Creeping along with my half-scale build (approx.) of The St. Louis Kaboom Krewe's 10 feet tall "Space Oddity", which was launched at LDRS 38. My version will be 5 1/2 feet tall, 24 inches at the fattest body diameter, and a 48 inch fin wingspan. It should weight south of 50 pounds.
First thing I wanted to figure out was the round ball at the top of the rocket. Because I'll be using a launch rail tube for a 1515 launch rail (the 48" long tube will be epoxied to the full 48" length of the 4" dia. Blue Tube internal motor/parachute tube), the ball on top could be no larger that 4" in. diameter.
I found hollow 4" stainless steel hemispheres on the web- each with a 1/8" dia. weep hole in them. I drilled the weep hole with a 1/2" metal-cutting drill bit to accept a 1/2" dia. all-thread rod. I'll fill each half with BB's and epoxy for added weight and J-B Weld/ bolt the halves together on the all-thread rod.
I'll mate this assembly to a 2.56" dia. Blue tube (probably 13" long) also filled with BB's and epoxy. Once i cut and weigh the three 1/4" thick Baltic Birch plywood fins, I'll have a better idea of the total nose weight necessary.
I'm going to drag out this project build throughout 2020, and I'll post updates periodically. Plan is to fly it at the 2021 Midwest Blast at Three Oaks, MI.
First thing I wanted to figure out was the round ball at the top of the rocket. Because I'll be using a launch rail tube for a 1515 launch rail (the 48" long tube will be epoxied to the full 48" length of the 4" dia. Blue Tube internal motor/parachute tube), the ball on top could be no larger that 4" in. diameter.
I found hollow 4" stainless steel hemispheres on the web- each with a 1/8" dia. weep hole in them. I drilled the weep hole with a 1/2" metal-cutting drill bit to accept a 1/2" dia. all-thread rod. I'll fill each half with BB's and epoxy for added weight and J-B Weld/ bolt the halves together on the all-thread rod.
I'll mate this assembly to a 2.56" dia. Blue tube (probably 13" long) also filled with BB's and epoxy. Once i cut and weigh the three 1/4" thick Baltic Birch plywood fins, I'll have a better idea of the total nose weight necessary.
I'm going to drag out this project build throughout 2020, and I'll post updates periodically. Plan is to fly it at the 2021 Midwest Blast at Three Oaks, MI.