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LDRS XXI- High Power Rocketry, Texas Style
LDRS XXI
PHOTOS (click here)
Well, I've recovered from LDRS now, and I can confidently
say that it was the high point in my rocketry career so far. I've been to 3
LDRSs and this one was just as great as the others. Most of my time I spent with
the Gates Brothers crew, and I've never loaded so much AP in my life! We built 4
N2000Ws, 5 M1315Ws, and 3 J570Ws, along with installing these motors and 6
M1850GGs, 6 K1050s, and an M5100BB. All of these flights were successful in the
up part, but the recovery phase didn't quite work out as planned.
Aramis was Thursday's flight. Originally intended to
fly with a Hypertek Armageddon M1000, the plan was quickly changed to fly on an
N2000W. No big loss :). We had to test out the new castings of the N
grains. With reports of failures with J350s, we wanted to make sure that a
flaming cato didn't happen in the bigger projects the rest of the weekend.
We rolled her out to the pad (to many oohs and aahs) on the VATC, and put her on
the rail. The pad was armed (or so we thought) and we walked back to the
road. 5...4...3...2...1...launch...nothing. Oops, forgot to arm the
transmitters. 5...4...3...2...1...launch...nothing. Well, I guess
that the radio launch system doesn't work. Erik runs out to the pad to rip
the guts out of the DigiFire and hard wire it. OK, one more time,
5...4...3...2...1...launch. A pregnant pause, and then
FWOOSH-ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR the rocket is GONE. Kewl. Everything came
out right on the way down, and flight 1 was over.
Porthos flew Friday on an N2000W and 6 K1050Ws. However
(despite meticulous igniter preparations by Brother John and yours truly), only
the N2000W lit on the ground. Then 3 of the K1050Ws came up to pressure about 1
second in the air. You could hear the rocket scream and see the flame get bigger
as the motors came online. It only flew 4000 feet, as opposed to the expected
9500+. The recovery was by sheer luck. The drogue didn't get pulled out at
apogee as planned, but when the AARDs fired to release the mains, they came out
fine. The payload and nose were left flopping around in the airstream, which
eventually pulled out the drogue (now the main chute for the payload).
Everything came back fine, with the exception of having to slog through
ankle-deep mud to get it back. Yummy.
The Sumo flew on Saturday with an N2000 and 4 M1315s.
The plan was to bang the N2000 and 2 of the Ms on the ground, and airstart 2
more Ms at 7 seconds into the flight. This rocket was also carrying 2
bowling balls, a 16 lb and an 8 lb, for noseweight. Everything was ready
and we retired to the road adjacent to the pad.
5...4...3...2...1...launch. The igniters did their job and the Sumo jumped
off the pad on a trail of fire as long as the rocket. The airstarts came
in right on cue to the shouts of the viewers below. Burnout was achieved 6
seconds later and the rocket coasted up to apogee. I was standing next to
Tina Gates, and her comment pretty much sums it up: "No one should be this
close..." Yessir, there is no thrill better than hearing an N and 2 Ms come
up to pressure! The Sumo had a great boost to 12000+ feet, and drogue deployment
was successful. However, the chute had been stressed on previous flights, and
the fabric tore open, causing the rocket to stream in from altitude. The mains
deployed, but with nothing to pull them out, they never opened. It landed hard.
However, there was surprisingly little damage, and the bowling balls came back
OK.
The Bullpup flew on Sunday. Dirk made the usual pre flight
comments to the crowd, with remarks such as on board cameras, electronics, and a
predicted altitude of 5000 feet. A countdown, and yet another great
liftoff from the N2000W, and this time everything was working on the recovery
system. When the main came out, the nose cone pulled off just like it should,
but the main chute was slightly tangled, and it looked like an orange jellyfish
in the sky. The rocket landed not 100 yards away, and was not damaged at all.
Oh by the way, the altimeter beeped out 5-0-0-0; guess Dirk is getting pretty
good at that altitude prediction thing ;).
I also flew my one flight for the event on Sunday morning, my
modified PML
Phobos on an I195J with dual deployment. It was a perfect flight,
with the main appearing on cue at 500 feet.
Monday was spent prepping the Athos 2 stage. Tuesday was
flight day. We rolled the rocket out to the pad (that VATC comes in handy). Then
we installed the motors and made final preparations. The rocket was on the rail
and raised by 10:00, with plenty of time to go until the waiver opened at 2.
After lunch, we headed back out to the away cell. John Van Norman and Erik Gates
got up on the cherry picker to arm the electronics and start the camcorders.
This rocket was loaded with an M5100BB and 6 M1850GGs in the booster, with an
M1315W and 3 J570Ws in the sustainer. Everything was set to go, and the button
was pushed. The rocket hesitated a moment, then 2 of the Green Gorillas came up
to pressure. The rocket moved forwards slightly, and then the rest of the
cluster hit. With the equivalent thrust of a P16000, the rocket wasted no time
and hauled off the pad. Staging and airstarts looked great, as did the booster
under chute. Everything came back, but when the sustainer recovery crew picked
it up, they found a nasty surprise: the booster wasn't there. Deployment speed
was so high and at such an odd angle that it must have snapped the U-bolt open
right at the threads. Ouch. It is still out in Texas somewhere, I think. Other than
that, the rocket came back in great shape, with some scorch damage on the
booster.
So that was my LDRS. It was fun. For more details on the rockets, video
footage, and great pictures, visit the Gates Brothers' site at www.gbrocketry.com.
It's worth your time!
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