A new version of the Multitronix Flight Data Analyzer has just been released. A new feature has been added that displays an animated view of the rocket orientation during an entire flight. It does this using 3-axis gyro data recorded during the flight by a Multitronix Kate-2 or Kate-3 transmitter. A short video that shows the 3D viewer in action is presented below. There is no audio in this video but the cursor will help call your attention to some interesting data being displayed at different points in time.
The video shows an actual two-stage flight to 142,000 feet. The 3D Viewer shows how the rocket behaved during each motor burn and subsequent coast phases. This rocket started coning after sustainer motor burnout at about 40,000 feet. The coning grew progressively worse and eventually the rocket started tumbling at about 120,000 feet as it was still coasting to apogee in very thin air. At apogee, there is a sudden jerk visible in the animation that was due to the recovery system being deployed. However, the animation is not sophisticated enough to show a parachute deployment.
The 3D Viewer also displays key flight data such as time, altitude, velocity, acceleration, roll rate and tilt that are synchronized with the animation. It also indicates when important flight events occurred, such as when the motor is burning, when apogee occurs and when main parachute deployment occurs. The user can control the speed at which it plays and even run it forward and backwards as needed to study any point in time during the flight. The 3D Viewer can show the entire flight all the way to landing but in order to keep this video short, the descent phase has been omitted here. Most of the descent phase is just random tumbling anyway.
The 3D Viewer software was written by Greg Spohn. It is seamlessly integrated into the Multitronix Flight Data Analyzer. A user just needs to download the flight data that was recorded onboard their transmitter and then press the 3D Viewer icon to see the flight animation. Anyone wishing to try it out can download the Flight Data Analyzer (version 4.4.0), go to the File menu and open the example file for the two-stage 142K flight. Only Windows is supported.
For more information see: Multitronix Flight Data Analyzer webpage
The video shows an actual two-stage flight to 142,000 feet. The 3D Viewer shows how the rocket behaved during each motor burn and subsequent coast phases. This rocket started coning after sustainer motor burnout at about 40,000 feet. The coning grew progressively worse and eventually the rocket started tumbling at about 120,000 feet as it was still coasting to apogee in very thin air. At apogee, there is a sudden jerk visible in the animation that was due to the recovery system being deployed. However, the animation is not sophisticated enough to show a parachute deployment.
The 3D Viewer also displays key flight data such as time, altitude, velocity, acceleration, roll rate and tilt that are synchronized with the animation. It also indicates when important flight events occurred, such as when the motor is burning, when apogee occurs and when main parachute deployment occurs. The user can control the speed at which it plays and even run it forward and backwards as needed to study any point in time during the flight. The 3D Viewer can show the entire flight all the way to landing but in order to keep this video short, the descent phase has been omitted here. Most of the descent phase is just random tumbling anyway.
The 3D Viewer software was written by Greg Spohn. It is seamlessly integrated into the Multitronix Flight Data Analyzer. A user just needs to download the flight data that was recorded onboard their transmitter and then press the 3D Viewer icon to see the flight animation. Anyone wishing to try it out can download the Flight Data Analyzer (version 4.4.0), go to the File menu and open the example file for the two-stage 142K flight. Only Windows is supported.
For more information see: Multitronix Flight Data Analyzer webpage
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