1/12th Scale Proton-M - Plaster Blaster 2010

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PunkRocketScience

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I'm awfully late in starting this build thread... But here we go!

The Punk Rocket Science team has joined forces with the creative minds of Tripoli San Diego and DART for this year's Plaster Blaster build.

Jim DeVeau, PRS master margarita mixologist, works for ViaSat and is working on a project that will be launched on a real Proton-M next year. He suggested that we may want to have a scale launch of our own! Tripoli SD members Ron Rickwald and Larry Greenan also work at ViaSat and were recruited for the project. Paul Snow was asked to join the team because of his experience with his Delta II project at PB last year. Val Derkach and Howard Smart were asked to join up as we think that they are pretty outstanding builders... The returning PRS members are Jim DeVeau, Jim McKinley and myself. Rick "Bondo" Frelke and the rest of the Frelke crew are taking the year off from the big projects, but undoubtedly will lend a helping hand prepping the rocket at the event.

I'm attaching a dimensioned drawing of where we are headed. We are planning on flying a two stage version of the rocket, instead of all four stages. We plan to separate the airframe at the interstage lattice coupler. The bottom outboard tubes are actually fuel tanks, not strap on boosters like the Delta II. This gives us a cluster of 6 54mm motors on the booster stage and we will be flying a cluster of 4 54mm motors in the upper stage. I'm still playing with the exact mix of motors for each stage, but more than likely the sustainer will be powered by Pro54 1 grain motors.

The booster stage will have translucent fiberglass removable fins. The top stage will have flip out fins that will deploy at staging.

We are planning on boosting a satellite payload as well! The payload will eject at apogee in a piston/carrier that will fall on a drogue to a lower altitude and then eject the satellite. Should be freakin' cool if it can be made to work right!

We have started manufacturing parts and glassing tubes... Pics to follow soon!

View attachment C__Documents and Settings_Tmullin_Desktop_14 inch Proton Model (1).pdf
 
Just wondering, was this the rocket that was suffering for extreme alltitude in rocksim because of the booster pods?
SD
 
Just wondering, was this the rocket that was suffering for extreme alltitude in rocksim because of the booster pods?
SD

Yep. I finally got it ironed out. I'll post the revised rocksim file as soon as I have gotten the horizontal flip out fins put in instead of the vertical pop out fins...
 
Okay... Picture time!

The first two batches are from our first build session...

Jim McKinley has set up his router as a table as a ring making machine! He can now CRANK out rings!

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On to the second build session!

LOTS of work got done! Tube glassing! Nose cone Glassing! Tightening up the design....

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...and more pics...

Clustering the motor tubes around the central tube! This is going to be AWESOME!!!

Here are a couple of shots of the satellite. It will deploy with the solar panels retracted and they will deploy when it is ejected from it's ejection carrier.

And more importantly... It is just big enough inside to carry a Newcastle mini-keg!

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looking good boys...Wish I could be there. So next year how you gonna get a full sized Keg up in a rocket? I guess you should start with a 1/2 keg pony, for a scale "proof of concept" model. I'll be watching
 
Nice payload!
I better make some more build sessions so I can better enjoy the launch........
 
Nice payload!
I better make some more build sessions so I can better enjoy the launch........

Don't worry Bondo... I'm sure there will be enough "payload" for you to score a tall frosty cup... You have definitely paid your dues and earned a share!
 
...and more pics...

Clustering the motor tubes around the central tube! This is going to be AWESOME!!!

Here are a couple of shots of the satellite. It will deploy with the solar panels retracted and they will deploy when it is ejected from it's ejection carrier.

And more importantly... It is just big enough inside to carry a Newcastle mini-keg!

woah... looking cool!! :D
 
Are you planning to keep the boosters on at recovery, or pop them off and recover them on their own?

If the latter, how are you going to attach them for flight, and how will you kick them off?

-Kevin
 
Are you planning to keep the boosters on at recovery, or pop them off and recover them on their own?

If the latter, how are you going to attach them for flight, and how will you kick them off?

-Kevin

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The "boosters" aren't boosters. On the real Proton they are the motors and there is no central motor. They are going to be attached to the booster stage and the entire thing will come off in one piece. Not quite as cool as blowing off strap on boosters, but infinitely easier to stage....
 
The "boosters" aren't boosters. On the real Proton they are the motors and there is no central motor. They are going to be attached to the booster stage and the entire thing will come off in one piece. Not quite as cool as blowing off strap on boosters, but infinitely easier to stage....

Ah, cool, and yeah, it's much easier.

Though the reason I asked is the ejection of large (7.5") boosters is a nut we've already successfully cracked, and if you needed it, I was going to describe what we did.

You guys are doing some neat projects.

-Kevin
 
Ah, cool, and yeah, it's much easier.

Though the reason I asked is the ejection of large (7.5") boosters is a nut we've already successfully cracked, and if you needed it, I was going to describe what we did.

You guys are doing some neat projects.

-Kevin

Thanks for being willing to share your experience! Feel free to post it! We had the large (10") belly booster for the Interceptor that we had successfully eject, but it would be interesting to see how you solved the puzzle as well!
 
Alright Todd, where are the Pics? Don't think you can post something on FB and not get called out for it....:bangpan:
 
Alright Todd, where are the Pics? Don't think you can post something on FB and not get called out for it....:bangpan:
What?!?!? Some of us do actually have to sleep, feed the family, work, etc... Sheesh!

Okay... Good build session yesterday! We'll start off with the fin can for the sustainer. We have the coupler framed out and the fins cut on Larry Greenan's handy dandy table saw.

The fins will fold out on hinges actuated by rat trap springs.

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The rings for the bottom of the booster fin can have to be cut to fit around the motor bells. Kinda makes for a strange looking ring, but it will allow us to remove the motor pods and the fin can...

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The last bit of work was the fin material for the booster. We are making out own fiberglass sheet... Five layers of fiberglass mat wet out with poly resin sandwiched between mylar sheets and plywood! Lots of sand bags for weight and presto!

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Build day today... Lots got done!

Looks like we are almost done fabricating parts! Woo-hoo!

Got the booster fins cut from the fiberglass sheet and the edges sanded. Finished up the sustainer fin can and flop out fins. Made another huge fiberglass coupler. Sanded a bunch of tubes and nose cones. My hands are going to be itchy for days with all the fiberglass dust!

Too pooped to get the pics posted tonight... I'll try and get them posted tomorrow...
 
Okay... As promised, PICTURE TIME!

Because I'm so proud of how they came out, I'm going to start with my flop out sustainer fin can! We did a quick test pop by putting a tube over them and yanking it up from the fins and they popped out perfectly!

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The sheet of fiberglass fin material that we laid up last time was cut by the time I got to the build! These guys are on the ball... Shown here with the Polecat Aerospace motor nozzles... Paul and Jim then test fit the fins...

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Here's the trademarked (patent pending, offer not valid in Texas, Rhode Island or Puerto Rico) Paul Snow method of creating a fiberglass tube coupler.

First, coat a sheet of heavy gauge mylar with mold release and insert it into your airframe tube, with the mold release towards the middle. Insert a wrap of fiberglass mat, we used 4 oz. Wet out the glass with polyester resin. Add two more layers and wet each out. Add a second sheet of mylar coated with mold release, this time towards the fiberglass....

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... Next whip out the biggest freakin' balloon anyone has seen since the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade and get pumpin'!

The balloon isn't inflated to the point that it is squeezing the resin out of the glass, but only tight enough to press the layers together to get good adhesion.

After the resin has cures, carefully pull the balloon out and unwrap the mylar. If you are lucky, the outer mylar wrap will not have become too tight to slip right out of the airframe tube...

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Here we have two dapper gents who got the fantastically fun job of sanding! Those lucky dogs! I was covered head to toe in dust... But Jim used the shop-vac to suck the dust up right from the sander!

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Finally, to finish out this build session recap... A few more pics of the satellite! Larry Greenan really has created a work of art!

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WOW, you guys are really kicking some 'ace'!

Nice looking rocket you guys are building. Has Jim D had enough of the sanding dust yet? That fiberglass dust sticks to everything!

Looks like you may be moving this baby to my rocket garage for painting if we can fit the timing in between Ted's wedding plans....hope so. I love that part of the build, the finishing (duh, "Bondo")!

I went to CareFree Press tonite to order a couple of the Punk Rocket Science t-shirts. It was really easy. And they take PayPal too.
Todd, you gonna pass the info along to our fans? or is that against the rules?

Keep up the good work.
 
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