Yogi's builds - to boldy glue, where ...

[Retired_for_now]

You're making some serious progress, Mike. Good on 'ya.

I've gotten the Titan to about 50 feet with a good stomp (and a hell-of-a-pop as it clears the tube, no damage though). Performance is going to be limited by the weight of a rocket this size.

I just posted plans and patterns for the stomp rocket launcher and the simplest rocket in the Toys and Automata section of the downloads (half and three-quarter inch PVC calibers included). The rockets are a one piece tube with one glued/taped seam, crimped top (glue or tape) and integral fins. This is the basic rocket I've used at kids' activities, they can make their own in 10 minutes with a scissors and tape - color to suit with magic markers.

Optional parts include a disk to reinforce the top and a cylinder and cone that slips over the top of the rocket to make a nosecone. Simple and light - these will easily exceed 100 feet and pop off the launch tube like a homesick angel.







Yogi

[mbauer]

Awesome, A big Thank You Yogi!

Best to use 90# or 100# Index for these. Strong enough to handle the impulse, but light enoug to float down.

The Saturn V went from 39.65 grams using 110# Index to 35 grams using 100# Index.

Really like your simple rocket! Will be a big favorite with the Challenger Learning Centers! Once I show it to them.

Will be burning a copy to the CD I'm taking to them.

Best regards,
Mike

[Retired_for_now]

You're welcome, Mike. That's what these designs are for - a little learning disguised as chaos.
I've been building these (and the Titan) with 65lb Wasau paper and haven't had problems (yet).
Yogi

[Retired_for_now]

And a little something to defend Jellystone against those "bear" bombers being discussed over on the Aviation Section.



Nike-Zeus was an early anti-ballistic missile developed from the Nike series of surface-to-air missiles (SAM). Defense in the 1950s was still thinking in terms of the 1000-plane raids of World War II and turned to nuclear tipped SAMs. The idea was to lob a nuke (5-40 kiloton dial-a-bomb) into the middle of the enemy formation and blast them all at once (and seriously singe whatever was underneath). Eventually, someone realized you wouldn't use large formations to deliver nukes - one plane to a city (or maybe send two if you really cared). The only formations were cells of a few aircraft that closed up for mutual support to penetrate defense belts, then dispersed to individual targets.

The Nike-Zeus was developed in the early 1960s specifically to intercept ballistic missile warheads. It was extensively tested and demonstrated the capability to close to within 200 feet of an incoming re-entry vehicle (a fact not stressed by critics of current anti-ballistic missile systems). With a 400 kiloton warhead (well over 20 times the yield of the nukes used on Japan to end WWII) 200 feet was a definite hit - and we actually set the damn things off during live fire tests back then ...

Sized to fire off from the 1/2 inch stomp rocket launcher.

Yogi (poking bear with stick not recommended ...)

[WeeVikes]

Yogi,

The Nike-Zeus is sweet, and thanks for the history lesson.

I presume this is, or will be available somewhere soon?

Thanks,


Mike

[Retired_for_now]

Weeelllllll, Mike. OK, testing completed. Will post in the Space section (or maybe military hardware if I can figure out how to double list it without double posting it). NB-posted in the Real Space downloads.

The (very light) basic rockets easily exceed 100 feet. The Nike, about twice as heavy with the booster section and nose cone, does better than 75 feet (standard, no-jumping, Yogi stomp on 2-liter bottle, somewhat used and crumpled by now). It performs a little better than expected despite the additional weight. More weight means less performance but the heavier rocket also stays on the launch tube longer - building a little more pressure for a longer period of time. Now there would be some non-linear equations to integrate (Maurice, anyone, Maurice?).
Yogi
NikeZeusStomp Rocket-Launcher.pdf

More fiddling/testing - a bit of clay under the removeable nosecone (dime sized, 1/8" thick wad) makes a very stable rocket with little effect on performance. However: it will no longer flutter back down to landing but comes in like a real lawn dart; lots of wear and tear on that nosecone.

[Retired_for_now]

And a quickie stomp rocket. Like the Titan, nicely finished and quick to build. We'll see how it flies tomorrow.



Yogi (filling up the demo box, must be time to go look for a venue ...)

[Retired_for_now]

And another in Mike's series of stomp rockets.

I left the pressure tube a bit long to make the center (sustainer) engine. Heavier than the Redstone, lighter than the Titan, it flies stably (at moderate stomps) even without fins. The outboard booster engine fairings seem to move the CP far enough aft to stabilize things. We'll try it with a really good stomp tomorrow.



Yogi

[WeeVikes]

Yogi, I'm in!

Those last two models have pushed me over the edge. I'm building a stomp launcher, like, oh, NOW!

There are times I want to go flying, but don't feel like dragging all of my gear out to the field, etc. This is great way to get my flying jones worked out!

Refresh my memory -- have you built a Saturn V yet?


Thank you,


Mike

[Retired_for_now]

Mike, check with mbauer for the SaturnV stomp rocket. I think the whole set is up at ecardmodels.
I've done a little SaturnV from Lower Hudson Valley (enlarged Burke design from the LUT kit) in paper and set it up for the straw rocket launcher (before it went to a school for display). Didn't work very well because I didn't put a straw sized thrust tube in it. Without something to confine the pressure, the air just expands into the volume of the rocket. It's on the left in the last picture in my first post in this thread.
Yogi