HPR “model” rockets blur the line between model rocketry and “real” sounding rockets?

[jsdemar]

I looked up a few relatively small sounding rockets along with their equivalent motor designation as reported by Peter Alway.

WAC Corporal R6600
ASP Q26000
Arcas (4.5" diameter) P1500
Cajun (6.5" diameter) Q43000

I notice that the Arcas and Cajun are not so large but are pretty hot little numbers according to their impulse.

Do those designations include the booster motors?

 

[bjphoenix]

Do those designations include the booster motors?

The book gives separate designations for booster, all I gave were designations for sustainer.

 

[bjphoenix]

I looked up a few relatively small sounding rockets along with their equivalent motor designation as reported by Peter Alway.

WAC Corporal R6600
ASP Q26000
Arcas (4.5" diameter) P1500
Cajun (6.5" diameter) Q43000

I notice that the Arcas and Cajun are not so large but are pretty hot little numbers according to their impulse.

I stumbled across this video from a couple of years ago. This is far beyond even the highpower rockets that most of us are familiar with. They built a rocket with an S motor. From the video the stated statistics were S45000 impulse, 9 sec. burn. They anticipated mach 4.6 and 260k feet altitude. The onboard telemetry said mach 3.95 and 188k feet. I think it is pretty awesome for an 8-person team to build something twice as powerful as a WAC Corporal. I don't know what they use as a starter but that motor came up to full boost right now. After watching this video youtube suggested several of larger and higher launches.

 

[smstachwick]

The Super Loki, a sounding rocket after my own heart. I love this rocket! More information — a Super Loki NASA PDF — can be had here:

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19680026183/downloads/19680026183.pdf

Re: Sounding rocket verses HPR, I say call it anything you like just as long as it gets the job done in style. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” right?

One thing we must consider is that HPR rockets must be designed for safe recovery. A sounding rocket may be flown over the ocean or a sufficiently remote land area that it’s not necessary.

Size is sometimes similar but regulatory requirements are different because different entities are building them for different purposes, which will produce different engineering solutions to different problems.

 

[jsdemar]

I stumbled across this video from a couple of years ago. This is far beyond even the highpower rockets that most of us are familiar with. They built a rocket with an S motor. From the video the stated statistics were S45000 impulse, 9 sec. burn. They anticipated mach 4.6 and 260k feet altitude. The onboard telemetry said mach 3.95 and 188k feet. I think it is pretty awesome for an 8-person team to build something twice as powerful as a WAC Corporal. I don't know what they use as a starter but that motor came up to full boost right now. After watching this video youtube suggested several of larger and higher launches.

Actually, it was a 3.5-person team at the time with a lot of investors money. https://www.evolutionspace.com/

The launch was at FAR. I was there as an observer. 400 ft from an S motor at liftoff, in the bunker unlike the team. No recovery and never found (in the lake bed).

 

[smstachwick]

Actually, it was a 3.5-person team at the time with a lot of investors money. https://www.evolutionspace.com/

The launch was at FAR. I was there as an observer. 400 ft from an S motor at liftoff, in the bunker unlike the team. No recovery and never found (in the lake bed).

I’m guessing it dug a very deep hole in the ground.

 

[bjphoenix]

I’m guessing it dug a very deep hole in the ground.

In the video it sounded like telemetry reported an ejection event. Otherwise that thing would have lawn-darted likely at supersonic speed. Of course that makes you wonder what happened to all of the sounding rockets launched over the years. I know a lot were launched near the ocean I suppose so they would fall into the water. Or at White Sands they had plenty of desert to puncture.

 

[jsdemar]

In the video it sounded like telemetry reported an ejection event. Otherwise that thing would have lawn-darted likely at supersonic speed. Of course that makes you wonder what happened to all of the sounding rockets launched over the years. I know a lot were launched near the ocean I suppose so they would fall into the water. Or at White Sands they had plenty of desert to puncture.

There was an ejection event but no deployment. It's deep in the lake bed.
They're doing better now... making rockets that don't need recovery. ;-)

Some land-based ranges bring back the carnage from booster stages.
Here I am about 20 years ago at Esrange in Sweden above the arctic circle at the rocket graveyard.
The land downrange to the north is owned by indigenous people. There's a network of sirens to alert them when there's a launch. And there's an agreement to remove all debris.

 

[bjphoenix]

The land downrange to the north is owned by indigenous people. There's a network of sirens to alert them when there's a launch. And there's an agreement to remove all debris.

I've heard of "test rocket debris" near some jeep trails in Utah and Nevada. I had visions of finding a crashed Aerobee or something like that. Later I found out there was a test range for Athena rockets where they launched in Utah and landed at White Sands. The wreckage may be of boosters or things like that.

 

[Bob Yanecek]

Downrange from LC-35 at White Sands there's unlimited Aerobee boosters in 'lake stake' mode.