Oh where, oh where has my little Quark gone...

[Prowler901]

Oh where, oh where can it be...

Well, I lost my Quark yesterday. And, I've no idea where This was it's second launch. The first launch was also hard to locate. I wasn't ready for how fast this little sucker would be. The only way I knew where it landed was that I saw it Lawn Dart out of the corner of my eye.

Well, yesterday I thought I had a better strategy to watch it. I kept my eye on the sky as it was launche, trying to stay ahead of it during the ascent. Well, for the most part that worked. I was able to follow it all the way up... well, the smoke trail at least. But, after that... it was gone... Me and the three boys searched all over the area that it should be in based on the ascent azmuth. But, alas... my little Quark was no where to be found

Anybody got any hints on how to prevent this in the future.

Regards,
Todd

 

[PGerringer]

Don't launch another quark. Build one and just sit it on the table and stare at it in awe. As for your last quark, it has been swallowed by the ether. Sorry for your loss.

Moment of silence for the quark.

 

[Prowler901]

ROFL Yeah, that's a good idea.

Fortunately, I wasn't that attached to it It was more of an experiment. I was hoping to use it to check the winds aloft by watching the smoke trail. That way I'd have a better idea of how to position my other launches.

Perhaps I'll get a bit larger rocket with streamer recovery for that purpose.

Regards,
Todd

 

[rbeckey]

I use a Wizard on a B6 for windage. Tried a C6 last time and only found it by accident as we were leaving. Stick with a B6, trust me on this.

 

[PGerringer]

LOL, you didn't get a smoke trail did ya?

 

[Prowler901]

rbecky: Yup, the Wizard was the one I was considering getting to replace it. I'll keep the B6 in mind

PGerringer: Yeah, it's obviously not a heavy smoke trail. But, it's enough to see where it was heading.

Regards,
Todd

 

[Justy]

Everyone seems to think that the Mosquito is disposable... well, the Quark is just a Mosquito with a plastic nose!

We tried to two-stage a Quark once... didn't work so well, what with my brother using a 4-second delay on the booster stage. We lost the booster, but we found the sustainer less two fins, it had lawndarted into the street and Volvo-style crumple zoned the tip of the nose. But that's just the kind of fun you can have with Quarks.

Maybe Jim and I should try a Quark race, from plastic bag to launch, who can get theirs on the pad first...

There are the rockets you spend your time on, and hope to get back... and there are the rockets you slap together with some CA and throw at the sky.

 

[slim_t]

At least you got 2 launches out of it. I had a tiny rocket similar to the quark once (twister), also lost on the 2nd launch. The problem for me wasn't following the rocket's initial flight, but watching it when it kicked the engine. It seems that when it kicks the engine, it just explodes like a firecracker and you look around waiting for something to fall. Both times I found the engine 1st. the first time, I found the rocket by accident while walking around looking for a different rocket. The second time, nothing, lost forever. But hey, they're cheap.

slim

 

[PGerringer]

I launched a Mosquito once. Yep, once! It and your Quark are probably sitting in the ether sipping gin and tonic.

BTW: I didn't mean the smoke trail comment as a crack. My Mosquito had 0, yes 0, smoke. But I would buy another one...

 

[daveyfire]

When I went to COSMOS this summer (https://www.cosmos.uci.edu -- geek camp ) we built Quarks for a rocketry unit. I guess the state budget cuts didn't allow them to buy us reasonable kits <g>. Anyways, we mod'ed ours by CA'ing the two strips of balsa together, then cutting three fins out instead of four. We then stuck the leftover triangles of balsa together and glued 'em on the tips of the fins, Jayhawk-style. I'll see if I can find a picture. It flew very well. We lost one of the fins on the second flight, so we just tried it with two -- I figured the wingtips would provide enough stability. It went even higher. Then we CA'ed more motors on the outside and did a 3x engine cluster... we even got that one back. I guess that makes our group the record holders for number of flights on a single Quark

 

[wscarvie]

Originally posted by daveyfire
<Fun rocket camp story deleted for brevity>

Sounds to me like you spent far more of the State's money on motors than on the rockets themselves

Anyway, sounds like fun. I like the "Jayhawk-Quark' fin idea.

Will

 

[BlueNinja]

Heck, buy those things in bulk! I lost mine on its second flight at NARAM.

 

[arthur dent]

I did'nt know what a quark was untill i saw one in my estes catalog.WOW they look small no wonder you loose em..I think i might order one so i can join the "i've lost a quark club"

 

[BlueNinja]

I think there should be a plastic fin unit with the Quark. IMHO, it isn't worth the work of cutting balsa for a single use rocket.

 

[Stymye]

or the Quest pip squeak single use

or the second stage of a Custom rockets-Sam X

man I put alot into that one,just to watch it evaporate

 

[Justy]

Originally posted by Blue_Ninja_150
I think there should be a plastic fin unit with the Quark. IMHO, it isn't worth the work of cutting balsa for a single use rocket.

Yeah, but given that they're single use, it's nice if most of the parts can be biodegradable. Plus, a plastic fin unit would probably double the cost of your disposable rocket!

Hmm... if I manage to do my Level 1 next year, maybe I should try an upscale Quark... nice, simple design... follow in this guy's footsteps

[Edit: RockSim tells me that a 2.23x Quark (29mm), made from BT-55, PNC-55 and 1/4" plywood fins, will reach better than 5800 feet on an Aerotech H55W-10, kicking out a streamer a quarter second past apogee!... I need a big field!]