Joshua F Thomas
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2019
- Messages
- 664
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COVID-19 forced my university semester into online only, and I was going crazy for lack of things to do. The only rocket I had so far built was an Estees Alpha III, and launched it once, nearly a year ago at a local event. Time for a new rocket.
Tube rockets fascinate me, so I acquired the 18mm "That Tube Rocket" kit from ASP Rocketry. By default it comes with a simple streamer recovery. I wanted to upgrade that, so I went for a 10" X-form thin-mill chute attached by a swivel, and a Top Flight reuseable parachute protector. The kit assembly went well, except for me working a bit too long with the engine mount. The cardboard is looking a little distressed on the inside of the mount but otherwise it's fine. Also on this kit, nose weight is added by attaching two metal washers to the balsa nose via a screw-hook. This wasn't secure enough for me, so I also used glue to hold them down. Lastly, I'm not a fan of the simple L-shape engine hook. I think I'll stick to using the "springy" ones for future rockets.
This was also my first time painting a rocket. I used two grey primer coats, sanded between, and then the yellow and red you see below. This was standard rattle-can spray Rustoleum. I'm quite happy how the paint turned out, except for a little over-spray on the nose. Also for the next rocket I'm going to try to fill in the cardboard spirals with wood filler.
Launch was at my local park. It has a field about 400' x 200' at the best. I might be underestimating those dimensions. Setup was with the Estee's generic launch kit that everyone seems to have. This works OK but I'd prefer to build my own in the future. Wind was about 5 mph.
Things I should have brought: Pliers, and tape. The igniters didn't want to stay in the engine using the little plastic things Estees supplies with the engines. A few pieces of tape would have solved that problem. I ended up "shimming" them with grass which worked long enough to get the motor firing. Pliers would have also been useful to get the spent motors out.
Launched the Alpha III first on an A8-3. Good launch, but the chute didn't unravel. No damage on landing. Second launch was the Tube Rocket on a B6-4. Beautiful flight and perfect chute deployment. Thrilled to see it perform so well after all the work. Had to aim a little into the wind, and it landed near the edge of the field. Started to draw a (small) crowd from the kids and adults doing their (socially-distant) outdoor activities.
Second launch on the Tube Rocket, again on a B6-4, just as good as the first. I'm really happy with this rocket. Decided to end with the Alpha III again but using a B6-4 for some extra height. Went up fine! ... and the chute deployed this time correctly... the wind picked up... and it drifted off into the woods. Spent 20 minutes searching the woods to no avail. I'll go back after the next big storm. Not very heart-broken over this, it was a $10 kit I spent half an hour building, with hot glue.
Conclusions: Building rockets is great fun. Bring more stuff than you think you need. Find the largest possible field. Stick to the smaller motors for your rocket (unless you've got an overly-huge field).
Tube rockets fascinate me, so I acquired the 18mm "That Tube Rocket" kit from ASP Rocketry. By default it comes with a simple streamer recovery. I wanted to upgrade that, so I went for a 10" X-form thin-mill chute attached by a swivel, and a Top Flight reuseable parachute protector. The kit assembly went well, except for me working a bit too long with the engine mount. The cardboard is looking a little distressed on the inside of the mount but otherwise it's fine. Also on this kit, nose weight is added by attaching two metal washers to the balsa nose via a screw-hook. This wasn't secure enough for me, so I also used glue to hold them down. Lastly, I'm not a fan of the simple L-shape engine hook. I think I'll stick to using the "springy" ones for future rockets.
This was also my first time painting a rocket. I used two grey primer coats, sanded between, and then the yellow and red you see below. This was standard rattle-can spray Rustoleum. I'm quite happy how the paint turned out, except for a little over-spray on the nose. Also for the next rocket I'm going to try to fill in the cardboard spirals with wood filler.
Launch was at my local park. It has a field about 400' x 200' at the best. I might be underestimating those dimensions. Setup was with the Estee's generic launch kit that everyone seems to have. This works OK but I'd prefer to build my own in the future. Wind was about 5 mph.
Things I should have brought: Pliers, and tape. The igniters didn't want to stay in the engine using the little plastic things Estees supplies with the engines. A few pieces of tape would have solved that problem. I ended up "shimming" them with grass which worked long enough to get the motor firing. Pliers would have also been useful to get the spent motors out.
Launched the Alpha III first on an A8-3. Good launch, but the chute didn't unravel. No damage on landing. Second launch was the Tube Rocket on a B6-4. Beautiful flight and perfect chute deployment. Thrilled to see it perform so well after all the work. Had to aim a little into the wind, and it landed near the edge of the field. Started to draw a (small) crowd from the kids and adults doing their (socially-distant) outdoor activities.
Second launch on the Tube Rocket, again on a B6-4, just as good as the first. I'm really happy with this rocket. Decided to end with the Alpha III again but using a B6-4 for some extra height. Went up fine! ... and the chute deployed this time correctly... the wind picked up... and it drifted off into the woods. Spent 20 minutes searching the woods to no avail. I'll go back after the next big storm. Not very heart-broken over this, it was a $10 kit I spent half an hour building, with hot glue.
Conclusions: Building rockets is great fun. Bring more stuff than you think you need. Find the largest possible field. Stick to the smaller motors for your rocket (unless you've got an overly-huge field).
