Search results

***Update*** Well, she did it! She flew on 6/1 at the METRA launch and it was marvelous. I don't have any pictures to share, as I wanted to watch the launch with my own eyes and not through a lens. It was a perfect flight, up to about 800 ft., low enough to enjoy the whole thing from the...

I can't believe it's been over a year, but I got distracted and completing the Indicator MP Upscale project took a back seat to other things, both rocketry and non-rocketry related. Well, I finally did it, and I threw in a custom parachute to boot. God willing, it flies at the June METRA launch.

Hopefully this forum can help me understand something. There are two rules of thumb for rocket stability: 1. CG should be 1-2 calibers ahead of the CP. 2. CG should be about 10% of the rocket length ahead of the CP. For many rockets, these two general rules will align fairly closely, but since...

You are correct. ABC News is reporting this morning that government officials are now confirming that it is not at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It is, in fact, at the bottom of the Indian Ocean presently.

I'll make a slight correction here on the heels of my previous comments. It would appear that SpaceX is now trying to defend themselves to the extent possible. They've doubled down on their assertion that the launch performed nominally. So says the most recent article from TheVerge that...

I tend to believe at this point that Zuma made it into orbit. Unfortunately, SpaceX's reputation has already taken a hit and they have little or no ability to comment on the mission and defend themselves. Social media is abuzz this morning with all sorts of cruel remarks being made against...

Just thinking out loud... I wonder if there are any insurmountable obstacles to scaling this thing up. It'd be neat to see something 3 or 4 ft tall using this mechanism. It would have to be lightly built of course. Okay, now I think I'm going to be a bit restless tonight with this on my mind.

Another great launch. My Falcon 9 hat is in the mail and arriving this week!

Rocket Build Marathon weekend is almost over. I completed the transition and performed a dry fit of all the components. As it stands, without the fins epoxied into place yet, the rocket is 4'2" and weighs 12.2 oz. That weight will go up a bit before it's completely finished. I printed out a...

Don't tell the postal inspectors. In all seriousness though, I think I saw someone burn a baby M motor in one these things (regular size, not the priority) and it got barely any altitude.

The white Apogee tubes seem to be consistent in quality with the brown Estes tubes. I can't tell the different between the two just by feel and I have both of them in front of me right now. The current weight of all components is 341 grams (~12 oz.) w/o motor (but including casing). The...

A few quick operations today. First, the nose cone. The nose cone will need to be modified in order contain an adjustable ballast system. Like just about every Estes kit, the original Indicator uses balsa wood fins resulting in a booster tube that is still relatively light considering the...

Will they be broadcasting Zuma?

Thanks, Chris.

Are there any pyro-less CO2 options out there today besides the Hawk CO2 system? I'm looking specifically for something that would fit into a 3" diameter airframe. Unfortunately the Hawk system is too large for such an application. I'm praying for the day when someone takes that side-by-side...

Updates: It's been a while since I last posted this build. Progress in the Fall stalled due to various and sundry events that occupied my time otherwise spent on building rockets. The fins were completed shortly after the layout phase in my last update. The motor mount and booster tube were...

That would be too easy. :)

I spent a few hours this weekend laying out the fins on a piece of plywood from the hobby store that I had laying around. I picked this piece out months ago without an immediate use for it, but I had a feeling that I'd need it at some point. I'm glad I did. Some of the smaller 6"x12" boards...

Just got my L1 cert using the JLCR. Flight was on a 5.6 lb MacPerformance Zodiac 3" using a H242T motor. Recovery was single deployment. I didn't have an altimeter in it, but the sim indicated apogee at about 1200 ft. From the ground, the sim seemed pretty accurate. The JLCR was set to...

Of all the LPR rockets in the Estes arsenal, the Indicator is one of the most visually appealing rockets to be developed in recent years. Ever since I first laid eyes on it, it cried out to be upscaled The 4:3 ratio between the lower body tube and upper body tube is a perfect fit for existing...