Apollo Capsule Pad Abort Test Vehicle.

As you guys can tell from the video, the bottom is really important too.

nice work sandman! that is a beauty!

Beautiful, guy!

You know, it just occured to me that for the underside of the capsule (if you can find the right size), a Frisbee may make the perfect heat shield...

Frisbee may make the perfect heat shield...

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At 1/10th scale who makes a 15.6' frisbee?

I was thinking more of the clear plastic vacu-formed packaging. Blister pack plastic I think it's called.

Much lighter and STRONG!

Ever tried to tear that stuff?

The plastic is available in sheets. You would have to make a form (wood will work) and a frame to hold the plastic.

The plastic could be heated (yer gonna need to use the broiler in a BIG oven) then the frame with plastic would then be quickly "pulled' down over the form.

It should work.

Finally finished my non-boilerplate Pad Abort 1. I entered it in the Michigan Spacemodeling Championship event held this weekend. I don't know how the competition turned out but thought I'd share these pics of the flight.

I built a scale launch stand which I launched from (which unbeknownst to me earns no mission points, but did add incredibly to the coolness factor ) and recovered on 3 parachutes (which I also didn't understand would earn me no mission points but instead just added ridiculously to the likely-to-fail-factor. ). Nonetheless, it all went perfectly.

To be honest, the competition was way less important than successfully launching this difficult project in front of people who could really understand what was involved in its creation. That it impressed people I really like and whose rocketry knowledge and skills I so respect was the true highlight of the weekend.

Landing photo. Note the three chutes. I should note that I upgraded my model to 24mm after my 18mm boilerplate came so close to crashing, so there was plenty of time for deployment.

Gus,

That's just too awesome for words! Incredible. Congratulations!

Drew

As an eyewitness to the flight, I can say that the pictures DO NOT do the flight justice. The flight was the most impressive flight of the weekend. Gus was videotaping the launch, so *I* got to press the launch button!

Simply incredible. I love it!

one word - WOW!!

That is sweet!!

Id love to see a video of that!!

Originally posted by sheri
Id love to see a video of that!!

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Unfortunately the video didn't turn out so well since the Pad Abort flew right over my head and the sun took out the middle portion of the flight. The best position for video of the PA is to have it go directly away from you so you can see all four plumes and follow the roll pattern on the bottom. Unfortunately there was no way to tell which way the PA would head, and it went 180 degrees from what would have been optimal. Now I know that it headed towards the solid black bar on the capsule, at least on this flight, so I should get better video next time.

Anyway, I did post a slow motion snippet of the liftoff to the Gus Theatre.

Some photo comparisons of the PA-1 model and the actual item.

Current photos were taken at the Michigan Spacemodeling Championships by Andy Tomasch.

First up, prepping the rocket.

Next, comparison of static PA-1s on their launch platforms.

Liftoff!

Note the flame angles.

Recovery.

Note the great NASA photo which caught the three ring-sail parachutes opening and the tower on its way to its destruction.

absolutley FANTASTIC!! that's gotta be the coolest thing I have seen on TRF in my 3 years of visiting the forum.

very very impressive!!!

Does anyone know why Gus would't get mission points for using three parachutes?

The real one did.

I am currently working on the two new models (Pad Abort 1 for Gus and Pad Abort 2 for me)

The are being made entirely of foam and will be fiberglassed with 0.75 oz/yard glass cloth and then the foam will be removed.

They will both be the smaller 1/11.7th scale using a BT-70 as the escape motor body.

The upright will be carbon fiber arrow shafts (0.30") scale calls for 0.2991". That's as close as we can get.

I have the foam parts sorta finished.

I have to do some cleaning (what a mess foam makes!) and remeasuring before I put the lathe away.

I just have to wait for my 0.75 oz/yard cloth to arrive.

Let me clean up...then I'll post some pictures.

Thin glass there

Both 24mm this time?

Both 24mm this time?

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Yes 4 x 24mm each.

That seems to be the "best" combination.

The smaller 1/11.7th scale with 4 x 18mm motors performance was...puny.

The 1/10th scale with 4x 24mm was...ok but slow...too slow.

It turns out so slow and very very stable that any kind of wind turns it horizontal (BAD!) she did a 90 degree turn at about 45' and the chute poped about 5' from the ground (also bad!). But it's OK, no real damage.

Oh, and only one parachute.

We're still trying to work out how to deploy the canards so the model flips around after motor burnout.

And maybe fire two jetison motors? Maybe a 1/2A tilt motor??

We also want to see if we can get the model to seperate at the base of the tower like the real one.

THAT would be cool!

Yep - I want to see that

I also would want to see it on 4 F24's, but that's probably not happening

Originally posted by sandman
Yes 4 x 24mm each.

That seems to be the "best" combination.

The smaller 1/11.7th scale with 4 x 18mm motors performance was...puny.

The 1/10th scale with 4x 24mm was...ok but slow...too slow.

It turns out so slow and very very stable that any kind of wind turns it horizontal (BAD!) she did a 90 degree turn at about 45' and the chute poped about 5' from the ground (also bad!). But it's OK, no real damage.

Oh, and only one parachute.

We're still trying to work out how to deploy the canards so the model flips around after motor burnout.

And maybe fire two jetison motors? Maybe a 1/2A tilt motor??

We also want to see if we can get the model to seperate at the base of the tower like the real one.

THAT would be cool!

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WOW, this sounds great, cant wait to see it!

Originally posted by sandman
We're still trying to work out how to deploy the canards so the model flips around after motor burnout.

Click to expand...

Maybe I'm missing something but this looks like it should be fairly easy.
With four 24mm motors as main propulsion you can use two for main ejection timing (with redundancy) and still select the other two motors as boosters (zero delay at burnout) for actuation of the canard deployment.
Duct the two D12-0 motors (for redundancy on the canard deploy) into a tube with a piston at the far end, that releases a latch, that releases the canard panels (pulled into deployed position by rubber bands). Or duct the D12-0 motors into a tube to burn through a thread that holds down the canards.
Or any number of techniques the same as used by BG and RG designers to deploy swing wings, folded wings, and slide wings.

Maybe I'm missing something but this looks like it should be fairly easy.

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You would think so but the problem is not HOW to do all this stuff but what would be the BEST WAY to do all these things.

1. Normal boost od 4 D12's.
Also to fire a 1/2A side motor near the top.

2. Deploy canards.

3. Fire the two Jetison motors. (assymetrical thrust an A8 and a
B4 motor.
Simultaniously release the tower from the capsule.

4. Pop a chute on the tower (maybe rear ejection).

5. Pop three main chutes for the capsule.

This is all for Pad Abort 2. Pad Abort one didn't have the canards and also didn't have the boost protective cover.

That's quite a list. And I suppose you are going to want to do these things without using electronic timers and controls? (and batteries, and pyro initiators, and weight, and cost, and complexity?)

I am going to have to put my thinking cap on for this little gem.

One thing, though, about that side motor at the top. On the full-size, real-deal vehicle, they WANTED tilt to turn the capsule out of the way of the booster (in case they had to separate after launch). On a model rocket you might not want to actually tilt, but could still simulate the side motor with an MMX?

We were thinking of maybe a 1/4A motor...not much.

We were thinking D12-0's with burnthrough stings for canard release right at motor burnout and we still have 3 ejection charges left.

AACCKK!
You beat me to it!

Been tossing around this idea for months now, but at a mid-power level.
Good job...
Sweet work....

Gus and I are currently working on the second set of prototypes.

Gus is doing PA-1 again and I'm doing PA-2 but this time both will be 1/11.7th scale and both will use 4 x 24mm motor mounts.

The capsules are being made from foam covered in a layer of fiberglass but this heat in the midwest has hindered the fiberglassing. The epoxy cures too fast and I don't want to bother gertting any slow hardener for the West Epoxy.

Man, this project is consuming so much of my time.

Making the capsule parts is slow and tedious but they are coming along.

I'm actually making 3 sets of capsule and I'm also trying some different construction techniques.

I think I may have settled on the .75 oz cloth and leaving about 1/2" of foam on the interior for strength but still alowing some flexability to absorb impact.

The 0.75 oz cloth alone just doesn't get it...way too weak.