PEPP 1 Aeroshell REDUX

[JAL3]

Notice how I have avoided showing the "big picture" for a long time.

I think it will be respectable from a distance. Up close, it will look like what it is: a project out of my depth in which I gave my best shot.

 

[troj]

I think it's looking good, John -- way better than the one I built about 10 years ago!

You don't learn anything without trying.

-Kevin

 

[JAL3]

I have an all nighter at the hospital tonight. That is paying the bills for the rocket and the trip this weekend. When I get home in the morning, I will catch a few hours of sleep and see if I can put this one in the history books.

 

[JAL3]

The cone was put into place and then I wiped the entire model with a damp rag.

 

[JAL3]

The cone was then removed and given a coating of Future to protect it.

 

[JAL3]

The shroud was then likewise coated.

 

[JAL3]

There is plenty more I would have liked to have done but I am out of time. Tomorrow, I put on finishing touches, get everything packed up, mow the lawn, make nice to wifey and then leave for Dallas on Friday morning.

 

[troj]

Looks really good, John!

I'm looking forward to your flight report (and pictures!).

-Kevin

 

[JAL3]

And now, its done.

It seems anticlimactic.

 

[qquake2k]

It looks good! You put an incredible amount of work into this one.

 

[aerostadt]

John,

This is an interesting design with an interesting name! I am wondering how this model is propelled. I guess we will find out. Stay tuned.

Bob

 

[JAL3]

It will be propelled by 12 C6-0 motors, each canted at 30 degrees.

Those nozzles on the bottom are real.

 

[T-Rex]

I think it looks great! It doesn't have the "just off the show room floor" look that most of our rockets have. Your looks realistically used, ok maybe battle scars but realistic just the same. (the model railroad guys do this delibeately & call it weathering)

Good luck on your travels tomorrow & with your flights.

 

[JAL3]

I think it looks great! It doesn't have the "just off the show room floor" look that most of our rockets have. Your looks realistically used, ok maybe battle scars but realistic just the same. (the model railroad guys do this delibeately & call it weathering)

Good luck on your travels tomorrow & with your flights.

I used to do the weathering thing when I was into HO railroads. I gave it up because of a lack of room. Now my rocket stuff takes up far more room!

I like my rockets to look pristine, at least for the maiden flight. This one is battle scarred and so am I.

To think, my original idea was to launch it from a balloon by remote control just like the original! I didn't even do drugs in the 60s or 70s.

 

[qquake2k]

It will be propelled by 12 C6-0 motors, each canted at 30 degrees.

Those nozzles on the bottom are real.

Succeed or fail, it will be an epic flight!

 

[JAL3]

Succeed or fail, it will be an epic flight!

It figures. Most of the epics I read are pretty hard on the protagonist. In fact, he doesn't always survive!

 

[JAL3]

The big day finally arrived. My PEPP 1 Aeroshell was entered in the NASA Spaceship competition at the 2012 DARS Classic. This event is not an NAR competition. It is basically a beauty contest where the gallery casts votes. My PEPP was certainly no beauty, objectively speaking, but she was a beauty to me.

The first step was to friction fit all 12 Estes C6-0 motors. I went with the 0 because I knew that altitude would be low and that braking would be instantaneous. I also know that an 0 can deploy the laundry.

 

[JAL3]

The next step was to insert a dozen Quest long lead igniters bought specifically for this project when I first began it.

 

[JAL3]

Then the leads had to be paired up and twisted together.

 

[JAL3]

Setting up on the pad had its own issues. Because of the location of the launch lug hole, the main body was set on the rod first. then wadding was inserted followed by the chute forming a donut around the rod. Finally, the nose cone was slipped onto the rod, aligned and put in place. All of this naturally disturbed the igniters and some time was spent getting them all back into place.

 

[JAL3]

After spending some time setting it up, I could finally get some pictures of it ready to go.

 

[JAL3]

Then it was a waiting game. The low power pads had to clear and the wind was really fearsome. The wind was probably by biggest worry but, after all these years and 6 hours of driving to get there, I was not going to miss my chance.

 

[JAL3]

Finally came the moment of truth. We had ignition. Blow up the photo and take a look at those canted flames!

 

[JAL3]

It left the rod and then did what saucers do. It headed right into the wind.

 

[JAL3]

It continued going more and more horizontal. As it lost vertical thrust, it started to sink some but it was stable.

 

[JAL3]

All of the sudden, thrust was over and, with no delay, it popped its top. The chute came out but had no chance to open in the available altitude. Still, it was a saucer and aerobraked down with no damage.

 

[JAL3]

The first thing I did when I got to the saucer was flip it. All 12 motors had ignited.

 

[JAL3]

Some not so final thoughts:

IT WORKED!!!!!

It was stable but the high wind did not make for a good flight. I want to fly this one at least twice more.

I want to try it with the same configuration on a windless day. I suspect it will behave much better. On the maiden flight, it never got much over 30 feet. I think I could triple that without wind.

If that works, I want to try it with some Aerotech Ds. That will be an expensive proposition and I need to do some testing first. I want to try dipping the Quest igniters and see if that will reliably ignited Blue Thunder propellant.

This one is not done yet.

 

[aerostadt]

Are those Q2G2 igniters? They are expensive, but they are good for clustering. I tend to believe that they will work for small composite motors, but, of course, you may want to do testing. I tend to think that dipping those igniters in pyrogen will make them to large to fit through a small composite motor unless the dipping is very very light.

 

[Rocket86]

Congratulations on the launch! After all that work it must have felt good to see it work. Hopefully you can fly it on a calm day. All those canted flames look very impressive.