Apogee Aspire Shooting For A Mile

This is gonna be great... So i went to apogee today to pick up some bodytubes and an aspire... ive had good luck with my 18mm and 24mm mindi scratch builds but for an mpr mindi i wantrd to go with a kit for my first mindi mpr... i understand the chances of getting this rocket back are slim to none... but i think this will be fun...

I have a couple nose cones for the Aspire if interested?

AfterBurners said:

I have a couple nose cones for the Aspire if interested?

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My understanding is you dont loose the nose cone... but you will probably loose the rocket its self... something about the gods not liking the taste of it?

Wayco said:

Wish I could just drop into Apogee.
We are trying to fit in a visit when we do the NAR sport launch.
It's easy to fly the aspire a mile high with the F10 motor.
The hard part is deciding to put an altimeter in a rocket you may never see again.

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It is nice to just "drop on in" especially being able to talk to tim and ask him any questions i may have... like today... "do i just tape the motor like b...." just tape it... you probably wont see the rocket again so dont worry about spending money on a retainer" good fella there...

Im going for both supersonic and a mile... my plan is to launch it without an altimeter first then if i get it back ill load an altimeter... so we will see...

I do plan on painting this a flouressant color and using plenty of tracking powder...

so it has take a little less then an hour to build so far thanks to 5 minute epoxy... there really isn't much to show for the build...

Parts pic



Airfoiling the fins



Assembled...




I still need to attach the launch lug and kevlar....also still need to paper or seal the fins... probably going to skip the papering and just seal it...

The papering is what gives it strength to to break mach, if you ever decide to put a G motor in it.

Alex

Aksrockets said:

The papering is what gives it strength to to break mach, if you ever decide to put a G motor in it.

Alex

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Looks like the fins weren't papered???

Aksrockets said:

The papering is what gives it strength to to break mach, if you ever decide to put a G motor in it.

Alex

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Is it still possible to paper them even if they are attached. .

Bubba02STi said:

Is it still possible to paper them even if they are attached. .

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I never tried it that way...interesting

AfterBurners said:

I never tried it that way...interesting

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well i went a head and did it anyway... i hadn't done the fillets yet so heres to hoping...

Bubba02STi said:

well i went a head and did it anyway... i hadn't done the fillets yet so heres to hoping...

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New way to try it ya know. I just think it would harder to manipulate a whole then just one fin at a time.

AfterBurners said:

New way to try it ya know. I just think it would harder to manipulate a whole then just one fin at a time.

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it wasn't that hard at all... but then again this isn't that big of a rocket and only 19mm

ive got primer down... need to sand... i went a little overboard on the epoxy fillets but im not going to worry too much about that... figure this rocket will end up going to the gods

Bubba02STi said:

ive got primer down... need to sand... i went a little overboard on the epoxy fillets but im not going to worry too much about that... figure this rocket will end up going to the gods

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Good point. I just started on mine today. Actually I'm going to build (2) I need to sand the airfoils and paper the fins and then place an order with Apogee for the body tubes and couplers.

Herein lies the problem with the Aspire/F10/1 mile. If you want measurement data to prove a mile, then you need an altimeter. To improve the odds of getting your rocket and altimeter back, then you need a tracker. Now you have more money invested, need a bigger motor, and need a more sturdy vehicle to carry your payloads to confirm your goal. My one mile attempt turned into a LOC Vulcanite, dual payload bays, a couple hundred bucks in electronics, and an I216 motor, but I got it back and confirmed the altitude!

Maybe some skilled theodolite operators can measure your altitude on a perfect day, but Joe Sixpack rocketeer usually has to rely on electronics.

Buckeye said:

Herein lies the problem with the Aspire/F10/1 mile. If you want measurement data to prove a mile, then you need an altimeter. To improve the odds of getting your rocket and altimeter back, then you need a tracker. Now you have more money invested, need a bigger motor, and need a more sturdy vehicle to carry your payloads to confirm your goal. My one mile attempt turned into a LOC Vulcanite, dual payload bays, a couple hundred bucks in electronics, and an I216 motor, but I got it back and confirmed the altitude!

Maybe some skilled theodolite operators can measure your altitude on a perfect day, but Joe Sixpack rocketeer usually has to rely on electronics.

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Valid points...I'm just going let mine rip and take my chances. Not out to prove a mile, but if I do get it back I'll send it up again if flyable with key chain camera or use the second the one for that.

AfterBurners said:

Valid points...I'm just going let mine rip and take my chances. Not out to prove a mile, but if I do get it back I'll send it up again if flyable with key chain camera or use the second the one for that.

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Pretty much the way i am going too... im also doing what ever i can to try and get the rocket back... painting it floressant colors... will be adding quite a bit of chalk (not too much but hopefully enough) and launching on the stillest of days... and hopefully she will come back... if she does then maybe ill send it up with an altimeter... possibly the estes one since it seems to be the cheapest... im not trying to prove a mile... i more trying to prove to myself that i can build an mpr high flying rocket that will hopefully come home before i start on my level 1

Bubba02STi said:

Pretty much the way i am going too... im also doing what ever i can to try and get the rocket back... painting it floressant colors... will be adding quite a bit of chalk (not too much but hopefully enough) and launching on the stillest of days... and hopefully she will come back... if she does then maybe ill send it up with an altimeter... possibly the estes one since it seems to be the cheapest... im not trying to prove a mile... i more trying to prove to myself that i can build an mpr high flying rocket that will hopefully come home before i start on my level 1

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Hey man!

You should come fly with us on the 2nd! We are good at finding small fast rockets And I hope to fly my first dual deploy and first K motor! A K 1200!! I am a little nervous, it would be awesome if you could make it.

RocketRob said:

Hey man!

You should come fly with us on the 2nd! We are good at finding small fast rockets And I hope to fly my first dual deploy and first K motor! A K 1200!! I am a little nervous, it would be awesome if you could make it.

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i plan on coming down but it all depends on my schedule and if i can make it or not...still a little far out to tell

side note... i wasn't happy with the paint so it looks like i will be sanding it down and repainting it...

I am building a modified Aspire scratch built, will be ready by then also.

You don't need an altimeter to prove this rocket goes a mile. Just watch it.

If you've seen one fly you know it goes at least a mile. If you haven't seen one fly, I guarantee you've never seen anything like it.

The F10 burns for almost 8 seconds. There are a very few hi-power motors that burn as long, but it is not until you get up in the M and N range that motors burn substantially longer than Apogee's end-burning F10. An Aspire on an F10 is a thing of beauty. And, although you papered the fins and used epoxy fillets, to fly on an F10 you don't really need to. White glue and unreinforced fins will work just fine.

Have a great time flying it.

Ahhh yeah, I freaking love the Aspire. 2 years ago, the Aspire was my re-introduction into hobby rocketry. Gorgeous kit, and a real performer. I have a few tips:

• Get the Bob Smith Industries super-thin (watery) super glue, and saturate both the ends of the tubes (and the coupler tubes) and the spiral grooves. Just drip a tiny bit onto the paper and watch it soak in and creep outward. It stiffens up the tube considerably, and makes it last a lot longer in use. Be careful, though; when i did it to mine, I glues my hand to the tube 8" away from where I dribbled supper glue because it crept all the way down the tube in the spiral groove. Capillary action is amazing!
• Use tons of wadding. The mid-power composite motors have tons of BP, and it'll rip the chock cord right out of the mount and burn up the chute unless you damp it out with lots of wadding.
• Finally, check out this: https://www.apogeerockets.com/Electronics_Payloads/Altimeters/TeleMini_Dual_Deployment_Altimeter It's a teensy-tiny altimeter and radio tracker. I wouldn't bother using it for dual deploy; but you'll have much better luck with recovering the rocket (meaning it'll be actually possible to recover the rocket, lol) if there's a tracker in the nose. The downside is that even at this tiny size, I'm not sure it'll still hit 5280'.

Needs the sticker and i might put a clear coat on it... all i need to do is attach the shock cord and streamer and she is flight ready

Use a streamer for recovery and you stand a better chance to get it back. I think Apogee sells mylar streamer material 3"-4" wide by 5'. Tape a couple of them end to end and the mylar reflects the sun so its easier to track. I had a Quest rocket that was 1.325" in diameter, very light and similar to the Aspire that went to 3850' on an F10. It was easy to follow all the way up , but I launch in the desert where its pretty easy to see flights. Try to launch on a clear sunny day with Low humidity as rockets are easier to track in such conditions. If you have a couple of trackers a few hundred feet away from the launch they should be able to see the whole flight.
Daniel

DanFrank said:

Use a streamer for recovery and you stand a better chance to get it back. I think Apogee sells mylar streamer material 3"-4" wide by 5'. Tape a couple of them end to end and the mylar reflects the sun so its easier to track. I had a Quest rocket that was 1.325" in diameter, very light and similar to the Aspire that went to 3850' on an F10. It was easy to follow all the way up , but I launch in the desert where its pretty easy to see flights. Try to launch on a clear sunny day with Low humidity as rockets are easier to track in such conditions. If you have a couple of trackers a few hundred feet away from the launch they should be able to see the whole flight.
Daniel

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The kit did come with a big streamer... ill probably take up your advice and attach another piece... and i do plan on launching this with the aid of spotters... thanks for the tips bud

Gus said:

You don't need an altimeter to prove this rocket goes a mile. Just watch it.

If you've seen one fly you know it goes at least a mile..

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Wow. You have a better eye than me, Superman. I would think that it would be very hard to tell the difference between 4000, 5000, or 6000 ft on a rocket this small with just the naked eye. I like the data to prove it. That's just me.

Buckeye said:

Wow. You have a better eye than me, Superman. I would think that it would be very hard to tell the difference between 4000, 5000, or 6000 ft on a rocket this small with just the naked eye. I like the data to prove it. That's just me.

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Actually I think it would be almost impossible to even see a rocket that size at 4000, 5000, or 6000 feet. Especially with 50+ year old eyes.

Handeman said:

Actually I think it would be almost impossible to even see a rocket that size at 4000, 5000, or 6000 feet. Especially with 50+ year old eyes.

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I agree, but I will give Gus some benefit of the doubt that he can actually see the damn thing. The precision of the naked eye is then the next question.