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DynaSoar

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Dunsel (DUN-sil) [n.] 1: (From Star Trek episode 53 "The Ultimate Computer") A useless or extraneous piece of machinery. 2: A bird bashed together entirely out of spare parts.

I went for the second definition, with the additional requirement that as I went along the idea for the next step should make me laugh.

16" of BT50 with an E sized engine hook and an Apogee plastic cone.

8" of BT70 cut first into two 4" pieces, then lengthwise into four 4" half-rounds. These were glued on as "fins" with a bit of additional slice of BT50 over the joints to strengthen them as well as cover and strengthen the engine hook. The cuts were kind of fuzzy at first. After enough Deft spray lacquer sanding sealer, they were tough enough to sand down smooth on the edges.

The shock cord mount is a 20/50 centering ring/24mm engine block with an inch of bamboo rod glued to it facing down, and the elastic looped through that. This was shoved all the way down against the engine hook to double as an engine block. I protected the elastic shock cord by wrapping aluminum foil around the first 6 inches.

Even the paint job was left overs. Mostly fluourescent yellow, with highlights of the last of a can of fluourescent red. Somehow I suspect that if I'd actually tried to do airbrushing with 12 oz. cans it would have messed up, but since I was goofing around, it came out fine.
 
The tube fins weren't canted to spin, but they'd sure catch any wind and spin like a weathervane. Obviously (to me, at the time) this required helicopterish recovery.

Midway along the rather long shock cord I made a loop and ran that through a snap swivel. I took another span swivel and tied the middle of 8 feet of 1" streamer through it. The swivels were snapped together through the hub of an R/C airplane propeller.

Believe it or not the streamer and prop fit very well into the 24mm tube, due mostly to the fact that the streamer is tissue-thin plastic border marking tape.

The white tube in the pic is just some PVC propping up the prop.
 
The attachment widget failed twice on me so I figured I best post the message and try the pic again. Here goes:
 
dynasoar:

thats an interesting looking rocket design...can you take a rear view pic to show the fins better?
 
Originally posted by shockwaveriderz
dynasoar:

thats an interesting looking rocket design...can you take a rear view pic to show the fins better?

Sure, but it'll have to wait a bit. I don't have a digital, so I have to use up 27 exposures in a disposable camera and get those scanned. Give me a week or so and I'll have enough new birds to take another roll. I've been a busy boy.
 
Originally posted by shockwaveriderz
dynasoar:

thats an interesting looking rocket design...can you take a rear view pic to show the fins better?

As requested, the business end:
 
so how did you get the fins like that in that shape? soak them in water on a form? and does the model spin/rotate on the way up?
 
Originally posted by shockwaveriderz
so how did you get the fins like that in that shape? soak them in water on a form? and does the model spin/rotate on the way up?

The fins started life as 8 inches of BT-70. Cut once around the center, cut again in half lengthwise, and you get 4 fins with 180 degree curvature, 4 inches long each.

The fins aren't canted to make it spin, but they'll darn sure catch any wind and spin some from that.
 
very cool, it looks like a tube launched rocket with spring loaded fins
 
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