july – august 2005novaar.org › drupal6 › files › file › nfp › nfp_2005-4_jul-aug.pdf ·...

NOVAAR Free Press

of 14 January – February 2005

Inside this Issue Calendar................................................ 2 Editor’s Ramblings

A sad saga of a computer betrayed by the internet connection it depended on ...................................... 3

July Sport Launch A day in the outdoors flying rockets – what could be better! ............................ 5

August Sport Launch What could be better? How about another day flying!!!........................... 12

Competition Rocketry NOVAAR at NARAM 47 in West Chester, OH ..............................3

High-Power Rocketry The book, Modern High-Power Rocketry Updated ..............................9

General Rocketry Article featuring NOVAAR in the Washing Times ..................................7 Dear Mr. Estes” website ....................9 The book, Model Rocket and Construction Updated ......................10

Section 205

July – August 2005

NOVAAR Free Press

of 14 July – August 2005

NOVAAR Free Press July – August 2005

This is the official newsletter of the Northern Virginia Association of Rocketry (NOVAAR), Section 205 of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). This newsletter is a benefit of being a member – You are a member, aren’t you?

Section Officers President: ....................... John Hochheimer

[email protected] Secretary: ....................... Trip Barber

[email protected] Treasurer:...................... Keith Wancowicz

[email protected] Senior Advisor:.............. Ken Brown

[email protected]

Membership and Dues To maintain the clubs launch equipment and pay for our website we

collect dues. Dues are collected annually and are; $5 for members age 13 and younger, $8 for members age 14 to 18 and $10 for everyone else. A membership application can be found at many local hobby shops and on our website.

Meetings NOVAAR holds meetings on the first and third Tuesday of the

month, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, at the King’s Park Community Center in Springfield, VA. The most current topics to be discussed and directions to our meeting room can be found on our website.

Build Sessions Once a month, on the third Sunday of the month from 1:00 pm to

5:00 pm, at the King’s Park Community Center, the club gets together to build rockets and share construction techniques. The schedule and directions to our meeting room are on our website.

Launches NOVAAR conducts monthly launches at Great Meadow which is

located in The Plains, VA – approximately 50 minutes south of Washington DC on Route 66. Launches start at 9 am and run until 5 pm (10 am to 4 pm during the winter). The most current schedule and directions to Great Meadow can be found on our website. There is no charge to fly at club launches (motor sizes A to F). However, there is a $5 charge to launch high-powered rockets (motor sizes G to I -- the field is not large enough for bigger motors). AND, you don’t have to be a member to fly with us. Though, after you meet us and, realize that we don’t bite – as long as we take our medication – we know you will want to join. If weather threatens the launch day, our website will report the status of the launch by 8:00 pm the day before.

Website The club’s website (www.novaar.org) is where the most current

information about future club activities can be found. The site is maintained by... Webmaster:.................... Dan Winings

[email protected]

Newsletter The club’s newsletter is published 6 times a year or, as close to that

schedule that is humanly possible for the editor to achieve. The newsletter reports on the club’s activities and features articles written by club members about their endeavors within the Model Rocketry Hobby. The articles include, but are not limited to, topics on sport rocketry, competitive rocketry and high-powered rocketry. Send submissions to ... Editor: .............................Frank Prekel

[email protected]

Calendar

November 2005 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 NOVAAR Meeting

2 3 4 5

6 7 8 Election

Day

9 10 11 Veteran’s

Day

12

13 14 15 NOVAAR Meeting

16 17 18 19 NOVAAR Launch

20 Launch Backup

21 22 23 24 Thanksgivig

Day

25 26

27 28 29 30

December 2005 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 NOVAAR Launch

4 Launch Backup

5 6 NOVAAR Meeting

7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 NOVAAR

Build

19 20 NOVAAR Meeting

21 Winter Begins

22 23 24

25 Christmas

Day

26 Federal Holiday

27 28 29 30 Federal Holiday

31

October 2005 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

2 3 4 NOVAAR Meeting

5 6 7 8

9 Children’s

Day

10 Columbus

Day

11 12 13 14 15

16 NOVAAR

Build

17 18 NOVAAR Meeting

19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 NOVAAR Launch

30 Daylight

Savings End

31 Halloween

U.S. Navy Established

Member Only Launch atBoy Scout Camp Snyder

US Marine Corp Birthday

Pearl Harbor Day

National Guard’s Birthday

NOVAAR Free Press

July – August 2005 of 14

Editor’s Ramblings Greetings – A quick look at the legend on the left or the

date on the front cover and it is easy to see that this issue of the NOVAAR Free Press is a little late. Frankly, it almost didn’t see the light of day.

In early September, my computer was hit by a power-surge that apparently came in through my cable modem’s cable. The surge melted the modem’s power supply and burst several of the capacitors in the modem. The black tinged gray smoke produced was wonderful, it filled by apartment and set off my smoke alarms – by-the-by this is not the best way to meet the neighbors!

The surge traveled into the computer and hit the input-output controller, melted a few more capacitors on the motherboard and took-out the disk controller and the hard disk.

The loss of the data on the hard disk was the most painful, everything else could be replaced – the backups I had were made with a program that shipped with the now dead computer couldn’t be read by anything I owned or could borrow – the restore program on the disks would not / does not run under Windows XP.

In December, I found a controller that could mount the hard drive and recovered my files – ya-hoo!!!! From what I could tell everything has been recovered. Now, I am working to get the missing newsletters out.

As always, I am in need of articles (2-3 paragraphs, each 3-5 sentences long) and pictures for the newsletter of the club’s meetings and activities (build sessions, video production sessions, etc.). If you don’t want to play reporter how about a story about the last rocket you built or how you actually won the last contest. When done, pass your files to via email. See-ya on the launch field

Frank

Do you have your NOVAAR Hatpin?!?

And, it is available from Frank Prekel -- [email protected]. The NAR pin is available from NARTS (www.nar.org/narts)

The Flag Ribbon is out-of-print and no longer available.

Competition Rocketry

Qualified Competition Rockets Complete Line of NAR Competition Kits and Parts Sport Model Rocket Kits and Micro Maxx Kits

QCR kits have placed in NARAM's 31 – 46

For catalog, send Self-Addresses Envelope to … Kenneth Brown 7021 View Drive Springfield, VA 22150 Phone: 703-451-2808

www.cybertravelog.com/qcr

July 30th to August 5th – NOVAAR attends NARAM-47 at VOA Park, West Chester, OH

From July 30th to August 5th, 2005, NARAM-47 was conducted at the Voice of America Park in West Chester, OH and was hosted by the Queen City Area Rocket Klub (QUARK, NAR section 624 – http://www.naram.org/ and http://www.quarkers.org).

Eight members of NOVAAR attended NARAM –47:

Trip Barber, Jim Brower, Rob Edmunds, Doug Hillson, John Hochheimer, Andrew Hochheimer, Bill Parks, and Bob Parks.

All pictures borrowed from http://naramlive.com/.

NOVAAR Free Press


The events flown this year and notable placers – meaning, members of NOVAAR – are listed below.:

• ¼A Helicopter Duration Bill Parks placed 2nd in the A Division Trip Barber placed 1st in the C Division

• ½A Boost Glider Duration Bill Parks placed 1st in the A Division

• A Cluster Altitude • B Super Roc Altitude • C Streamer Duration (Multi-round)

Trip Barber placed 2nd in the C Division

• D Dual Eggloft Duration Calvin and Hobbs placed 1st in the T Division

• Set Duration • Open Spot Landing

Calvin and Hobbs placed 3rd in the T Division

• Giant Sport Scale • Plastic Model Conversion, and • Research and Development • R/C RBG Championships and the Team Selection

Bill Parks placed 1st in the Junior Division Bob Parks placed 3rd in the Senior Division

• US Spacemodeling Team Selection Trip Barber won a place on the 2006 team

Congratulations to all of the NOVAAR participants

NOVAAR Free Press


July Sport Launch

July 9th – Sport Launch at Great Meadow Just five days earlier NOVAAR was in Great Meadow

providing a demostaration launch for the people gathered to celedrate Independence Day. Today, gone are the concerns of providing a flawless demonstarationa and NOVAAR takes the field to fly for the joy of it.

On this Saturday, we were joined by a photographer frm the Wwashinton Time taking pictures for a future article in the in the Thursday, July 21, 2005 edition of the paper – the text of which appears on page 8.

NOVAAR Free Press


NOVAAR Free Press


Photographer

NOVAAR Free Press


General Rocketry

Model Rocketry and NOVAAR featured in Washington-Times Article

At the July Launch a photographer from the Washington-Times Newspaper joined us on the field. She was visiting to take pictures for an article that was being written for the paper. The article appeared in the Thursday, July 21, 2005 edition of the paper.

IT'S ROCKET SCIENCE

By Christian Toto Flying model rockets may seem like child's play, but tell

that to thousands of science teachers nationwide who lean heavily on the cardboard creations.

In May, more than 500 middle and high school students -- whittled down from nearly 10,000 contestants -- gathered in The Plains, Va., for the third annual Team America Rocketry Challenge.

Teachers nationwide incorporated those efforts into their own plans, letting the rockets' razzle-dazzle sell students on the physics of flight.

Trip Barber, vice president of the National Association of Rocketry, says the basic physics lifting model rockets into the sky is identical to the forces applied to genuine rockets.

A rocket kit straight out of the pack might fly to heights around 1,500 feet, says Mr. Barber, whose nonprofit group promotes the educational aspects of the hobby.

Some rockets can fly much higher, particularly models created by more skilled rocket enthusiasts.

After 1,500 feet, though, "you can't see it anymore," he says.

The average model rocket weighs less than a pound, thanks to its balsa-wood fins, cardboard tubing and light plastic nose cone. The rockets fly straight skyward, in part because of the fins, which are placed strategically on the main tube and stabilize the flight, much like the feathers that keep an arrow's path true.

Mary Roberts, technical services manager with Estes Rockets, says model rocketry is a legally defined term. A rocket must weigh no more than 16 ounces and contain no more than 4 ounces of propellant, Ms. Roberts says. Rocketeers can fly models with engines less than or equal to those figures, or they can fly multistage rockets whose combined thrusting material doesn't outweigh those standards.

Should a model rocket overstep those bounds, the flier must notify the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to fly the rocket, she says.

Ms. Roberts says even though her company's models use black powder solid, not liquid propellant, they still slice through the atmosphere just like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's rockets.

The engines themselves are categorized by a letter system in which the total impulse the craft provides doubles with

every letter change. A "B" engine contains twice the impulse power of an "A" engine, for example, says Ms. Roberts, whose company has been making model rockets since 1958.

Model rockets start at less than $10, with engines running roughly the same for a pack of three.

An "A" engine produces up to 2 Newton-seconds of total impulse, she says, a measurement unit used for rocket speeds that analyzes how many pounds of force are exerted for one second.

Alexandria resident John Hochheimer, a member of the Northern Virginia Association of Rocketry, says a garden-variety model rocket can be improved by using sturdy carbon fiber tubing for the rocket's main body. Most fall back on the standard balsa and plastic constructs, says Mr. Hochheimer, whose group has about 130 model-rocket enthusiasts.

Whether the rocket in question took weeks to build or just a few hours, the rocketeer wants to ensure that it floats back safely to earth after its voyage. The average rocket can be used over and again, assuming it isn't damaged when it returns to the ground and the safety wadding is properly inserted.

"We're building them to recover them," Mr. Hochheimer says.

These rockets return to earth thanks to a collapsed parachute or collection of streamers tucked above the engine. A smaller number of rockets are built to either glide back to earth or spin like a helicopter to retard their fall.

The heat generated by the engine normally would tear right through standard recovery devices, so enthusiasts turn to wadding to form a wall between the parachute and the engine's churning heat. Readily available wadding -- tissue-paper-like material treated with a fire-retarding chemical -- is the standard way rocketeers protect their parachutes.

The engines typically have a small charge built into them that releases a gust of hot gas to trigger whatever's between the motor and nose cone to deploy the recovery system, he says.

Dave Akin, an associate professor of aerospace engineering with the University of Maryland, says newer rockets employ backup systems to make sure the delivery system works as needed.

More sophisticated models use computers to fire the ejection charge based on barometric readings, Mr. Akin says. "If the [air] pressure goes up and it hasn't deployed yet, the backup system would trigger it," he says. In some cases, a radio-controlled trigger can be activated by the rocketeer to eject the parachute, he adds.

Mr. Barber says the rockets' payload sections also can carry miniaturized cameras so those on the ground can watch the flight from the rocket's point of view.

"You can see the ground suddenly pull away," Mr. Barber says.

Mr. Akin says the technology used by model-rocket companies such as Estes dates back "hundreds of years."

Even the ignition system is a model of simplicity. Rocketeers run an electrical current through a Nichrome

wire, a high-resistance wire like the heating element in a toaster, which ignites the fuel, Mr. Akin says.

Some igniter elements are coated with a black material similar to what would be found on a match head.

NOVAAR Free Press


"It's easier to ignite, and it burns hotter for a very brief period of time," he says. "Everything is a variant on electric resistance."

In the past, model rocket fliers could reasonably assess how high their creations flew with basic trigonometry.

The flier would stand a set distance away from the launch pad, then measure the angle of flight at its peak using a clinometer and plug those figures into a mathematical formula to calculate the height reached.

Today, some fliers install tiny computers with pressure sensors that register how air pressure drops with altitude, data that can tell when the rocket reached its highest point.

Model-rocket fliers need to act quickly when taking their measurements. The devices may be a fraction of a real rocket's size, but they can move at speeds quicker than the eye can catch.

"A typical rocket reaches 100 to 200 miles per hour," Mr. Akin says. "Some of the high-power rockets can go supersonic" (faster than the speed of sound).

General Rocketry “Dear Mr. Estes” Website

I was flitting around on the Internet awhile back and stumbled across this site (http://www.vernestes.com).

The text of the first page is … Welcome to my new Web Site (still under construction). This site will be used to communicate with the many

individuals who were involved with Model Rocketry back in the early days of the hobby. The purpose is to have you assist me in writing my long awaited book, Dear Mr. Estes. The title of the book is based on the planned use of letters from my large file of customers correspondence, received during our mail order years. That was back in the hey day of model rocketry, as I think of it, when we had just entered the space race with the Russians . The youth of America were captivated and just had to get involved. What an exciting time in our country's history. And, what a wonderful time we had together.

Each Chapter of the book will begin with one of those 'youthful' letters (or a recent letter) asking a relevant question or telling of an interesting model rocket related event. The book will tell about how Estes Industries started and the people who made it happen. Focus will be on the founding of the company and the events and challenges which led to the rapid growth of the hobby. It will tell about how we worked with you, our customers, to meet the needs of the youth of America as we entered the space age.

I look forward to your help as we put together an interesting recap of those wonderful days.

Vern Estes (More will be added to this site shortly, including a draft of

Chapter 1, and telling you more about how you can help out by communicating your own model rocket experiences, thoughts and ideas).

PS. For now you can contribute by email to: [email protected]

High-Power Rocketry

Modern High-Power Rocketry Updated Mark Canepa has updated his 2002 book, Modern High-

Power Rocketry: An Illustrated How-to Guide. The book has been expanded from 234 to 388 pages, which is manifested in an increase from 14 to 19 Chapters and from 4 to 8 Appendices.

The following is from the Modern High-Power Rocketry website (http://www.modernhpr.com/)

Modern High Power Rocketry: Leads You Step-by-Step Through The Certification Process

Add some ROAR to your rockets! Bigger

rockets get a lot of attention. And when they roar into the sky, they make a bold statement about the person that built them. They seem to say, "I've mastered the power of the rocket engine and have conquered the sky!"

"Like the sword of the knight--the heavier, the larger, and more covered with jewels, the more eloquently it expresses the hidden power of the warrior." Is this your rocket? Do your rockets express your hidden power and mastery?

If you want join those who have earned the title "Certified High Power Flyer," you'll need a bit of information on how to

NOVAAR Free Press


do it. Otherwise, you may look silly and foolish when your big rocket comes crashing down to the ground in a thousand pieces of confetti.

In this massive encyclopeia of knowledge, you'll learn much more than the basics of building and flying high-power rockets. You'll become an authority in advanced cutting-edge techniques that are just now being tried in high power rockets. This includes advanced electronics and parachute recovery techniques that most builders don't know about yet.

Illustrations Galore (and then some...) Getting into HPR may seem daunting. You've probably

heard horror stories of people taking years just to get Level 1 certified. But this book simplifies the process and cuts down on the time it takes to get certified by showing you through over 800 photographs and illustrations how to assemble your rockets. Seeing how it is done is a lot easier than trying to read about it.

For the novice, this book will show you how to avoid lawn darts and CATOs, core samples and zippers. You will learn how to create a bullet-proof recovery system, and how to choose the correct motor and parachute for your rocket.

For more experienced rocketeers, Modern High-Power

Rocketry 2 has several new chapters, including electronics and altimeter bay construction, Level Three certification, and building a Level Three rocket. The book also contains helpful case histories and interviews from rocketeers all over the world who provide their insights on how to be successful in high-power rocketry. Here is a list of the 18 chapters and 8 appendicies in the book: Chapters

Introduction: Welcom to High-Power 1. High-Power Rocket Motors 2. Level Once Certification 3. Level Two Certification 4. Motor Retention 5. High-Power Igniters 6. Ejection Charges 7. Launching the High-Power Rocket 8. High-Power Electronics 9. Altimeter Bays 10. Deployment and Recovery 11. Building the Level One Rocket 12. Building the Level Two Rocket 13. Clusters and Airstarts

14. Level Three and Beyond 15. Building the Level Three Rocket 16. Building Your First Level Three Motor 17. Cleaning Reloadable Motors 18. Introduction to Scratch-Building The Rocketry Toolbox

Appendicies • 1: Troubleshooting Chart • 2: NAR High-Power Safety Code • 3: Tripoli High-Power Safety Code • 4: Sample NAR Level Three Forms • 5: Sample Tripoli Level Three Forms • 6: Stephen Roberson Sample Diagrams • 7: A Few Useful Rocketry Websites • 8: Sample High-Power Checklist(s)

Sport Rocketry Model Rocket Design and Construction Updated

Tim Van Milligan of Apogee Components has updated his 1995 book, Model Rocket Design and Construction. The book has been expanded from 120 to 160 pages. The chapter on “Rocket Recovery Systems” has been split into three parts; “Streamer and Parachute Recovery Systems”, “Designing for Glider Recovery”, “Helicopter Recovery Design”. Two new chapters have been added; “Flight Testing” and “Starting a Rocketry Club”.

In addition to the new pages and chapters the book is now published by and is and available from Apogee Composites website. (http://www.apogeerockets.com/)

The following is from the Apogee Components website (http://www.apogeerockets.com/design_book.asp) So you think you know it all about building rockets? Here's a test: • What thickness of wood should you use for fins a rocket

powered by a D motor? • What are the nine types of fin construction? Rank them

from weakest to strongest. • What are the other five different recovery methods

besides: parachute, streamer, glider, and helicopter recovery?

NOVAAR Free Press


• What size wing do you need for a rocket glider using a "C" size engine?

• How does high power construction differ from small rockets?

How did you do? If you couldn't answer them, you'll be happy to know the answers are in the book Model Rocket Design & Construction. It was

written for modelers that want to build their own designs. This 160-page reference book is the classic "how-to"

design manual for model rockets. With over 453 photographs and illustrations, this is the book that will turn you from an average modeler into a real rocketry expert. I guarantee it! In this book, you'll also learn important things like: • Five "light-weight" ways to reinforce fins. • How to sand perfect airfoils into fins. • Four ways to secure a motor when using a minimum

diameter rocket tube. • How to make a fin alignment jig. • How to get a glass-smooth paint finish. • Two lightweight methods of strengthening body tubes. • Three ways to build rockets that don't require recovery

wadding. • Four ways to anchor shock cords in large rockets. • Eight types of rocket glider (RG) designs. • How to design helicopter recovery models. • Staging and clustering techniques. • Repairing damaged rockets. • And much, much more...

After you're done reading this book, you'll know more "how-to" information that most people that call themselves rocket experts. That is why you should order this book right now.

Many people have told me that this book is a bargain at just $23.95. Here's why...

Consider the average price of most Estes, LOC and PML kits these days. You know how expensive they are: $20, $40, $60 or more. It isn't like the good-old-days, when a $20 was the most expensive kit in the entire catalog.

To combat these higher prices, you should be designing and building your own rocket kits. For less than the price of most any medium size rocket kit, you can own this book. Once you do, you'll have the all guidance you need to make your own rockets. Most of the time, you can make them from inexpensive household items.

Imagine getting three or four new rockets added to your fleet for the price of just one "kit" rocket you bought from the store. And then do this month after month. In a year, you'll have a huge rocket fleet. By the end of the year, think of the money you would have saved! It could easily be in the hundreds of dollars in savings! Possibly enough to buy yourself a new flight computer or a arm full of reload casings.

I know you want to save money on rocketry. With the economy the way it is, you've got to scrape by on a limited budget for your hobby. That is why it is important to make every rocket count. Can you afford to have an expensive kit rocket go squirrelly at lift-off and smash itself into thousands of bits and pieces?

That is why you need this book. It will give you the guidance to design and build low-cost rockets that fly straight-and-true every time.

But more importantly, after the cheers and the applause die down when you launch your rocket, people will come up to you and ask where you got that cool looking kit. You may have a hard time convincing them that you designed and built it yourself (I know this feeling -- its often happened to me). Here is a list of the 20 chapters and 4 Appendicies in the book: Chapters 1. Getting Started - what do you need to know? 2. Stability: Getting Rockets To Fly Straight 3. Drag Reduction and Aerodynamics - Make them fly

higher 4. Construction Tools - You DON'T need expensive tools -

see why in the book. 5. Basic Raw Materials and Which Ones To Choose 6. Construction Techniques - Build strong, but lightweight. 7. Building Higher Powered Rockets - Special tips and tricks 8. Painting and Decorating - You want them to look good

too? 9. Repair Techniques - How to make them "show-room

new" again. 10. Streamer and Parachute Recovery System Design 11. Designing for Glider Recovery 12. Helicopter Recovery Design 13. Scale Models 14. Payload Rockets - What can rockets be used for? 15. Multi-stage Rockets - How to get the highest flights. 16. Clustered Engine Rockets - Big burly rockets with lots of

smoke. 17. Rocket Engines - Which ones should you use? 18. Flight Testing - Things to look for during the first launch. 19. Displaying Your Completed Model 20. Starting a Rocketry Club Appendices • Other Design Resources - where to get more

information... • Glossary • Index

NOVAAR Free Press


August Sport Launch

August 20th – Sport Launch at Great Meadow

Once, again NOVAAR took to the field to strut their stuff. A haze hung over the field the sky was overcast it was warm and air humid but, any day spent flying is a good day

Vertical Force Rocketry is a Woodbridge based dealer that sells model rockets from FlisKits, Semroc, Rockethead Rockets, Estes, Quest, Custom, Loc Precision, Edmonds Aerospace, and Aerotech. And, model rocket motors from Estes, Quest, and Aerotech. Check-out our website and sign=up for our newsletter to get the latest information about our products and services.

Look for us on the field on NOVAAR launch days. www.vforcerocketry.com/

Photo by Ari Nachtigal


NOVAAR Free Press



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