Nike Smoke Videos

I fought off a cold last week, and then on Saturday I had a big launch to attend, so I took some time off from building and #Rocketober posting.

But I've finished a couple videos in the mean time, so I'm sharing them here.

The Estes Pro Series II Nike Smoke, seen above, is a great rocket. It took me far too long to build - nearly a year - because I had too many projects on the table at once. But it came out looking great, and I've now flown it twice.

The first flight was on September 17, in Berwick, Maine, the same day I successfully did my high power rocketry level 1 certification flight.

My new NAR card with the certification on it came last week in the mail, by the way.

Very exciting!

The Pro Series II Nike Smoke (you have to make that distinction, because Estes now has a smaller, low power, BT-60 Nike Smoke) has a 29mm motor tube, which means you can fly a wide variety of larger motors in it. For these flights, I selected an Estes G40-7 composite motor. These motors were manufactured for Estes by AeroTech, who makes mid and high power rocket motors, both reloadable ones and single-use.

The G40 is a single use motor. It's a really fun one, with plenty of thrust, but a decent burn time of just under 2.5 seconds.

Compare this with the G80, another popular motor. The G80 is much higher thrust than a G40, is much louder, and burns out much faster. Both AeroTech and Cesaroni make G80 motors. The AeroTech motor burns out at about 1.5 seconds, and the Cesaroni at about 1.2.

AeroTech G80 thrust curve

Cesaroni G80 Thrust Curve

G80's are fast, fun, and loud. But for the money, I like a little extra burn time, so I was glad to get my hands on a few G40's.

The weather in Berwick was nice and sunny, but a rather windy. To keep my rockets on the field, I used a Jolly Logic Chute Release, set to open at 400 feet above ground.

The second flight was this past weekend, on October 15, in Amesbury, Massachusetts. The Amesbury field is smaller than the Maine field, and even though the winds were lighter, we had to be more cautious. With winds blowing out of the east, all rocket flights had to be kept to a lower altitude, to avoid rockets getting caught on the large power lines to the west of the field.

Again, I flew the Nike Smoke on an Estes G40-7 motor, and again, I used the Jolly Logic Chute Release, this time set to open at 300 feet. On the advice of the Range Safety Officer (or RSO - the person who's responsible for safe operations on the field), I angled the launch rail ever so slightly upwind.

Unfortunately, this time, I had my handheld camera on a lower resolution setting all day, so my video footage came out a little grainy. But on this flight of the Nike Smoke, I taped a small camera to the side of the rocket.

A cheap and easy way to get fun POV flight footage is to use a small keychain spy camera, called an 808 camera. These are (usually) very cheap little cameras which look like a car key fob. Some are of higher quality than others. Since they sometimes just stop working, I bought several of them for about $6 a piece.

Attaching the camera to the rocket is easy. Simply wrap some electrical tape around the rocket and over the camera.

The Quest Magnum Sport Loader with an 808 camera taped to the side

Here's the video.

You can probably hear the loud howling sound over the music. You hear that in a lot of 808 camera rocket videos, and it's from the electrical tape. The wind rushes over the tape and causes it to vibrate, acting like a large reed.

What I find funny about this footage is that, at first, it sounds like someone excitedly yelling "Whoo!" but as the rocket accelerates, it changes into a sound resembling a scream of unmitigated terror.

But I got a nice view of the fall colors on the ground.

I'll be back up in Maine this weekend. I hope to have some more video soon.

Follow me on Twitter.

Like my Facebook page for blog updates and extra stuff.

Have a question you'd like to see addressed on this blog? Email me at iamtherocketn00b@gmail.com.

Rocketober 10

All this month I'm posting photos on Twitter for #Rocketober. They'll appear here with slightly expanded text.

Still under the weather, I've only taken a few more steps on construction of Sky Wolf.

The rocket comes with two inch-long launch lugs for a 1/4 inch launch rail. Simply gluing on the lugs would be the simplest option, but I also consider using launch rail buttons.

Why? Well, a couple of reasons. The first is that a launch rail is a nice and sturdy launch platform. Last fall, I had some trouble with a few heavier rockets which was partly due to some wobbly launch rods. That probably wouldn't be an issue for this rocket, as those were clusters. But the rod-based launch pads my club uses can be a little tricky sometimes. The bases of them are metal fence posts hammered into the ground, and the heads are on a swivel. Sometimes I have trouble getting the launch rod to point where I want it to. Either I can't make it cooperate and angle it into or away from the wind direction as I'd like, or I try to get the rod perfectly vertical and I can't do that.

The NAR recently recommended angling all launch rods and rails away from spectators rather than launching vertically. However, this is a guideline, rather than a rule. Sometimes, depending on the direction of the wind or the proximity of the spectators, launching vertically may be preferable. You have to use good judgment for safety - as well as to minimize risk of losing the rocket (so long as you observe safety first). I have had a few rockets go nearly horizontal because they weren't launched vertically (mostly two-stagers) and leave the field. So I want the option.

Our rail pads are easier to control.

Most high power rockets use the 1010 rail button for a 1-inch wide launch rail. While people do put 1010 buttons on smaller-diameter rockets such as this one, they're a bit big for my liking on a rocket this size.

Another option is the "mini button" from rail-buttons.com. This is a launch button for the smaller metric rail, sometimes called a 2020 rail. Still very sturdy, but with a much smaller button. My Ventris uses these buttons.

On a rocket the size of Sky Wolf, the mini button is less obtrusive. It doesn't even stick out as far as the launch lugs supplied with the kit.

A third button option is the "micro button," also from rail-buttons.com. It's for use with a MakerBeam launch rail, and is really small.

Micro buttons do stick out further than they need to for the MakerBeam rail, but can be trimmed with a hobby knife.

Sky Wolf is pretty small, and not very heavy, so the micro button might work just fine. But if I fly the rocket with an H motor, I'm just not sure. So I decide this time to go with the mini button.

I drill two pilot holes into the airframe, directly into the forward and aft centering rings, offering more support for the rail button screw. A drop of thin CA - cyanoacrylate (superglue) - into the holes will stiffen the paper fibers.

Follow me on Twitter.

Like my Facebook page for blog updates and extra stuff.

Have a question you'd like to see addressed on this blog? Email me at iamtherocketn00b@gmail.com.

Rocketober 9 - "Rocket Wish List" and More Sky Wolf Building

All this month I'm posting photos on Twitter for #Rocketober. They'll appear here with slightly expanded text.

I've been battling a cold the past few days, so I haven't done much building or Rocketober tweeting. I had some time today, though, so here's what I've done so far.

The Apogee Components theme of the day is "Rocket Wish List." I have a lot of things on my wish list, but the biggest one is for Quest motors and Q2G2 igniters to come back.

Back to Sky Wolf...

Once the electrical tape was removed, the shock chord was securely epoxied to the motor tube. A bit of sanding was required, as some epoxy oozed down the sides of the motor tube under the tape edges, and you need a clear space to attach the fins to the motor tube.

The knot in the shock chord stuck up a little bit above the forward centering ring and hardened. While I could still get the motor mount into the airframe, the pressure would cause the airframe to distort. I sanded the knot down level with the centering rings. Since the knot isn't tied to anything, and is only used as a shock chord stop, this will be fine.

 The fins came wrapped in masking tape, which left sticky residue on the fins. This would need to be removed.

I decided to try my standby for removing sticky adhesive goo, Ronsonol lighter fluid. Goo Gone would work, but it would soak into the fins and leave a greasy residue, possibly ruining them. The lighter fluid would evaporate, making it a better choice. 

Just a small bit of lighter fluid on a swab takes care of the tape residue.

The fins are now all clean, and can be sanded.

First, I need to check the accuracy of the shape of the fins from my simulation. I printed out the fin templates on paper and laid the actual fins on them. The aft fin is just about perfect. The forward fin is pretty close - close enough for a simulation. The difference in center of pressure between my simulation and a "correct" one will probably be less than a millimeter.

This tool is called a sewing gauge. It's used for marking hems and button hole locations on clothing. I use it to mark guide line positions on fins when I sand airfoils or beveled edges. It costs around a dollar and can be found at fabric stores or craft stores, or anywhere that sells any kind of sewing supplies.

The leading edges of the forward fins will have a short bevel and rounded edge. I set the sewing gauge for 1/4 inch and make two or three marks about 1/4 inch back from each leading edge. I do all leading edges first, then adjust the gauge, and do all trailing edges.

The trailing edges of the fins will have a longer bevel - about 3/4 inch - down to a much sharper edge.

Once all the marks have been made, connect them with a ruler.

Now I have clear guide lines for sanding my beveled edges. I'll sand to the pencil lines, then stop.

I use my ruler to mark a center line down the edges of the fins. I make a mark, then flip the fin over and make another mark. Now I have a double line which gives me an indication of how close to the true center of the fin edge I'm sanding.

I've rounded the leading edge of one fin. By sandwiching the fins together, I can check the sides and make sure I'm sanding evenly. Then I'll do some touch-ups if necessary. See my pencil lines?

Once all three fins have been rounded over, I sandwich them together again and compare them. You should continually check your work as you sand so you can make things more even if necessary.

Look at the fins edge-on as well, to make sure things are staying straight.

When beveling trailing edges, again, stack the fins together to compare them. Make sure you're sanding evenly.

This one will need a little touch-up, as it's slightly uneven. And when I'm done with all three trailing edges, I'll gently go over all fins to take off the sharp transition between the flat part and beveled part.

When I install the motor mount, the shock chord must not be in line with any of the fin slots, because the fins will be attached to the motor tube. The shock chord must go between fin slots, and to keep things neat, I'll like it up with the launch lug line, as shown.

To make sure I don't get confused when gluing in the motor mount, I've made a pencil mark in line with where the shock chord is mounted. I'll line that up with the launch lug line, and everything should fit together just fine.

Follow me on Twitter.

Like my Facebook page for blog updates and extra stuff.

Have a question you'd like to see addressed on this blog? Email me at iamtherocketn00b@gmail.com.

Model Rocketry on TV

Edited

I'm pretty convinced that rocketry is a strong and growing hobby, even if those outside the obsessive community of rocketeers remain unaware of its very existence. It seems that model rockets had a much higher public profile back during the 1960s, '70s and '80s. While the hobby has never disappeared, and today seems to be having a new Golden Age, lay persons have largely forgotten about it.

But both model rocketry and high power rocketry have made several appearances on television recently, mostly in various commercials. It's fun to see when these things sneak into commercials and popular culture.

Here are a few examples I've come across in the last few months.

TD Ameritrade: Moments That Matter

 A girl and her grandfather launch a model rocket at the beginning of this commercial for personal investment services.

Mazda Summer Drive Celebration

This time, a father and son launch a rocket together, and apparently it goes so far they need to chase it down in the car.

Honda Ridgeline: A Car for Everyone

This truck commercial ends in the desert with a high power rocket launch.

Ford Drive 4 UR School

This one is by far my favorite. This commercial for Ford's community fundraising program prominently features a TARC team going through the process of designing, building, and test launching rockets.

The X-Files

Fox' recent miniseries revival of The X-Files had an episode with a flashback sequence in which Agent Fox Mulder launches model rockets with his son. It's a lovely depiction of a sunset launch. There's no video clip to post here, but here are a few stills.

Mulder prepares an Estes Mercury Redstone. It's a challenging build - Fox must have some serious modeling skills.

Freaks and Geeks

Finally, an example which isn't recent, but I wanted to include it here, because it's really great. The 1999-2000 show Freaks and Geeks, created by Paul Feig with Judd Apatow as executive producer, looks at the lives of some high school students - a group of "burnout" kids - the freaks - and a group of socially awkward kids who obsessively love things like Steve Martin movies, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and the high school AV Club. It's a touching comedy that takes a realistic look at the lives of 1980's high school kids without ever getting too mean.

In Episode 7, a new girl comes to school, and befriends Sam, Neil and Bill, the geeks. They invite her out to launch model rockets after school.

I really wish there were a video clip of this online, because it's a really fun scene. It not only faithfully depicts the realism of kids launching model rockets (as the actors are really doing the flying), it also really shows the joy of a launch.

Here is an interesting moment of unrealism which only a sharp-eyed model rocketeer would notice. See how Bill's Mercury Atlas appears to have no fins?

Check out the recovery system. A moment earlier, the shock chord was stuffed into the rocket - but it's not attached to the nose cone. The loop in the nose cone isn't even cut out.

This appears to be a short cut for filmmaking purposes. But the rocket never gets far enough to go unstable - or to come down with no parachute.

Liftoff...

...and CATO. Poor Bill!

I had seen Freaks and Geeks years ago, and it was one of my favorite shows. But when I recently re-watched it, I was totally surprised by this scene. The first time I saw the show was years before I got into rocketry myself, so I made no note of it! Check it out, if you can. It's a great show.

* * *

Model rocketry has made a number of appearances in movies and TV over the years, including some notable moments in shows like The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory. But The Simpsons is a cartoon, and in The Big Bang Theory, you never see a launch - the rockets are just the basis for a few rather unrealistic jokes. It's always nice to see the hobby represented, but I've chosen to focus here on more accurate depictions of model and high power rocket launches. It's more exciting to me to see the real thing.

Follow me on Twitter.

Like my Facebook page for blog updates and extra stuff.

Have a question you'd like to see addressed on this blog? Email me at iamtherocketn00b@gmail.com.