10" lightweight Atlas Missile

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Here's a crappy screen capture, but the fins really dissappear in the sky, and the graininess actually makes it look like a vintage photo:) Maybe if I spray the upper half with xmas tree flocking it would be even more realistic...

AtlasFlight.jpg
 
Here's a crappy screen capture, but the fins really dissappear in the sky, and the graininess actually makes it look like a vintage photo:) Maybe if I spray the upper half with xmas tree flocking it would be even more realistic...

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It'd be even more convincing flying as a cluster OR adding smoke "bombs" to the other two engines to help simulate them (if that's OK with everyone).

BTW... Frank, if you open your image *AFTER* uploading it and posting, you can right click and copy the URL (in this case https:// .rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=274288&d=1445140151 (removed www part)) then edit the image back into your post, you'll get a full size image like I did above.
 
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I thought it might be interesting to do a parts cost breakdown...not really all that expensive compared to other large rockets....

Item Quantity Cost
29mm Aeropack retainer 1 23
30' 1/8" kevlar line 1 18
12"x 24" 3/32" ply(for cr's and plates) 1 20
6mm Depron sheet 4 33
2mm Depron sheet 3 15
29mmx36" loc motor tube 2 9.5
29mm coupler 1 1.65
3.9" pml coupler 1 4.99
3.9"x13" pml tubing 1 7.22
pair of 3.9-29mm loc cr's 1 8
eye bolts 2 4
washers/screws 8 2
bt-70 1 2
1/4" carbon rod 1 8
rail buttons 2 2
bt-70 balsa coupler(for nose) 1 4
1/16" 12x24" lexan sheet 1 8
magnets 2 0.5
muffler extension 1 2.99
silicone wire 4' 1 6
jst connector with wire 1 1.5
Lead Weight 3oz 1 0.5

Finishing supplies
chrome trim monokote 10 30
silver trim monokote 4 16

Total 227.85

Glues
CA+ foam safe 2 oz
3m-77 spray
JB quick or other epoxy

Things that you may already have or are shareable with other rockets

Altimeter
58" top flite chute
12x12 nomex blanketx2
 
Frank, sweet rocket and awesome flight. Thanks for driving out to the Sod Farm. It was a gorgeous day for launching rockets!
 
Here are some better screen captures of the flight, on the way home we stopped at the Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil bed area, was really neat to see.

Frank

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This also marked the 30th flight on my Altus Metrum easy mini altimeter without an issue. This is a really small unit that works off of a 1v lithium cell. I've been using quest q2g2's without issue.


In case anyone is interested this is how I do my recovery/deployment.

On my heavier 20# plus birds I'm using 3 grams bp in a 7.5"x14-16" compartment with little unpacked area. I use the same charge on the backup main+1second setting. I pack the charges in the corner of a zip lock back, then zip tie it and masking tape the zip tied end to keep any bp from spilling. I don't run motor deployment or back up any more as I've had too many issues. For the 38mm's I use a solid forward closure, on the 29 I use a plugged closure that is filled with jb weld.

For my wiring, I'm using jst connectors to connect the silicone wire to the altimeter pod. The silicone wire that has a solder blob on the ends. I then wrap several turns of the q2g2 wire around below the solder blob and heat shrink it in place. The solder blob keeps the wire from pulling off and helps make contact. The heat shrink helps too.

I then poke the q2g2 into the black powder baggie and masking tape it in place.

For my foam rockets with 4" parachute bay, not much of that space is unpacked, but I'm using 1.5 grams of bp and so far I'm not running backup charges on them and just use peak deployment of the main.

I've been using top flite chutes, crossfire for my larger rockets and recover them in two pieces to keep the heavy pieces from slamming into each other.
For the foam rockets I've been using the top flite standard chutes and folding them the way they say in their web site, with pleats organized, folded over, shroud lines layed inside, then a zfold and wrap with nomex.

I'll run two nomex blankets, one folded over double on top of the charge, then the kevlar line on top of that, then a second kevlar blanket wrapped around the chutes.

The one flight that did not deploy fully last month I did not use the z fold and for some reason my shroud lines twisted so much during tumble that there was no way for air to get into the chute and inflate it. But other than that I've had 39/40 success in the last few years.

Frank
 
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Was doing a demo launch of some rc rocket gliders for a local school STEM program, and on the way home stopped by the evergreen aviation museum, in additio to giving me some titan II mojo, I got these pics of an atlas booster motor, and vernier.
Also received another shot of my Son and I before the Atlas Launch.

Frank

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Was doing a demo launch of some rc rocket gliders for a local school STEM program, and on the way home stopped by the evergreen aviation museum, in additio to giving me some titan II mojo, I got these pics of an atlas booster motor, and vernier.
Also received another shot of my Son and I before the Atlas Launch.

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Frank

Kinda looks like you're launching a tubular mirror.
 
Here's the flight from today in Tri-cities on an I-200W motor, on recover the body was falling slower than the nose section, when it finally caught up it gave enough of a tug to pop the chute open. It's a great motor for this rocket, interesting all the smoke clung around the base on the way up.

[video=youtube_share;ONQ23XAHHqY]https://youtu.be/ONQ23XAHHqY[/video]
 
Cool add-on with the vernier flames! Such a cool project. Put some motors in the outboards and make it look really really realistic!
 
Ah, outboard motors, tail weight, the bane of lightweight rockets:) i'm sure they would look good, but any ounce in the tail means an ounce in the nose, then I start needing a larger chute, etc....and of course the extra weight of the motor tubes, and centering ring enlargement...Just to use G or F motors would add 10-12 oz to the total weight....

The vernier flames came to me when I mounted the clear fins, they were right about where the verniers would have been anyway.....

Frank
 
I didn't read through all 110 responses (yet!) but did I read correctly your final weight was 78.5 ...ounces?
 
Thanks very much, I'm looking forward to our September launch which will be on a farm with a non sagebrush recovery area that will allow me to fly them all including at least one more flight of my RC Titan II/Dynasoar stack.

I really like what you are doing on the mercury redstone with a built up structure, I'd like to see more of that technique applied to large rockets.
 
Had a great flight this weekend on a DMS I-205 motor, I've switched to a rocketman 48" chute and deployment bag which allows easier packing, and due to the bag an four shroud lines seems to have gotten rid of any tangle issues I've had with standard chutes wrapped in nomex blankets.

[video=youtube;sOqwPIV6C78]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOqwPIV6C78[/video]
 
Had a great flight this weekend on a DMS I-205 motor, I've switched to a rocketman 48" chute and deployment bag which allows easier packing, and due to the bag an four shroud lines seems to have gotten rid of any tangle issues I've had with standard chutes wrapped in nomex blankets.

[video=youtube;sOqwPIV6C78]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOqwPIV6C78[/video]

Cool, as usual!
 
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