beantownJPL
Up up and away... Wait! Come back!
So, I'm new to the forum, but do have a pretty good model-building resume. I come from model aviation ... many complex scratch-built aircraft over the years. I got into rocketry a little over a year ago with my 10 y.o. son, and it has transformed my build bench (I can build 10 rockets in the time I build one airplane ...). I've devoured tons of literature, and now consider myself at least "moderately competent" in low to mid-power rockets.
I've been building the Estes 50th Anniversary Saturn V kit, targeting a July 20th maiden at a local club event.
I've recently become fascinated with the idea of building a flying model that would be the Saturn V Launch Abort System, truss and capsule. My "brain simulator" has become convinced it's possible, but there's no way I can really build this model in OpenRocket.
My back of the napkin calculations give me a 22:1 scale, using a BT-20 and some "off the shelf" nose cone for a total upper section length of ~18". I could probably build the truss from brazed piano wire, and the capsule using perhaps airplane building techniques (balsa and film comes to mind, but maybe even foam). Thinking I could power it with Estes mini T motors, but 18mm motors wouldn't be out of the question, but I'd probably want to scale up a bit for them to not look too far out of scale.
First, OpenRocket won't allow me to even build the airframe - no real way to build the truss structure. I could build the capsule, but useless unless I can connect it to the upper structure. Second, OpenRocket doesn't allow for simming canted engine clusters - I want the tractor design with the boosters in "the right place", which would require a 4-engine canted arrangement.
I'm not real concerned with absolute performance, but I want a stable design. My gut tells me that a tractor design with the bulk of the weight aft is inherently stable ... especially with a draggy capsule.
Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out there as a "brainstorming" session and see what you folks think about this model, and some good ways to proceed.
Also thinking about recovery. I could do a non-scale standard 'chute in the upper tube, ejected by the motors ... but being able to jettison the tower and allow the capsule to come down under a canopy would be cool ... maybe a streamer for the booster section.
This doesn't really need to be "true to scale". I think it's unique enough for "close enough" to be pretty cool all on it own.
Thoughts?
I've been building the Estes 50th Anniversary Saturn V kit, targeting a July 20th maiden at a local club event.
I've recently become fascinated with the idea of building a flying model that would be the Saturn V Launch Abort System, truss and capsule. My "brain simulator" has become convinced it's possible, but there's no way I can really build this model in OpenRocket.
My back of the napkin calculations give me a 22:1 scale, using a BT-20 and some "off the shelf" nose cone for a total upper section length of ~18". I could probably build the truss from brazed piano wire, and the capsule using perhaps airplane building techniques (balsa and film comes to mind, but maybe even foam). Thinking I could power it with Estes mini T motors, but 18mm motors wouldn't be out of the question, but I'd probably want to scale up a bit for them to not look too far out of scale.
First, OpenRocket won't allow me to even build the airframe - no real way to build the truss structure. I could build the capsule, but useless unless I can connect it to the upper structure. Second, OpenRocket doesn't allow for simming canted engine clusters - I want the tractor design with the boosters in "the right place", which would require a 4-engine canted arrangement.
I'm not real concerned with absolute performance, but I want a stable design. My gut tells me that a tractor design with the bulk of the weight aft is inherently stable ... especially with a draggy capsule.
Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out there as a "brainstorming" session and see what you folks think about this model, and some good ways to proceed.
Also thinking about recovery. I could do a non-scale standard 'chute in the upper tube, ejected by the motors ... but being able to jettison the tower and allow the capsule to come down under a canopy would be cool ... maybe a streamer for the booster section.
This doesn't really need to be "true to scale". I think it's unique enough for "close enough" to be pretty cool all on it own.
Thoughts?
