What did you do rocket wise today?

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We stopped at Walmart (a rarity) to look for a specific item for my wife and, while there, I wandered through the fishing section. All spring and summer they've been sold out of many types of fishing gear, specifically, the barrel swivels I like to use in my LPR rockets to attach recovery systems. Yesterday, they had some, but only one size. Lucky for me, it was a size I like to use. So, I bought three packs. I should be good for a while.IMG_20200916_204236178.jpg
 
Thank you, that’s just a fresh wet coat of sanding sealer :p
I did immediately learn to make the dowel longer. More room for the tool and the BT try piece. Next one I’ll try the round nosed scrapers too. This one was gouge followed by a Skew. And try to follow a OR printed template
 
Worked some on my Astron XL. The boat tail assembly is rather annoying but I made it work. Awaiting an order from Badass Rocketry for at BT60 fin guide with three 1/8” fins...but I’m negotiating with Ian on a custom fin guide for my LOC Blaster which is a non-standard 1.9 inch or 47.5mm diameter tube. Want to do it all in one order to save on the shipping.

BTW, Chris Michielssen’s Model Building blog has 7-8 posts on his Astron XL project. Very helpful. Thanks, Chris.

Paid a visit to the local Hobby Lobby and picked up two packs of Estes A10-3T motors, $5.99 each, for my A-Helicopters which should be arriving tomorrow. I also saw two of the Estes/Hobby Lobby collaboration “Vapor” kits on the shelf, $14.99 each. The Vapor is styled like a minimum diameter bird with an “impossible“ paint theme and a more reasonable theme for the rest of us.
 
HARA was presenting virtually to a group of students this morning. I was only there in an admin capacity and got to sit back and finish the Astron Explorer while our real educators presented.

Took off the last masking, epoxied the cones in, applied decals, and hooked up the shock cord with parachute.

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Our section, A.M.O.R.E.A in Indy, hosted a Cub Scout troop for a launch today. Probably had around 15 enthusiastic kids. They did a great job on their rockets and there was a surprising variety, including multiple flip flyers. I think we only lost a couple of rockets. Each kid got to launch at least 3-4 times. They were all using C6's after the A's ran out so there was some excellent altitudes achieved.
 
Five launches and five successful recoveries. Two launches on a 3x C6-5 cluster; one 10 ft long ASP Tall Boy, and my first two launches on a G motor, for the 4" LOC Goblin.
 
Cleaning and repairing the only flyers I have at the moment. Inventoried the kits in the pile trying to make a list of what I want to build next. While homeschooling a 7 yr old and taking care of a 9 month old.
 
More work on the Estes Astron XL..

Added the kevlar leader from the motor mount with epoxy. I tied a loop in the top end to just below the top of the motor tube but will need to make it a little longer and use heat shrink sleeving to protect the body tube. Planning to tie seamstress elastic to the end for a shock cord.

Been trying to find transparent Sterilite clasp boxes to store rocket kit parts during the build process. Using cardboard boxes isn’t working out that well. No parts get lost but I have to look inside to see the contents and they are subject to being knocked over.

Ordered a streamer for a minimum diameter bird from an outfit up in Minnesota. Have never done business with them before.

Did some research on the Jolly Logic Chute Release and I need to dig out one of the three I have and do some operational tests for verification... (Ddoes it shut itself off after pin release? Don’t think it does but want to verify. It if fact does NOT have any sort of auto-shutdown and will remain active for days until the battery is completely discharged.)
 
Started repairing my half-scale Nike booster. It fell from grace (actually from about 6k') after the laundry being deployed at M1.14. That was nearly 18 months ago. Front end mashed on impact. Fin can and rear airframe salvageable and will fly again. That's the first time one of my rockets needed to be dug out :( . The Apache sustainer made it to about 37500'.
 
Flew three rockets yesterday. One was perfect. One was meh. One was oh, crap... But the oh crap one will survive.
 
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Did some research on the Jolly Logic Chute Release and I need to dig out one of the three I have and do some operational tests for verification... (Ddoes it shut itself off after pin release? Don’t think it does but want to verify. It if fact does NOT have any sort of auto-shutdown and will remain active for days until the battery is completely discharged.)

Yup. After release it automatically powers off.
 
Thought about what a bummer year I've had for rocketry. I haven't built a single kit and I haven't attended a single launch. The lottery launches that the local club put on just didn't work out for me (though I fully admit that they were far better than nothing). Since I couldn't make launches I didn't acquire much ambition to build anything. I had hoped to build an L1 rocket this year and try to move up in the rocketry world, but I didn't even get around to ordering the kit because it looked increasingly like I wouldn't be able to make any launches. Sadly, that fear came true. Oh well. Luckily, there is no time limit, so as winter comes on and rocketry shuts down for the year again (I don't have an indoor workspace, unfortunately, so I'm limited to working outside only when weather permits, which the winter months can sometimes make impossible), all I can say is "next year, maybe?"

On the bright side, I did read a huge chunk of Stine's "Handbook of Model Rocketry," but I still haven't finished it. After completing that book, I hope to read about HPR and prepare for a better year next year. Maybe? Who knows?
 
Thought about what a bummer year I've had for rocketry. I haven't built a single kit and I haven't attended a single launch. The lottery launches that the local club put on just didn't work out for me (though I fully admit that they were far better than nothing). Since I couldn't make launches I didn't acquire much ambition to build anything.
I don’t normally launch very often in a good year, but inability to launch at all this year is really a wet blanket on my build enthusiasm. This despite the fact that the actual act of building is still incredibly enjoyable for me.

This too shall pass.
 
Next item in my foray with small competition kits, the stageable Spek altitude model by Apogee. Ive been doing little bits of part prep while the Astron explorer dried, and started building in earnest this morning during virtual church lol.

Neat little rocket. It has a configurable paylaod bay that can either be nose and transition alone, or have a tube installed for a longer altimeter. Has some neat buildability features too, like laser etched fin lines and an included jig

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