Largest Motor

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RocketNerd

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Can someone post a video or guide me in the direction of the largest motor ever fired in a model rocket? So far i can only find as high as Q.
 

Actually, G...


He got you on a technicality... You did specify 'model rocket', not 'high powered rocket'

Once you hit anything H or above, in general, it's considered 'high power', though there are motors smaller than H that are still classified as HP motors.
 
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Really... i have to specify? what is this rocket science lol. I thought me saying the highest iv seen is Q that might indicate something..
yes high powered rocketry..
 
Really... i have to specify? what is this rocket science lol. I thought me saying the highest iv seen is Q that might indicate something..
yes high powered rocketry..

Ok, fair enough :)

Yes, I believe you are correct, and to the best of my (limited) knowledge, a 150mm case is the largest commercially available, but the 98mm seems to be used more often.

My puny little 29mm motors probably wouldn't even 'light' that size!

I like digging through the Wildman site, and wishing I had deeper pockets lol

I can NOT imagine spending $3100 on -one- reload, and that's (only) an O motor. Looks like the matching case is $4800?!

In....sane!
 
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[video=youtube;GF1puP-d_vc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF1puP-d_vc[/video]
 
CTI "S" motor in the Go Fast rocket.

Largest I know of in amateur high power. But the ones who built & flew it were hardly a amateurs. I think the motor cost was 55,000.00
If memory serves....it went 364,000 ft. So they "officially" hit space.
 
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CTI "S" motor in the Go Fast rocket.

Largest I know of in amateur high power. But the ones who built & flew it were hardly a amateurs. I think the motor cost was 55,000.00
If memory serves....it went 364,000 ft. So they "officially" hit space.

If -anybody- would know, this guy would! They don't call him Crazy Jim for nothin!
 
Biggest Cato... Stratospheric Dreams, Mike Ward. "S" motor, catoed instantly. That was today's history lesson, now back to your regularly scheduled thread.
 
I can NOT imagine spending $3100 on -one- reload, and that's (only) an O motor. Looks like the matching case is $4800?!

In....sane!

I am not sure how it worked, but I believe CTI had a Loaner Case Program for the 150mm, they would ship the case to you, you flew the rocket, cleaned the case and shipped it back in the wooden crate it came in (assuming everything went well!) alternatively, you could "Buy" the case of course!
 
thats why i said model rocket.. but people got confused..

People "got confused" (I suspect more like were messing with you) because you specified model rocket. This aspect of things isn't rocket science, but this is still largely a group of science-minded, analytical folks. You used a term with a specific meaning, thus people felt obliged to reply to the letter of that meaning. Yes, the spirit of your query was rather obvious (I thought), but like I said, you specifically said "model". Please understand that within this community, that term does have a narrow interpretation, and a different term is what is applicable to the nature of the question (high-power rocket).

I suspect that you suspect - or know - this already, but aren't really concerned about the nuance differences. That's fine as far as I'm concerned, but keep in mind that the average member of this community does care about the differences, and that is what drives the response you see...
 
is there a video of this somewhere? I looked, but couldn't find anything

This was on one of Earl Cagle's Point 39 Production video's which I have but is on VHS... I think it was a combo LDRS/BALLS event in Black Rocket in the mid 90's. There may be other videos floating around but Jim is right, it instantly CATO'd :(.
 
Here is a link to the OuR project published in HPR magazine back in July of 97. Not sure exactly when the flight was but this was Jim Rosson, Chuck Rogers, and Phil Prior (and others whom I apologize to for not remembering) actually got off the pad on an "R" motor by Frank Kosdon and hitting 94,000' AGL. Quite a feat back then to say the least. Phil loaned me a copy of the transmitted video one time and it was pretty impressive.

Like the previously mentioned "S" rocket this too had issues but this one was on the recovery and the project was not recovered except for some small pieces of evidence that proved they were digging in the right place.

Phil asked me if I was interested in painting it and i gladly agreed bur somewhere along the line it was discovered that if the aluminum airframe was painted it would make assembly at the launch site difficult somehow so you will notice the shiny aluminum airframe in the photos. This is the biggest project that I was ever ALMOST a part of. ;)

While not the largest high power rocket I believe this does deserve an honorable mention. These were Tripoli members doing this as a "push the envelope" project on the side.

https://www.rasaero.com/dl_technical_reports.htm
 
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On a tangent, I personally think it is silly to designate a rocket a "model rocket" based on its motor. To me, a model is a small-scale version of something bigger. By my definition, a model rocket would be any smaller-scale rocket based on something bigger, like a Nike Smoke, Black Brant, Arcas, etc. A 50% scale Patriot is still a model, whereas an Asteroid Hunter is not.

I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. I'm just saying that we use the term "model" somewhat abnormally. I prefer sticking with LPR, MPR and HPR.
 
Here is a link to the OuR project published in HPR magazine back in July of 97. Not sure exactly when the flight was but this was Jim Rosson, Chuck Rogers, and Phil Prior (and others whom I apologize to for not remembering) actually got off the pad on an "R" motor by Frank Kosdon and hitting 94,000' AGL. Quite a feat back then to say the least. Phil loaned me a copy of the transmitted video one time and it was pretty impressive.

Like the previously mentioned "S" rocket this too had issues but this one was on the recovery and the project was not recovered except for some small pieces of evidence that proved they were digging in the right place.

Phil asked me if I was interested in painting it and i gladly agreed bur somewhere along the line it was discovered that if the aluminum airframe was painted it would make assembly at the launch site difficult somehow so you will notice the shiny aluminum airframe in the photos. This is the biggest project that I was ever ALMOST a part of. ;)

While not the largest high power rocket I believe this does deserve an honorable mention. These were Tripoli members doing this as a "push the envelope" project on the side.

https://www.rasaero.com/dl_technical_reports.htm

The OuR project also included Paul Robinson (AMW founder, RIP) and Ken Mizoi (formerly with AMW and the NARAM2000 contest director). With Jim Rosson, they were "Kosdon East" at the time and soon formed Animal Motor Works. (AMW later partnered with CTI before Paul's passing, and is now owned by Robert DeHate and Gloria Robinson, Paul's sister).

No recovery on the R motor. They even rented a back hoe, dug a deep hole and gave up.

Many people don't consider the CSXT 'S' or even the Quake 'Q' as amateur. They were both commercially funded and had at least one team member that had been paid in the past for motor work. Likewise with the OuR project (Kosdon). They also include a big team to pull off something like that.

My largest is a P10000. Hardware and propellant made by one person (me). It was the first stage of Robert DeHate's two stager (to an N), on one of his 3 attempts. Full recovery, but just short of the 100Kft Carmack prize. Liftoff photo here.
 
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What about some of the projects at RRS

Those guys scare me. I was out recovering a rocket in the desert, and they were flying homemade propellants in darts with no recovery what so ever, in my direction. I hope they have since learned that there are recovery methods other than ballistic.
 
The OuR project also included Paul Robinson (AMW founder, RIP) and Ken Mizoi (formerly with AMW and the NARAM2000 contest director). With Jim Rosson, they were "Kosdon East" at the time and soon formed Animal Motor Works. (AMW later partnered with CTI before Paul's passing, and is now owned by Robert DeHate and Gloria Robinson, Paul's sister).

No recovery on the R motor. They even rented a back hoe, dug a deep hole and gave up.

Many people don't consider the CSXT 'S' or even the Quake 'Q' as amateur. They were both commercially funded and had at least one team member that had been paid in the past for motor work. Likewise with the OuR project (Kosdon). They also include a big team to pull off something like that.

My largest is a P10000. Hardware and propellant made by one person (me). It was the first stage of Robert DeHate's two stager (to an N), on one of his 3 attempts. Full recovery, but just short of the 100Kft Carmack prize. Liftoff photo here.

Wow, thanks for sharing. That liftoff picture is fantastic!
 
Liquid might be out of our range but it is still a "model " rocket
 
There was also at least one R10000 hybrid. [video=youtube;SPkw9-GnOT8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPkw9-GnOT8[/video]

Gerald
 
A thread with the 2004 CSXT GoFast flight data is here:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?125609-2004-CSXT-GoFast-Flight-Data&highlight=CSXT


Derek Deville authored a tech article on the 2004 CSXT GoFast S Motor in the April 2012 issue of Rockets Magazine. The thrust curve of the S motor based on the flight data was included in the tech article, and is included here.

View attachment 2004 CSXT GoFast S Motor Thrust Curve.pdf


There was also an RRS boosted dart that reached an estimated 50 statute (US) miles altitude (almost into space). A tech article on this project is available as a pdf download on the RASAero web site at the link below. The thrust curve of the motor is included in the tech article. The motor was a full R motor, or a small S motor. The thrust curve is included, and the specific impulse, but the total impulse was not explicitly listed. (I didn't re-read the article and do the math to back it out.)

https://rasaero.com/dloads/RRS 50 Statute Mile Boosted Dart.pdf


Chuck Rogers
Rogers Aeroscience
 
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Ok, fair enough :)

Yes, I believe you are correct, and to the best of my (limited) knowledge, a 150mm case is the largest commercially available, but the 98mm seems to be used more often.

My puny little 29mm motors probably wouldn't even 'light' that size!

I like digging through the Wildman site, and wishing I had deeper pockets lol

I can NOT imagine spending $3100 on -one- reload, and that's (only) an O motor. Looks like the matching case is $4800?!

In....sane!

Always wondered what those upper range motors cost. That's just bonkers..

Like should I go buy a new car today or fly my rocket (that also probably cost thousands to design and make)
 
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