Parallel Staging

[GoBang]

As the warm weather approaches and MC2's first launch weekend looms, I am readying my stagers for action. I love stagers, and will have my beloved CC and Navaho ready for action, along with...drum roll, please...a Comanche. And then of course there's the new kid on the block, the Renegade,

Yes, I love stagers. What's not to love? Well, chasing boosters, but what the heck. Anyway, my point here--I did have a point--is that I would like to try parallel staging. I'm figuring a central sustainer powered by an E with a pair of Ds on either side that would drop away when they were finished firing and come down on streamers. Not an original idea, I know, but one I've not seen done recently. Anyone have any input? Stine's book mentions the concept but doesn't give any clues as to how the beast would hold together prior to launch and remain stable during thrust?

 

[jetra2]

GoBang,

You may want to take a look at my thread about a rocket using parallel staging. I am using a set of hooks and receptacles to hold the boosters on. There's plenty of pictures, so you can get a good idea of how it will work.

You can see the thread here

Jason

 

[Micromeister]

Yes, I love stagers. What's not to love? Well, chasing boosters, but what the heck. Anyway, my point here--I did have a point--is that I would like to try parallel staging. I'm figuring a central sustainer powered by an E with a pair of Ds on either side that would drop away when they were finished firing and come down on streamers. Not an original idea, I know, but one I've not seen done recently. Anyone have any input? Stine's book mentions the concept but doesn't give any clues as to how the beast would hold together prior to launch and remain stable during thrust? [/B][/QUOTE]

Your so right.. parallel staging is a very common practice, most use a set of balsa rails or sometimes even thin styrene plastic to slide the outboard pods into place, friction is usually enough to hold them in place on the rod. vent holes near the pod cones allow vented burn thru or even a short ejection delay to pop them off after burnout. sometimes a small notch in the rail is engaged with the knob on the stage to hold it until the burnthru and rusing air pressure slip them off.
This is more a merging of two practices Cluster ignition, and reducing the pod drag by half staging, Sort of the stage and a half system used by the Atlas missile.