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Not sure what the record is widest successful Gap Staging, I've done 36, now mixed results on 48"
Anybody know of successful gap over 36 inches?
Rocket is the TooTall.
Booster is a just over 48" tall (48" plus the length of the D engine.) BT-50.
Has an internal "chimney" made up of lengths of BT-20, this "guides" the flaming gas from the D12-0 up to the sustainer, which is BT-50 with BT-20 engine mount.
You can see on the sustainer a "guide" (kind of a short launch rod) that helps keep the sustainer in place while on the pad (wind tends to knock it around, loosens the nested engine which connects the sustainer and booster.)
I think you can convincing hear the upper stage ignite, I could see the smoke although didn't catch it on video. Severe Weather cocking (I think I overcompensated on the booster fins.) Had a light breeze (weather report 6 mph gusts to 8), aimed slightly into wind (should have gone straight up.) Never saw the booster after I saw the smoke.
My audio on the video is INCORRECT on two counts. First, when I didn't see the chute come out on the booster, I assumed a failure of the two engine cluster. The pod is a "chute pod" which holds an A8-3, main function is simply to deploy the chute. When I recovered the booster, both the D12 (obviously) AND the A8-3 fired, the shock cord apparently broke (weird, its Kevlar) and the nose cone and chute were just gone.
Second error on audio, the sustainer was on a Quest A6-4. Probably should have gone with a 1/2A estes Engine, although given rocket was almost out of site and traveling nearly horizontal at staging, not sure would have made any difference.
Searched the area, never found the sustainer OR the booster nose cone and chute.
Anyway, I guess I had "success" in that it did successfully stage.
[video]https://youtu.be/y6BkT7ZYsn4[/video]
Anybody know of successful gap over 36 inches?
Rocket is the TooTall.
Booster is a just over 48" tall (48" plus the length of the D engine.) BT-50.
Has an internal "chimney" made up of lengths of BT-20, this "guides" the flaming gas from the D12-0 up to the sustainer, which is BT-50 with BT-20 engine mount.
You can see on the sustainer a "guide" (kind of a short launch rod) that helps keep the sustainer in place while on the pad (wind tends to knock it around, loosens the nested engine which connects the sustainer and booster.)
I think you can convincing hear the upper stage ignite, I could see the smoke although didn't catch it on video. Severe Weather cocking (I think I overcompensated on the booster fins.) Had a light breeze (weather report 6 mph gusts to 8), aimed slightly into wind (should have gone straight up.) Never saw the booster after I saw the smoke.
My audio on the video is INCORRECT on two counts. First, when I didn't see the chute come out on the booster, I assumed a failure of the two engine cluster. The pod is a "chute pod" which holds an A8-3, main function is simply to deploy the chute. When I recovered the booster, both the D12 (obviously) AND the A8-3 fired, the shock cord apparently broke (weird, its Kevlar) and the nose cone and chute were just gone.
Second error on audio, the sustainer was on a Quest A6-4. Probably should have gone with a 1/2A estes Engine, although given rocket was almost out of site and traveling nearly horizontal at staging, not sure would have made any difference.
Searched the area, never found the sustainer OR the booster nose cone and chute.
Anyway, I guess I had "success" in that it did successfully stage.
[video]https://youtu.be/y6BkT7ZYsn4[/video]
