Tripoli Idaho launch 2-26-11

**UPscaler** · 27th February 2011, 03:05 AM

Today was pretty great.

First off the bad news: The darkstar didn't fly, I left the battery connector at home

It was a research launch.

First flight was Dave Hassinger's four inch minimum diameter rocket. Red Baron.

Hawk mountain fiberglass tube, fiberglass cloth, then carbon fiber sock. EX N3200

It takes off, gets about a thousand feet up,starts to get wobbly, when you're wobbly at mach 2, your done. SHRED. The booster section with the motor kept going. Nice and stable

It came in ballistic to be found later. The cause of the wobblyness (this rocket has flown this motor before, it was fine) The graphite nozzle MELTED and caused asymmetrical thrust. It got so hot, there was a large brown burn mark from the inside on the booster section when it was recovered.

Next was his three inch version with the same layup, on an EX Everclear M3000 in a loki case. It took off, got about 400 feet up. BOOM Pieces everywhere. Here's some of the case

So I was next, Dave agreed to let me fly an EX J421 Orange Sunset motor under his name. For size comparison, here is the rocket next to the case.

How's that for being a wildman Jim? (three grains, one full diameter smoke grain. It was smoking when it landed.

)

100% successful, except for the rear railbutton getting ripped off. There was two people out there with video cameras. So I'm hoping to get some footage o it for ya'll. No liftoff picture, the contrast and brightness setting on my camera were screwed up, so the pictures are just white blobs.

Braden

**UPscaler** · 27th February 2011, 03:31 AM

After talking with Jim, it was concluded that the nozzle did not melt, but my asymmetrical thrust hypothesis was most likely the cause.

Braden

**blackjack2564** · 27th February 2011, 03:32 AM

Congratulations on your 1st DD!

Nice Job.

Gee that rocket looks familiar.

Throat looks pretty eroded, maybe keyholed too.

**stickershock23** · 27th February 2011, 03:47 AM

looks like fun Braden.

You got some Cajones, Flying a white rocket with a white parachute in the snow.

**UPscaler** · 27th February 2011, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by blackjack2564

Congratulations on your 1st DD!

Nice Job.

Gee that rocket looks familiar.

Throat looks pretty eroded, maybe keyholed too.

Thanks Jim,
Whoever built this rocket sure is a pro!

After it flew, a friend of mine was out there, we brought it back and i loosened the kaplow clips and grabbed some gloves to pull the motor out. My firend's dad (who is in to rockets, just nothing bigger than a c motor) asked why, I said I'll get burned if I don't wear them. He said, Nah, it's not still hot, here I got it. Grabbed the back end of the case...he then understood why I was wearing the gloves.

What a great flight though.

Here's the altimeter data. Apogee in 16 seconds exactly. Nice! Notice the mach delay there Jim

Braden

**UPscaler** · 27th February 2011, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by stickershock23

looks like fun Braden.

You got some Cajones, Flying a white rocket with a white parachute in the snow.

Ha! Thanks Mark!

I was talking about that with dad a few minutes ago. I'm going to dye it before the next flight. Maybe some bright, obvious color...like orange. Or maybe black, it's hard to miss a black dot in any sort of sky. It's supposed to go quite a bit higher than this flight.

Braden