21 ft X-Wing model rocket

[TXHokie]

Check out this model rocket of an X-wing

I'm no aeronautical engineering expert but I predict a spectacular failure. Hope they'll get a good video of it. It's still cool as hell. Launch date on Oct 10.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It'll fly. Getting a rocket off the ground is a simple matter of thrust to weight. It's not going to be an airplane that turns, changes altitudes and lands. It clearly lacks enough wing area for that. It'll go up, run out of thrust and land by parachute. Hell, you can make a 1957 Buick do that with big enough motors.

 

[Nerva]

wait... is that 1:1? it looks 1:1.... i

 

[Throckmorton]

If it was 1:1, those guys would be giants.

It's impressive as it is.. why would they fly/destroy it?

 

[alien42]

marked for oct 10, launch day

 

[DanTMWTMP]

oooo oct 6 launch day.. Hey, it's not too far from me! (well, about 1 hour drive...) I might check it out!

 

[RichUK]

I hope R2D2 survives the launch/landing. He?s my best friend.

 

[sager66]

Plaster Blaster

 

[LordMorpheus]

I don't know how they plan to land it - it won't glide unless they somehow moved the center of mass way back, and even if it did it'd be unstable as hell.

Top Gear's Space Shuttle was cooler.

 

[SSSnail]

It'll fly, heck if you strap some solid rocket motors to a rock, it'll fly too. They're not counting on aerodynamic efficiency to land the craft, they're counting on three large parachutes.

 

[ryan256]

I hope they mount a video camera in the cockpit before they launch it. Would be an awesome video.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: sager66
Plaster Blaster

That 7.65 Up Scale Comanche 3 is just crazy.
Launch date approaches

Psh, what a cheap Estes knockoff. :Q
The parachute doesn't even work.

 

[ballmode]

It will in Space, Hoth, and sometimes Dagobah

 

[lokiju]

Sweet

 

[sager66]

Flight Video

 

[Jeff7]

R-Twooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


It looks like the wings didn't shear off until it started to turn sideways. I guess the forces from wind and acceleration began to act more perpendicular to the wing surfaces. Maybe the future version will include a wind-tunnel test of some sort, and maybe better balancing.

 

[Henrythewound]

more like "flight" video

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: sager66
Flight Video

There is just 1 word of profanity for those who are sensitive to such things.

 

[swtethan]

Originally posted by: sager66
Flight Video

The real culprit


Text

 

[Darwin333]

Wow. That really sucks for the people that spent a ton of time building that thing.

 

[ZzZGuy]

-edit-, bah, read shot of the flight video... err -edit-

 

[Crucial]

NOOOOOOOOoOoooooooooooo!

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: Darwin333
Wow. That really sucks for the people that spent a ton of time building that thing.

Oh, destruction was always in the cards with that one. I am sure they mourned a bit, but also laughed their asses off about it

 

[lupi]

5 or so seconds of glory, and to hell from there.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I was like NOOOOOO when the plane ripped itself apart.

I need to make one of those, and its going to be made of something that doesn't fold like paper.