LDRS 29: Launching My Brother's Ashes NOW WITH ONBOARD VIDEO!!!

[Amused]

Videos coming soon!

 

[Xonoahbin]

That sounds like a fantastically fitting way to pay respects to your brother. Looks like sending the rockets off worked impeccably. Good thinking!

 

[Amused]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N92rXMP9ECg

Now with onboard video!!!

 

[Drako]

Nice video :thumbsup:

Kind of cool that you can see the ashes during the parachute deployment at about 0:26.

 

[mundane]

..

 

[Amused]

If anyone here is into rockets and wonders how we get it to pop off the pad so fast, we build thermite igniters. No waiting for motors to come up to pressure. They just pop right off the pad!

 

[Drako]

That reminds me I was watching Science Channel last night, and they had the ads on for the LDRS show on July 5th at 9PM. I'm set up to record :thumbsup:

 

[Amused]

That reminds me I was watching Science Channel last night, and they had the ads on for the LDRS show on July 5th at 9PM. I'm set up to record :thumbsup:

Yeah, he ads are kinda silly though. The meet is much more structured and regulated than that. LOL

 

[Amused]

bumpity

 

[Amused]

Kinda shocked in a forum full of geeks so few think this is cool.

 

[Anubis]

i think its cool as hell i just cant see pics at work cause they is blocked

 

[SearchMaster]

It's definitely cool, Amused.

Noob question - how much does each launch cost?

 

[mcvickj]

A very cool and no doubt expensive hobby. Can you reuse a rocket over and over? Do you have to worry about any stress fractures?

That was some great video footage. What kind of on board camera?

 

[Amused]

It's definitely cool, Amused.

Noob question - how much does each launch cost?

You spend hundreds on the medium rockets (H-K motors), thousands on the bigger stuff (L-O motors)

The N3300R reloadable motor reload from Aerotech Motors that was in the center of the cluster on Porthos retails for almost $800 alone. Each of the 6 outboard K1275 reloads retail at about $150 a piece.

This is why most big projects are done by groups. The medium rockets and large single motor rockets are usually individual projects.

With the Rocketry association, you start small and get certified as you pass written tests and prove your knowledge with successful flights. There are three certification levels.

 

[Amused]

A very cool and no doubt expensive hobby. Can you reuse a rocket over and over? Do you have to worry about any stress fractures?

That was some great video footage. What kind of on board camera?

Yes, that's the point, actually. The launch is not successful unless the rocket is recovered intact. All rockets this launch were recovered successfully. Though my smaller Patriot rocket (flying on a J400) had a small "zipper" (a tear down the bodytube caused by the recovery harness) because it deployed it's chute when it's velocity was too high (nothing ductape couldn't fix, and she flew again). My late brother Erik really believed in building them like tanks, so all were WAY overbuilt.

The cameras were Kodak blogcams. That flat phone looking jobber they sell. I forget which model, though. We had two on each rocket: A downward facing and upward facing camera looking out the body tube and through angled mirrors on a hatchplate.

 

[MrPickins]

Very nice.

Any idea what altitude it reached?

 

[Drako]

Very nice.

Any idea what altitude it reached?

On a related note, do you launch with any sensors on board? It would be interesting to measure linear and gyroscopic acceleration, as well as altitude vs time.

 

[skyking]

Nice vid man. I have some experience with the ashes thing, I am the designated airplane deployer for family and friends.

 

[Amused]

Very nice.

Any idea what altitude it reached?

Porthos reached 6300 feet. The Sumo was a proof of concept project for our 1:10 Saturn 1B project. We put clear half inch thick Plexiglas drag plates on the Sumo's fins and two bowling balls in her nose to slow her down and see if drag plates were a viable option for slowing down a rocket. It worked beautifully and Sumo flew to 2300 feet. Without drag plates, the Saturn 1b project will fly supersonic and to 30+ thousand feet. We want to slow her down without making huge changes to her fin design.

We like to fly low and slow. At first you want to go as high and fast as you can, until you realize you can't see anything so high, and you chase your rocket for miles. Low and slow is the way to go and is the best crowd pleaser (though the best crowd pleasers are the rockets that fail with really dramatic and fireworks like effects, LOL)

 

[Amused]

On a related note, do you launch with any sensors on board? It would be interesting to measure linear and gyroscopic acceleration, as well as altitude vs time.

Both Sumo and Porthos flew with a Blacksky AltAcc2 that measures altitude and deploys the drogues and chutes.

 

[Amused]

oops

 

[PimpJuice]

Amused, sorry about your brother.

Thanks for sharing the pics, it looked like a great time. I'd love to check out a rocket launch in person.

 

[MrPickins]

Porthos reached 6300 feet. The Sumo was a proof of concept project for our 1:10 Saturn 1B project. We put clear half inch thick Plexiglas drag plates on the Sumo's fins and two bowling balls in her nose to slow her down and see if drag plates were a viable option for slowing down a rocket. It worked beautifully and Sumo flew to 2300 feet. Without drag plates, the Saturn 1b project will fly supersonic and to 30+ thousand feet. We want to slow her down without making huge changes to her fin design.

We like to fly low and slow. At first you want to go as high and fast as you can, until you realize you can't see anything so high, and you chase your rocket for miles. Low and slow is the way to go and is the best crowd pleaser (though the best crowd pleasers are the rockets that fail with really dramatic and fireworks like effects, LOL)

Interesting.

Low and slow does sound like a good way to go.

(I've had enough problems chasing down tiny Estes rockets I wouldn't want to track a rocket that hit 30k ft)

 

[HardcoreRobot]

awesome and very fitting

 

[Amused]

Amused, sorry about your brother.

Thanks for sharing the pics, it looked like a great time. I'd love to check out a rocket launch in person.

What state are you in? I can hook you up with your local HP rocketry association and you can find launch dates there.