Do you get really bummed when you lose a rocket?

[mh9162013]

I don't mind too much but it's frustrating when you watch it hit the ground and can't find it afterwards.

It probably fell into a wormhole and is in another dimension.

It happens all the time with tiny metal screws. When you drop them from your table and they fall onto the floor, they make a "tink" sound one or more times. That resonant frequency will usually separate time and space to create a wormhole in which the screw gets sucks into.

The funny thing is, these small little screws will sometimes return from an alternative dimension. The problem is, they can return to any point on earth and only on occassion will it return to a point that's close to where it originally left.

This phenomenon doesn't occur when the screw is dropped onto carpet, b/c no correct frequency is produced to create the wormhole when the screw hits the carpet. However, when you take a vacuum cleaner, the sound from the screw when it bounces around inside the machine will sometimes create a wormhole b/c it also creates the correct resonant frequency. But often the sound isn't the right frequency, so you can usually find it in the canister or bag in the vacuum cleaner if you look hard enough.

In the case of model rockets, it could be the snap swivel or other part of the rocket hitting something on the ground to make the correct "tink" sound that creates and opens the wormhole. It's more likely with BT-20 or smaller rockets, though.

 

[SILVERFOX]

I'll be perfectly honest. Upon seeing the violent, unexpected destruction of a rocket I've put lots of TLC, time and $$$ into, I would probably utter (under my breath) a phrase unfit for repetition in polite company....BUMMED? Absolutely!! All the way home, while planning the next build and how to make it more bulletproof than the last. Without risk, the thrill is gone. Rocketeers put on their "Big Boy Pants" and fly! That's why our hobby is just plain cool.

 

[brockrwood]

I don't mind too much but it's frustrating when you watch it hit the ground and can't find it afterwards. I lost a rocket recently at the Bong Rec area launch site. Saw it hit the ground a few hundred feet away but gave up after half an hour. I did find a same sized nose cone from someone else's rocket which I will use and a rebuildable Cessaroni reuseable engine case and a fin section with some broken fiberglass fins. The guy who lost that rocket lost more money than the last 10 rockets I lost combined. Unfortunately I have no use for a 24mm Reusable motor but maybe I'll give/trade it to someone someday. I wished it had contact info on it.

I know it’s a long shot but I always do this.





The reward is a Quest Brighthawk, new in package or a Mini Meanie, new in package.

 

[jazzviper1]

To answer the original question. YES!!!!! Font size would not go any bigger.

 

[PDawg]

Yesterday I sent up 5 and the only one I lost was my 5o cent Test Rocket. I was still bummed because now I have to build another 50 cent test rocket. No biggie however as Test Rockets help me fine tune my launch pad and have saved many nicer rockets from the trees. 50 cents doesn't include the B4-4 engine however.

 

[mh9162013]

50 cents doesn't include the B4-4 engine however

Maybe when you rebuild it, you can design it to use 13mm engines...save about 50-75 cents in engine costs right there.

 

[cwbullet]

I have lost a number. If I am not willing to crash and lose it, I do not fly it.

 

[brockrwood]

Yesterday I sent up 5 and the only one I lost was my 5o cent Test Rocket. I was still bummed because now I have to build another 50 cent test rocket. No biggie however as Test Rockets help me fine tune my launch pad and have saved many nicer rockets from the trees. 50 cents doesn't include the B4-4 engine however. View attachment 519825

What, pray tell, is the nose cone made of? Nice cutting job on the fins!

 

[PDawg]

What, pray tell, is the nose cone made of? Nice cutting job on the fins!

Thank you! Nose cone is a 1/4 inch piece of used 18mm engine casing with either a Sharpie Marker cap or used Caulk tube nozzle pushed in from underneath so It is wedged into place. Then a few layers of glue to smooth the transition. No way I'm paying for Nosecones!
The fins are paint stirring sticks cut and shaped. I also use posterboard sometimes. Here is a previous one that used a cap from a ketchup dispenser and paint sticks for fins. I now have streamers in my test rockets because they wen't higher than I expected. Might downsize to mini engines as suggested above. My current tester is on the right below, I did retrieve it today after launch.

 

[Jerry F.]

For a "rocket" class build, I'm eyeing the Mini-Comanche 3 sitting on the build pile. A 3 stage rocket is definitely in the "do something stupid" category. Especially as the A10-0T boosters have a bad reputation for CATO. It's not officially listed as a Beginner rocket, but I looked at the instructions and it's not hard at all.

I have built and flown the mini Comanche, but have yet to have a "successful" flight...No motor issues, but it does love to weathercock and take off on a horizontal tragectory, and with the long skinny body tube it doesn't like to pop the nose cone with authority...but after all that, it still goes with me to various launches and will definitely fly again...

 

[cerving]

What sucks is when it doesn't crash, but lands where you can't get it, and you know exactly where it is. Had that happen this weekend... night rocket landed in a flooded newly-planted cornfield, basically a big mudhole. Took one step in, fell flat on my butt. No way I was going to go 600' in to get it. At least I have the GPS coordinates, so there is some chance of getting it back.

 

[brockrwood]

I have lost a number. If I am not willing to crash and lose it, I do not fly it.

I use the Apollo program approach. I fly it until I feel I am starting to “push my luck”. Then I retire the nicked and dented bird to a place of honor the collction.

Why Apollo program approach? I still feel that Apollo 18 and 19 were cancelled not because of budget restraints but because the program had successfully proved it could put humans on the moon with no loss of life from a flown mission. With that kind of luck, I think they lopped off the last two missions to “quit while they were ahead”. Pure speculation, I know, but that’s what I would have done.

What sucks is when it doesn't crash, but lands where you can't get it, and you know exactly where it is. Had that happen this weekend... night rocket landed in a flooded newly-planted cornfield, basically a big mudhole. Took one step in, fell flat on my butt. No way I was going to go 600' in to get it. At least I have the GPS coordinates, so there is some chance of getting it back.

Time to send in the drone wih a “claw” attachment. Or use the cheaper, canine recovery service: Fetch, Rover!

 

[teepot]

I believe we stopped going to the Moon because the ET's made NASA nervous.

I have stickers from Stickershock with my name, Nar and Tripoly numbers, my phone number and the all important word. Reward. I want my electronics back.

 

[Hobie1dog]

I have stickers from Stickershock with my name, Nar and Tripoly numbers, my phone number and the all important word. Reward. I want my electronics back.

I need to get some of those.

 

[Antares JS]

I still feel that Apollo 18 and 19 were cancelled not because of budget restraints but because the program had successfully proved it could put humans on the moon with no loss of life from a flown mission. With that kind of luck, I think they lopped off the last two missions to “quit while they were ahead”. Pure speculation, I know, but that’s what I would have done.

Maybe kinda sorta right? The real cause was budget cuts, but the budget cuts happened for many reasons and "we did it, quit while we're ahead" was one of the minor ones. There's no reason to speculate when the reasons for terminating Apollo are well-documented.

 

[brockrwood]

I have stickers from Stickershock with my name, Nar and Tripoly numbers, my phone number and the all important word. Reward. I want my electronics back.

Precisely.

 

[brockrwood]

Maybe kinda sorta right? The real cause was budget cuts, but the budget cuts happened for many reasons and "we did it, quit while we're ahead" was one of the minor ones. There's no reason to speculate when the reasons for terminating Apollo are well-documented.

I have read a little about the “pogo” oscillation problem that occurred with the Saturn V first and second stages. A little known fact about Apollo 13 is that the center J-2 engine on the Saturn V second stage experienced very bad pogo oscillation. A system on the booster shut it down. That prevented the center engine from tearing loose and destroying the rocket. Scary fact: The system that shut down the center engine did not do so because of the pogo oscillation but for some other reason. Sometimes you just need Lady Luck to be on your side a little.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

This phenomenon doesn't occur when the screw is dropped onto carpet, b/c no correct frequency is produced to create the wormhole when the screw hits the carpet. However, when you take a vacuum cleaner, the sound from the screw when it bounces around inside the machine will sometimes create a wormhole b/c it also creates the correct resonant frequency. But often the sound isn't the right frequency, so you can usually find it in the canister or bag in the vacuum cleaner if you look hard enough.

Wormholes can also be opened due to a combination of heat and rotational momentum, hence all the "Lost" socks in dryers.
Normally it takes two driers working in sync to create this affect with socks from each dryer exchanging places.
This is why you might lose a black dress sock and find a white athletic sock which isn't one of yours.

 

[Five]

Had a rocket do a bit of a cruise missile thing yesterday (still scratching my head over the cause, as there was almost no wind and the rod was vertical), and it ended up in the river. Got to the river bank in time to see it float downstream and over the rapids. Was half expecting to lose it eventually when trying bigger motors, but what probably bothered me the most was losing the altimeter...

Anyway, I've only lost a few after returning to the hobby. When I was a kid, I'd routinely stuff in the biggest motor that would fit during the rocket's maiden flight. You can guess how that turned out.

I think what is most irritating is spending hours and days carefully assembling and painting. Adding baffles, stuffer tubes if appropriate. Carefully crafting replaceable shock cords (I usually go hybrid - part Kevlar, with some elastic spliced in). Swivels everywhere. Then, splash, it's gone. (Or Boom if it's a faulty motor.) I'm really bummed.

Going forward, I think I'll split my builds into "rockets" and "models". The "models" I'll do to a (reasonably) high standard, and only fly them to 400', maybe 500' on my small field. These will be the ones I'll show to friends and family, put on the fireplace mantle. The "rockets" I'll throw together, quick spray (runs and all), and launch. Maybe won't even bother with Kevlar cords, just Estes rubber band in a tri-fold. Might not even fill the grain in the balsa. Whatever. If I stuff an overly large motor into it and not recover, no big deal. No real sweat equity lost.

Come tomorrow, I'll probably change my mind again. Who knows?

Hans.

Hmm, well I cant say that I get a feeling of joy when I watch a rocket sail off never to be seen again.

 

[OverTheTop]

When the telemetry says it was a really good flight but you are driving home thinking all the parts you need to order to replace the lost stuff. That is not a feeling I would like repeated.

 

[Hobie1dog]

I'd better not lose the news ones with the nice paint jobs on them

 

[Bill S]

Really bummed that I lost my Estes Longship on its maiden flight. It was a replacement for one that took severe damage (and lost a part I can't get another of) last fall. The winds seemed to be acceptable, put in an E12-4, which the previous one had flown on numerous times with no issues. It was to only go 500' high or so, again done it numerous times. During descent, the upper level winds were nowhere near what I expected, and away it drifted into a tall tree. Ugh. Way too high for the recovery pole. At that point, I decided that design was cursed, and I wasn't going to get a third one.

Since then, I have thought about it, and decided to try and carve out a rough copy of the missing part out of balsa or something and attach it to the damaged first rocket, replace the missing fin spar, and fly the first one until something else happens to it.

 

[PDawg]

I'd better not lose the news ones with the nice paint jobs on them

Those stubby short rockets are cool, please list the specs. I've been wanting to build something like that.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Those stubby short rockets are cool, please list the specs. I've been wanting to build something like that.

silver is a Blobbo- D12-3
red is a Lil' Goblin- E's and F's
white is a Diablo- H and I motors

 

[Paul Howard]

Yes, I get really bummed if it's not repairable and due to engine failures/CATO's. I really like adding hardwood leading and trailing edges to fins, then carefully sanding really nice airfoils into my fins, converting tube-mount to through the body-to-motor-mount fins, adding reinforcements on the top of tube, adding ejection baffles (and sometimes making those from scratch), ie - a LOT of time goes into my rockets and it seems like there are way more motor problems now that I don't remember ever happening as a kid and I launched a LOT as a kid (but maybe I just wasn't aware of things as much back then?). But yeah, I "get it".

 

[Joekeyo]

I was bummed when I lost the Orbital Transport glider. Such a beautiful rocket and now most of the fun is gone.

 

[DirkTheDaring]

I'm never happy to lose a rocket, but I'm not exactly bummed by it either. Depends on whether I lost it because I did something stupid, or it just went bye-bye. Usually it's because I said to myself, "self, oh sure, there's not much wind, I can go one letter larger". A coupla weeks ago I put an Enerjet D something in an Estes Sport that I had just flown with an Estes B something. Clear blue sky. No wind. That rocket just disappeared. We heard the ejection charge. But we never saw it after it cleared the launch rod. It was just GONE.

Oh well. Not an expensive rocket and an excuse to build a new one. And I learned something about those composite-propellant engines.

 

[Cape Byron]

I'ts hard when you lose a kit proto because you want the actual Le Petit Mort in front of you to to teach you the lessons to make the next one betterer. Lots of my design research abides in trees. A second proto is always needed. I now make two at a time.

 

[Back_at_it]

I'd better not lose the news ones with the nice paint jobs on them

That is a good looking Blobbo. I had never heard of it until I stumbled across one a couple of years ago. Great rocket to fly.

 

[KenECoyote]