XPRS 2009 Special Projects

The Dragon

2009-09-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Member: Justice Bradley

Club: dragon rocketry

Altitude: 16,000 ft

Motors: L2200G-P

Project Goal: Gain my level 2 certification as well as to get a successful flight of this three year project - and to have fun.

Astro Boy!

2009-09-07T20:47:00.001-07:00

Member: Jamie Clay

Club: AeroPac

Altitude: Good question to ask.

Motors: Aerotech single use Fs (or maybe Gs)

Project Goal: To make Astro Boy fly a good stable flight, more than once.

Katie 2

2009-08-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Team: Mike Yamamoto & Bill Inman

Club: AeroPAC

Altitude: 30k'

Motor: L330 (pending TMT approval)

Project Goal: TRA L record. This is the third attempt at the L record following on heals of last year's L600 motor flight. Last L600 flight had serious fin flutter that erased about 5,000 feet. Lesson learned: if it looks too thin, then it probably is!

Project Note: Actual rocket is the little fat guy on the left (just kidding)

Mongoose 98

2009-08-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Member: Cliff Sojourner

Club: AeroPAC

Motor: CTI N1100-P

Altitude: 33k'

Description: 3FNC all-carbon minimum diameter 98mm

CD3 for apogee
BP for main
one GWiz MC.

Note: This year using a Von Karmen nosecone instead of last year's conical, all-up weight matched to the gram.

Hopefully we will not repeat last year's yuck-truck-stuck-in-the-muck misadventure!

hopefully we will not repeat last year's yuck-truck-stuck-in-the-muck misadventure.

Patriot (1/2 scale)

2009-08-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Member: James Dougherty

Club: AeroPAC

Altitude: 15k'

Motor: Aerotech N3300

Video: N3180, Hellfire 14 2009 14K' AGL, won the 14K challenge

Project Goal:Test some new recovery system changes, fly the new Aerotech N3300 Redline

Pegasus

2009-08-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Member: James Dougherty

Club: AeroPAC

Altitude: 50k'

Motor: Aerotech N1000

Video: N1000 - Mudroc 2009 to 42.6k'!

Project Goal: This is a reflight of my 42K'+ AGL flight earlier this year at Mudroc. New electronics, booster, and aerodynamic refinements will be tested out.

The 4 Berthas

2009-08-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Member: Peter Clay

Club: AeroPAC

Altitude: Varies but certain to be achieved

Project: Had a bunch of Estes Bertha kits laying around and after building them thought, hey, I have a lot of 6" airframe sitting here so why not build a really really big bertha...so it goes..

Plan to launch them on their maiden flights in succession smallest to biggest.

Project goal: HAVE FUN!

Special Thanks to Evan Curtis, Jim and Becky Green for all the help obtaining and making the parts!

Space Mouse 3

2009-08-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Member: Kurt Gugisberg

Club: Rocketry Organization of California

Altitude: 52k'

Motors: M1315 to K700 to J570

Project Goal: The goal is to get three stages to fire in the right sequence and to go straight up.

Project Note: This is, more or less, the fifth try!

BiPolar Disorder (2)

2009-08-22T21:29:00.001-07:00

Member: Scott Berfield

Club: Washington Aerospace

Altitude: 15K

Motors: K550 staging to a J350

Project Goal: The goal is to successfully fly (and recover this time) a 2 stage high power rocket. Everything else is gravy.

G-Wiz HCX Altimeter
Beeline tracker

Project Note: A year ago, the three of us decided or XPRS challenge wold be to fly or first 2 stage rockets. BiPolar Disorder turned out to be both my first 2 stage and my first shovel recovery when the nozzle in the sustainer cracked and the violent corkscrew flight killed the electronics.

Mercury Joe Season 5!

2009-08-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Member: Jamie Clay
Club: AeroPAC
Website
Season 5 will feature new on board cameras and maybe two flights at XPRS!

Altitude: 2.1k'

Astronauts: Buzz Aldrin for the first launch - haven't decided who for the possible second flight.

If you haven't seen it, enjoy the promotional video produced for the Hasbro GI Joe convention in 2007.

U4EA

2009-08-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Team: Mike, Dave, Michael, Scott

Club: Washington Aerospace Club

Motors: 1 central N2300, 4 J250 CTI Skidmarks

Project Goal: The team set our sights on a group project for the 2009 flying season. Knowing that bigger is always better, we started with 24' of 12"dia tube. We wanted to maximize the "show" for the flight so we canted the four 54mm motors outward at a 15 degree angle to shoot the skidmark propellant out away from the central purple flame. First flight of U4EA at FITS 2009 was slow, graceful and nearly perfect.

Aim for XPRS 2009 is a second successful flight.

Electronics:

Garmin Astro for GPS telemetry and logging,
GWiz HCX (2)
PerfectFlite MAWD
Oregon Scientific Camcorder

Killer Quantum

2009-08-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Member: Jonathan DuBose

Club: AeroPAC

Altitude: 29,000+

Motors: M1297 / K250

Project Goal: Another configuration of my favorite flights -two stagers. This rocket is made up of the fin can of my Level 3 rocket "Killer Shrew" and the sustainer of my newly rebuilt "Quantum Leap" sustainer. Estimated maximum speed (sustainer)1135.6809 ft/s

Project Avionics:

Qwiz LCX for staging, drogue and main deployment(1000')
ADEPT ALTS2 50K as backup for drogue and main deployment (800')
Ozark Aerospace GPS unit (mounted in nose cone)
Perfectflite mini timer for booster chute deployment (15s delay)
Rousetech CD3 15gr cartridge for drogue deployment

Organic Carbon

2009-08-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Member: Allen H Farrington

Club: Rocketry Organization of California

Web Page

Altitude: 55-79K

Motors: M650W-M650W

Project:

Two stage
3FNC
CF Airframe
G-10 Fins reinforced with CF
Fiberglas nosecone

Booster: Perfectflite Mini Timer

Sustainer: Control for events, Beeline GPS for altitude and location

WhipLash

2009-08-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

Member: Aaron Stanley

Club: LUNAR & AEROPAC

Altitude: 5 - 6k

Motors: Aerotech J99 End Burning Warp-9

Project Goal: Flew this same rocket and motor configuration at Aeronaut 2009 and it weather cocked really badly off a short 6' rail. This time I will be launching from one of the a way pads in a hope that the longer rail will provide for a straight and higher flight then at Aeronaut 2009.

Angelfire

2009-08-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Member: Vern Knowles

Club: Tripoli Idaho

Web Page

Altitude: 10,300

Motors: M1419

Project Goal: "Kate" will be onboard for this flight. Kate is a computer synthesized female voice that narrates the flight in real time by making call outs of altitude, speed, direction, distance, descent rate and so on. The data for these call outs is supplied by an onboard GPS unit. I hope to connect Kate into the PA system so that everyone can listen in. She has been a big hit at previous launches.

XPRSso Love

2009-08-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

Member: Ken Biba

Altitude: 45k' AGL

Motors: N1000

Project Goal: Refly of my 45k' flight from last year with subtle improvements to lower drag and finally get the HD camera to work.

Electronics: HD camera. Dual GPS. Beeline telemetry. Temperature sensors for nosecone and leading edge of fin.

Project Note: If I get it back .. there will be a second flight using this as booster to a 54mm min diameter with K250.

Project Genesis: Ragnarök

2009-08-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Team:

Ian Timberlake
Brian Fix
Tom Shultz
Meng Lo
Megan Owen

Altitude: 13,000 +

Motors: AT I350, AT I600, KBA I370, KBA I310

Project Goal:

Research, design, and build a high-power rocket that is aerodynamically efficient.
Research, design, and build a high-power rocket with the optimal structural integrity vs. weight efficiency.
Presenting our findings in an educational manner in front of an engineering audience and on public display at Iowa State functions.
To launch the rocket at various class events and club events for demonstrational purpose as well as data capturing when possible.

Project Genesis is a team collaboration to explore the possibilities in advanced rocketry performance. Following the set objectives, our rocket Ragnarök, was destined to demonstrate the capabilities of a highly optimized design.

Aerodynamic research such as dynamic stability of a rocket, multiple forms of drag and Cd analysis, allowed us to begin narrowing down the design concept of Ragnarök to a rocket with great aerodynamic properties. The design is constantly being optimized as there is no finite high performing rocket. Post research work consists of aerodynamic/wind tunnel testing of different rocket shapes and components will be analyzed.

The design of Ragnarök will also be centered around its structural integrity vs. weight efficiency. Utilizing the strength of the composites will help minimize amount of materials necessary for construction.

Following the completion of the design, construction of Ragnarök will begin. Due to the carefully planned design, the process of construction will be highly detailed and intensely scrutinized by our team members to achieve best results.

Taking what we learned and applying it is important but it’s even more important to take what we discovered and sharing the learned information to a group of interested engineers and/or enthusiasts. The reason for explaining and demonstrating the research and design of Ragnarök is to spread our findings to an audience that could potentially expand on what our team learned.

Project Note: Our independent research project team from Iowa State University will be shooting for the "I" altitude record. It is not one of our primary goals but it's something we noticed we could potentially break once more testing was done.

Gladys and Phyllis

2009-08-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Member: Terry Leright

Club: Team one , Michigan

Altitude: Phyllis 60,000 ft Gladys 70,000 ft.

Motors: N3180 to N1100

Project Goal: Gladys and Phyllis are two totally scratch built rockets. Gladys weighs a little more than Phyllis but other than that they are almost identical twins. The goal is just to come out to Blackrock and try out some serious altitude.

Project Note: These projects will be recovered by GPSflight system. Right now they both have a 24" drogue in them but I am considering flying them drogueless.

The girls getting ready

Agent 99

2009-08-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Team:

David Cummings
Steve Kendall
James Marino
Ross Ohmen
David Raimondi
Craig Saunders
Cliff Sojourner
Charlie Wittman
Honorable mention: Mike Pettipiece

Web Page

Altitude: 99,000
Motors: P8900 staging to an N2100 (research motors)
Project Goal: Go damn high, get it all back, don't crash anything, and don't kill anybody. Don't go broke, and stay married.