Rocket Speed Records

[Bruce]

How fast has your rocket gone?

Is there a listing of speed records for rockets kept anywhere?

Has anyone gone over Mach 4?

How did you capture the data? And what motor was used?

 

[OverTheTop]

IIRC there was an O3400 flight that did M3.6 (might have been M3.66) back in 2015. That is the fastest I have heard of.

 

[3stoogesrocketry]

IIRC there was an O3400 flight that did M3.6 (might have been M3.66) back in 2015. That is the fastest I have heard of.

Ky's crew hit mach 5.2 if I recall correctly .

 

[Bruce]

How is the speed of a rocket measured?

Barometric pressure sensors or GPS would be the first things to come to mind.

What about using a Pitot Tube like airplanes use?

Has anyone tried this? What would be the advantages and disadvantages?

 

[3stoogesrocketry]

How is the speed of a rocket measured?

Barometric pressure sensors or GPS would be the first things to come to mind.

What about using a Pitot Tube like airplanes use?

Has anyone tried this? What would be the advantages and disadvantages?

Most fast flying rockets fly above where airplanes using Pitot tubes fly regularly . Unlocked GPS or Radar tracking is the most reliable .

 

[Bruce]

I'd be interested in hearing more about radar tracking.

Is the tracker on the ground or in the rocket?

Are there any limitations to radar tracking?

 

[Rocket501]

Radar tracking is often simply not an option for most amateurs as we don't have access to the facilities you would need or they are cost-prohibitive.

Amateurs can make doppler tracking devices, but those tend to have issues as well. Nothing unsolvable, but they aren't terribly common.

Almost all GPS we can get our hands on, even the special unlimited altitude ones tend to have a velocity limit (1000 knots or roughly mach 1.5).

As such, the most common way of measuring velocity is through integration of accelerometer readings.

It's fairly common for spaceshot attempts to break or plan to break Mach 5. That said, spaceshot attempts alone are not exactly a common thing, but I know several people and colleges working on them.