Estes Star Orbiter #9716

[Ez2cDave]

117 mm and yes, 1/8"" thick.

Edit: This for the Star Orbiter but now me thinks you're asking for the other rocket...

Nope . . . It was for the Star Orbiter . . . Thanks !

 

[tstone]

Heres' mine. I modified the decals.

 

[Leo]

Nice

 

[R3verb]

The electronics bay build is complete. I used a BT-60 body tube, cut one side so that it fits nicely inside a BT-60 body tube.
Two ejection charge holders were glued in place. The same goes for the Kevlar shock cord holders.

The Ebay is now ready for painting.

End of part five.

Hey Leo,

This is an amazing thread and I think I've read it probably 5 times now. I just got my Star Orbiter and I'm looking to make it my first dual deploy rocket. I have some questions on a few of the steps. My first is on the engine block. Is there a reason Estes doesn't include one? It seems like the motor would just fly right up through the engine mount so I'm super curious how it doesn't without one. I'm assuming to make one you're just using a piece of cardboard tubing correct?

My next question is around your e-bay. From the pictures, it looks like you are starting with a BT-60 body tube, cutting it lengthwise, overlapping a small portion of tube so that it fits just inside of a BT-60 tube and then supergluing it to itself. Once the glue dries, cutting the big hole in it for the avionics and putting the blocks in the ends. Is this correct? Is there a youtube video or forum post you can point me to on how to do this?

My 3rd question is around the nose cone/payload assembly. Is that the stock nose cone just with the bottom cut off? It looks like you are friction-fitting the nose cone into a section of BT-60 tubing, then gluing a body coupler into that section of tubing with the paper disk. Is that correct? How does the nose cone stay on with just friction? It would seem like the ejection would pop it off? Is it just super tight?

My last question is around dual-deploy in general. I'm new to the entire concept and have gone back and forth between doing a standard build (with payload section for an altimeter) and doing a jolly logic chute deploy, or doing something like what you're doing here. For somebody who's never done dual deploy, what is your recommendation?

Hopefully I'm not asking too much but this thread has really inspired me to try this out! Thanks!

Casey Levinger

 

[Leo]

Hey Leo,

This is an amazing thread and I think I've read it probably 5 times now. I just got my Star Orbiter and I'm looking to make it my first dual deploy rocket. I have some questions on a few of the steps. My first is on the engine block. Is there a reason Estes doesn't include one? It seems like the motor would just fly right up through the engine mount so I'm super curious how it doesn't without one. I'm assuming to make one you're just using a piece of cardboard tubing correct?

Can't answer that for you, only Estes knows. I'm going to assume that it would make it possible to use different kind of motor lengths e.g. D12, E9, ... without the need for motor block adapters.

My next question is around your e-bay. From the pictures, it looks like you are starting with a BT-60 body tube, cutting it lengthwise, overlapping a small portion of tube so that it fits just inside of a BT-60 tube and then supergluing it to itself. Once the glue dries, cutting the big hole in it for the avionics and putting the blocks in the ends. Is this correct? Is there a youtube video or forum post you can point me to on how to do this?

Not overlapping but cutting it lengthwise so the tube fits inside the main body tube. To glue the seams, I did not use CA but Epoxy glue with fiberglass sheets. Then I cut the holes and used CA to strengthen the cut edges. Simple paper discs were cut out and glued in, no bocks were used. I did make any instructions for this Ebay, at least that I can recall.

My 3rd question is around the nose cone/payload assembly. Is that the stock nose cone just with the bottom cut off? It looks like you are friction-fitting the nose cone into a section of BT-60 tubing, then gluing a body coupler into that section of tubing with the paper disk. Is that correct? How does the nose cone stay on with just friction? It would seem like the ejection would pop it off? Is it just super tight?

Yes, stock NC with the bottom cut off. NC cone is tight enough to not pop off after ejection or while tumbling on descent.

My last question is around dual-deploy in general. I'm new to the entire concept and have gone back and forth between doing a standard build (with payload section for an altimeter) and doing a jolly logic chute deploy, or doing something like what you're doing here. For somebody who's never done dual deploy, what is your recommendation?

I would recommend a newbie to start with a jolly logic (a reason e.g., no pyro needed) and then with some experience convert to dual deploy altimeters.

Hopefully I'm not asking too much but this thread has really inspired me to try this out! Thanks!

Of course not. This is what the forum is for.

Casey Levinger

 

[Ez2cDave]

This is an amazing thread and I think I've read it probably 5 times now. I just got my Star Orbiter and I'm looking to make it my first dual deploy rocket. I have some questions on a few of the steps. My first is on the engine block. Is there a reason Estes doesn't include one? It seems like the motor would just fly right up through the engine mount so I'm super curious how it doesn't without one. I'm assuming to make one you're just using a piece of cardboard tubing correct?

Casey Levinger

Use a narrow strip of masking tape around the rear of the engine. It will prevent it from moving forward.

Dave F.

 

[BEC]

My first is on the engine block. Is there a reason Estes doesn't include one? It seems like the motor would just fly right up through the engine mount so I'm super curious how it doesn't without one. I'm assuming to make one you're just using a piece of cardboard tubing correct?

The Star Orbiter and the Super Big Bertha don't use a motor block so that you have choices for other motors.
There is a huge variety of lengths among 29mm motors and reloadable cases. All but the oldest ones have a thrust ring on the aft end, so don't need a block forward.

The instructions show how to create a masking tape thrust ring on the aft end of a 29mm Estes black powder motor in these models.

The Estes 29/24mm adapters also have a thrust ring on the aft end, making C11, D12, E9 and E12 motors all easily usable in the Star Orbiter as well.

 

[R3verb]

Since I'm not going to use the Estes trifold shock cord holder I went and mounted a Kevlar shock cord to the engine mount:

What size Kevlar are you using here?

 

[Leo]

The braided Kevlar has a diameter of 1.8mm (0.07 inches).

 

[Donnager]

Heres' mine. I modified the decals.
View attachment 408016

I really need to build this model again with rail buttons and a little better effort at fin reinforcement. Mine just has CA on the fins, and it has laid in my workshop for probably 3 years, and I was never happy with its construction.

In another life, a decade or so back, we had to put sponsor decals on our drag race cars for the sponsors of the event.

Once, the sponsor for the class I raced was "RaceCoachSales.com". Which was a pretty large decal to put on the forward facing vehicle viewport, especially when you had to have a bunch of others there, as well.

One of my competitors shortened it to RoachSales.com., which fit better at the windshield corner, but the sponsor wasn't exactly thrilled.

 

[John Taylor]

Rumor has it that originally they were going to be plywood. But they changed it before production. They wanted it to really only fly on the 29mm BP motors. With the balsa fins, it really can't handle the big motors.

I think it was a bad choice from a rocket sales perspective, but a good one from motor sales perspective.

I have slightly modified all my Star Orbiters. One thing, I fabricate my own thru the wall plywood fins. Kevlar shock cord, sleeved, Nylon chute, epoxy, and
inner filets.

 

[SolarYellow]

Plywood fin upgrades are still available from Rocketry Works for $2.99/set when you add them to your cart. I might buy a third set if I place another order.

https://www.rocketryworks.com/star-orbiter-fin-upgrade-1-8-inch-plywood-set-of-3/