flimsy but I'm not sure if it's OK.
5) The MMT centering rings are foam. Is there a recommended maximum thrust for these (it's a 29mm mount inside BT80) or are they pretty much fine for an F or G motor? They felt pretty flexy to me but that doesn't mean they won't hold. I tend to overbuild anyway.
I have no intention of "fixing" the team or becoming an advisor, just want to help them make sure their rockets are safe and flyable until they learn enough to be able to ensure it on their own. But I have zero TARC experience and almost all my own experience is with LPR, so there are an assortment of techniques here that I certainly know of but have never actually used (e.g. I've never used a rail button before).
My understanding is that for TARC the kids are supposed to do all the work? Exactly where does "advice" end and "work" begin? I figured the least I could do was help them get some OR sims going so they could verify stability and figure out their ejection timing. Also, in case it's not obvious, this is just a learning project; no one will be seriously competing with these rockets. So is it bad if I give them a little hands-on help just for the learning, or should I keep my paws off?
I guess I'm just trying to figure out what I can do that is helpful without "making trouble", as it were. Any advice appreciated.
Could use some advice here. My friend's daughter (8th grade) is part of a just-formed TARC team at her school. There are only 3 girls in it. To make a long story short: the advisor, a science teacher at the school, has no rocketry experience. All the girls built rockets based on a previous year's design (dunno where that came from), using parts apparently from Apogee. No simulation of any sort was done, no theory was taught. Some very minimal technique was taught, and everything was build with Home Depot epoxy, so presumably some 5 minute variety.
Two rockets were launched so far: one was lost, another crashed. My friend's daughter's rocket was not launched yet, and tonight I had a chance to look it over. Considering the lack of rocketry knowledge that went into it, it's almost flyable, with a few exceptions:
1) Lower half lacks any form of recovery
2) Payload section is not secured shut (either the nose cone or the transition at the bottom)
3) I am hoping to sim it to check stability. The fins are quite small, although it's possible they're fine. I have no idea where CG will be.
4) The rail buttons are secured to the body tubes with a standard nut in the back, rather than a T-nut or anything like that. They felt a little flimsy but I'm not sure if it's OK.
5) The MMT centering rings are foam. Is there a recommended maximum thrust for these (it's a 29mm mount inside BT80) or are they pretty much fine for an F or G motor? They felt pretty flexy to me but that doesn't mean they won't hold. I tend to overbuild anyway.
I have no intention of "fixing" the team or becoming an advisor, just want to help them make sure their rockets are safe and flyable until they learn enough to be able to ensure it on their own. But I have zero TARC experience and almost all my own experience is with LPR, so there are an assortment of techniques here that I certainly know of but have never actually used (e.g. I've never used a rail button before).
My understanding is that for TARC the kids are supposed to do all the work? Exactly where does "advice" end and "work" begin? I figured the least I could do was help them get some OR sims going so they could verify stability and figure out their ejection timing. Also, in case it's not obvious, this is just a learning project; no one will be seriously competing with these rockets. So is it bad if I give them a little hands-on help just for the learning, or should I keep my paws off?
I guess I'm just trying to figure out what I can do that is helpful without "making trouble", as it were. Any advice appreciated.