for the second attempt, the recovery system was overhauled. a piston ejection system
was constructed from light cardboard and epoxy, with a non-flamable cotton shoelace
to tether the piston to the thrust ring. the chute attached to a loop just beyond
the piston and sat furled inside the piston, insulated from blowby gasses with a
paper shroud.
the piston ejection system proved quite efficient and 100% effective in preventing
the parachute [plastic bag with fragile nylon lines] from melting into a lump of goo.
the base of the nosecone was also modified with putty, to fit the fuselage more
closely and slide out easilly.
a new motor was made with a 20mm internal diameter and a nice De Laval nozzle with
aluminum throat. it also had a built-in ejection charge chamber in the foreward closure!
integration!
anyway heres the launch:
relatively successful, though the ignition system gave a LOT of trouble.
i ran out of ignitors and had to go home and make more.
the launch rod was only slightly longer than the rocket itself, and just as it
was cleared, the nozzle came out. it was glued in with wood glue and the casing had
been hastilly filled with large-cored, irregular-length cylindrical grains with a
short solid section at the top for ejection delay. even without a nozzle, the thrust
was very promising. luckily a willow tree caught the rocket and held it while the motor
burned out, so it was completely un-damaged. the motor casing had to be removed in pieces
though.
[GO BACK TO INDEX.HTML]