Saturday, I had nose cones fail to deploy on two rockets, and one chute got stuck in the tube (which might be unrelated). Those two rockets were lost. While Colorado is pretty dry, we've had a lot of rain lately and Ft Lupton felt more like a Central Florida summer than Colorado. Can the humidity cause stiction on the nose cone shoulder where it normally wouldn't in drier conditions? I have never had this issue before when my nose cone had a "Goldilocks" friction fit.
My method of testing the nose cone fit is by holding the rocket by the nose cone. If it doesn't slip, I will give it a little shake. If it starts to separate with some resistance, I call it good. I have been using this method for decades and this weekend was the first time I had a lawn dart, let alone two on the same day.
Also, my Big Red Max had a drag separation at ~800ft where the apogee is typically 1100+. Nothing was changed on this rocket and this was its 6th flight, 4th on G motors. Could the temperature in combination with the humidity be the cause? I am somewhat vexed. This was the first launch with ambient temps over 70 degrees and humidity over 25%. I will add that I prepped these rockets at home vs. the field, so the environmental change may have played a part.
Thank you for any insights or input.
EDIT: Does anyone have a way to combat this, like talcum powder or magic fairy rocket dust?
My method of testing the nose cone fit is by holding the rocket by the nose cone. If it doesn't slip, I will give it a little shake. If it starts to separate with some resistance, I call it good. I have been using this method for decades and this weekend was the first time I had a lawn dart, let alone two on the same day.
Also, my Big Red Max had a drag separation at ~800ft where the apogee is typically 1100+. Nothing was changed on this rocket and this was its 6th flight, 4th on G motors. Could the temperature in combination with the humidity be the cause? I am somewhat vexed. This was the first launch with ambient temps over 70 degrees and humidity over 25%. I will add that I prepped these rockets at home vs. the field, so the environmental change may have played a part.
Thank you for any insights or input.
EDIT: Does anyone have a way to combat this, like talcum powder or magic fairy rocket dust?