What did you do rocket wise today?

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Played rocket triage.
Change in plans for Saturday's "Breezy" launch. Predicted winds ENE 9 - 14 G 20 mph. The forecast has been for these conditions from the initial forecast and I see no reason to expect any change.
The multistagers and the clusters are prepped with starters and wadding. I had hope that conditions would improve, but I expect that they will be left behind on the shelf with some other stragglers.
The hanger queens will be displayed at the launch; but, alas, the launch countdown is on hold for winds.
The green box is full of rockets ready to fly on the edge. There is an unopened box of A - C engines underneath that seen in the picture.


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I am glad that you noticed.
I filled some of the embossing with a microfine felt tip. The tip fits into the embossing, then the embossing is used as a guide. It works good on painted plastic, but it is easy to slip. The ink mistake will clean up, mostly, with a damp rag, if done right away. It leaves a light smear. The ink does not work on unpainted plastic. I didn't highlight all the embossing because it was a bit tedious. If you did it all, it might be a little too much.

I am not sure why this isn't done more often. It's a shame that they do all that embossed detail work that is virtually invisible.
 
Gulped down a chapter on clubs and contests in "Handbook of Model Rocketry, 7th edition." This one included a lot of information that most of us here would already know, such as the NAR, though the rather dated book suggests writing to the NAR and doesn't mention its website. It does mention the www.spacemodeling.org website, but the site displays a "403 Forbidden" message for me. A search for the site turns up "JimZ Rocket Plans," which includes old pdfs of "Model Rocket News" and kits for sale. The chapter also mentions NARTREK (I'm about half way through the Bronze stage, but I'm not sure if I'll continue with my interests meandering towards HPR), NARAM and some national contests. As usual with the rest of the book, most of the dates mentioned range between the 1950s and 1970s. Today's vast Internet community and resources don't appear. Though badly in need of a substantial update, it's still a worthwhile read regardless. I have only 1 final chapter and an extremely short epilogue to go.
 
I usually get on this forum in the wee hours of the morning, so by what I did rocket wise today, I really mean yesterday.
I'm building two rockets at once. Well, actually I was almost finished with one then and started another.
Paint is on one, primer is on the other. Need to do a few other things and they will be ready to launch.
I can't launch, due to fire restrictions, and I now have, at least, half a dozen rockets that haven't left the ground. Probably eight, I'd need to go through all my rockets and figure it out.
I think I need to take a break from building till I'm allowed to launch again.
 
I got my level 1 certification today on a Loki H-90.
Congratulations!
Every time I see one of those jigs in use, I want to glue one to the fins for base drag and leave it unpainted.

A KitchenAid mixer showed up at our house. Sadly, it wasn’t for me to mix propellant. So, I started shopping for my own. Bigger, of course.
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Hobart is the industry standard for for tough, reliable performance, year in and year out. This used unit features a 30 quart capacity, service proven performance, and that classic Hobart industrial look. And all this can be yours, for only $3,450 (plus $190 for shipping and handling).
 
Getting ready for our 3 day regional launches in Las Vegas. Packed 24 rockets ranging in size from 7 feet 7 pounds down to 18 ounces and every thing in between. 12 high power and 12 midpower into our Explorer. Plus motors, etc, etc. Picking up a motorhome in Vegas for the weekend. Weather is supposed to be perfect. Mid 80's and wind speed below 5 mph. Going to make a level 2 attempt. I hope Lady Luck is with me.
 
Finally took some time off work and made some progress on my 4" Blue Origin New Shepard. Convenient timing I suppose with the recent NS-13 mission success. Have enough pieces made that I can show a dry fit to get the concept. Still a ways to go with the shape of the nose cone and the landing gear cover, but it just feels good to spend a day doing some building again.

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Hurt my heart..but removed the decals from my MRDM and started sanding down to naked to start a major repair.

when I moved recently the movers did a good job packing the rockets up, but MRDM got a cracked fin somehow. Going to do a tip to tip carbon fiber on all the fins and repaint.BFC258FC-093E-4F56-895F-A7DD63B86761.jpeg707EE175-B2E5-400A-B594-561C97813FCD.jpeg
 
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After picking away at it here and there for a few months, I finally finished "Handbook of Model Rocketry, 7th Edition." The twentieth and last chapter, "Where Do I Go From Here?" discussed HPR, but not in any great detail. It did say that HPR conforms to different regulations than LPR and lists the "High-Powered Rocketry Safety Code," which includes 16 items in this edition. Then it moves on to L1, L2 and L3 certification, but again at a very high level, most of which likely appears online. Along the way, it also mentions automated deployment, hybrid rocket motors (along with the www.flyhybrids.org website, which now seems to be about home repair) and www.rocketryonline, which also doesn't seem to exist anymore.

A very short epilogue basically says "thank you and good luck!" and then transitions into a series of appendices. These begin with important addresses and websites, equations for CP, the full BASIC code for RASP-93, STABCAL-2 and MRDR-2, schematics for a "triple-track tracker," reduction tables for three station elevation-angle-only tracking, sample NAR section bylaws and the usual bibliography and main index.

Overall, I don't regret reading the entire book. It had some very dated parts that really need updating, but it covered enough of the basics and history of the hobby to make it worthwhile. No one will learn the latest hot trends or technologies from it, but everyone will get a solid foundation on model rocketry, along with a number of amusing anecdotes and even a few intimidating-looking mathematical forumulas.

I'm curious to recreate the BASIC programs and see how they run in today's BASIC compilers. None of the programs look very complicated, so they should run just fine. I'm guessing that most of the functionality covered in that code now gets covered in other, and now more handier, formats. Has anyone tried to recreate these programs in JavaScript or a modern web language? It probably wouldn't be too difficult, but programs like Open Rocket and RockSim may now render these older programs redundant. Speaking of those programs, the book did mention RockSim at one point, but I don't remember seeing any references to Open Rocket.

Now I'm hoping to move onto an HPR book - many people on this forum have recommended Canepa's "Modern High-Powered Rocketry 2," though with the caveat that it's now a little dated itself. So, in these doldrums of launching, I can at least read up and prepare theoretically for my next step in HPR. We'll see.
 
Started building a MAC Performance 54mm Black fly last night. MAC kits don't seam to last long in my build pile (actually a mountain)! Looking at the website I'm feeling I really want the nosecone bay, I might need to pick up another kit with it!
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Also, this morning had light winds and some clearing sky's so I launched a couple G80's since the corn is now gone. Also got to play with my jolly logic chute release. Fun morning with a skidmark and a blue thunder.
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Put rockets away. Today's Tripoli club lauch cancelled due to new sod planting on or near the range. 😭 Strong winds today. The launch would have been edgy.

Made lemonade, so to speak, and managed to stow all my rockets in one place. There are a bunch of horizontal rockets stored behind the lower row. This clears the work bench for...you guessed it...another build. I have to have something to do between now and the November launch.
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This morning HARA did another Zoom presentation with students, then went out to do a build and fly with some scouts (Cub, not Boy. There is a big difference when it comes to following directions)

I also finally picked up a couple things I won in club giveaways. Hazard of no personal meetings, its the first time I've seen the club secretary in months!

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Hobart is the industry standard for for tough, reliable performance, year in and year out. This used unit features a 30 quart capacity, service proven performance, and that classic Hobart industrial look. And all this can be yours, for only $3,450 (plus $190 for shipping and handling).
Oooouuuuuuch!
 
Finished and flew Firefox SHX on an older AT E15W4 at AMA in Muncie, Indiana. Great flight, wind picked up and lost in the rocket eating corn. We recovered by keeping a bearing line on landing point and searcher carrying a 1/4" 8' launch rod with danger tape flag. Spotter directed the flag. Not GPS but it worked. A second kit had a corn landing and we recovered in five minutes or so. Here's Clint leaving the airbase! Cheers / Robert

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Started the day by driving to the launch site 'cos the club website was still showing this month's launch day as on the schedule and there were no email comms to say it was off this month. But alas..... no luck and no launching this month. 😢 Wasn't alone, though, as a couple of members of the public also arrived (it was meant to have been an open to the public day event originally). As they'd driven a long long way, we had a good chat and a bit of a "show and tell" session out of the back of my wagon, so it wasn't a complete waste of time and petrol.

When I got back home, decided I needed to tidy up the jumble of cases, motors and BP in my compliant propellants storage box by putting a couple of 12mm plywood dividers in it. 😁 The Pro38 6GXL motor and case plus other Pro38 cases fit perfectly in the top section, with the Pro24 6Gmotors and cases having a little nook of their own.

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I usually get on this forum in the wee hours of the morning, so by what I did rocket wise today, I really mean yesterday.
I'm building two rockets at once. Well, actually I was almost finished with one then and started another.
Paint is on one, primer is on the other. Need to do a few other things and they will be ready to launch.
I can't launch, due to fire restrictions, and I now have, at least, half a dozen rockets that haven't left the ground. Probably eight, I'd need to go through all my rockets and figure it out.
I think I need to take a break from building till I'm allowed to launch again.
I concur take a break.....until you can launch them.,
 
I sprayed the last set if stripes on my DS Mini. Once those dry, I have a few more accents in mine before adding the decals.

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No need for pictures, but I also sprayed the 2nd layer of primer on my DS Jr. I'll probably be able to move to the color layers once it cures.

For full credit, inspiration for the paint scheme came from one of the files @K'Tesh has shared for the Binder Design Excelerator and the paint on our helicopter and ambulances.
 
Got the flight computer wiggling the fins how I need to. Now to dive into Ardupilot and investigate the multitude of settings. Need to dial in some gains for the PID loops and also work out how I can use some inputs to turn stabilisation on and off during flight. Would prefer contact closure but can work with PWM. In the future I can hack the firmware and just use the internal accelerometer.

Based on previous flights the fins I have used are capable of quite significant torques on the airframe, so I removed them from the first prototype and might cut them down. I also might re-CAD them smaller and reprint. They look a little disproportionate when cut down.
 
Went out with some club folks to fly low power this afternoon

Tried to fly my little sabre parasite glider twice on my guiness record rocket (A8). 1st time the glider hopped off while still on the rod. Slight adjustment of the lug and it held on till apogee.....only to execute a perfect straight flight NW and never to be seen again.

Also flew a Flip flyer (B6), Skydart II (C6), and my Astron Explorer (E12) again with perfect results.

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