The Launch Rack Published by the Garden State Spacemodeling Society

National Association of Rocketry Section No. 439

New Jersey’s Oldest Model Rocket Club

Volume 31 Number 3 (Issue 174) May-June 2013

NARAM-55 & Molly Brown DOUBLE ISSUE! This Issue Chock-Full of Competition Plans, Designs, Tips and Techniques

To Give You GSSS – The Competitive Edge!

President’s Message

Arnie Klein

The March GSSS Launch

The March launch started off with

warm weather, and a light wind that picked

up later in the afternoon. Most of the people

at the launch were Radrockteers

members. There were no GSSS officers there

except myself. We launched a total of 46

rockets (measured by counting the left over

ignition wires). Two of the launches were "G"

level, and two rockets landed in trees, both were recovered. We had

two soil samplers, and two lawn darts. An attempt was made to have

a four saucer drag race, but two of the saucers failed to take off. A

attempt was made to use the Estes attitude measuring App with a

smart phone, but it did not work out very well. Over

good launch with a lot of congeniality.

----ArnieArnieArnieArnie

You can check out the iPhone application

Arnie mentioned in his President’s

Message at the Estes “Mobile” Web Site:

http://www.estesrockets.com/mobileapps. The app

looks pretty interesting and could have potential.

Additional information about each of the 4 program

apps can be found on the Estes Support page:

http://www.estesrockets.com/appsupport.

Hey! You think we could get rid of our optical

trackers, eventually? Then we could drop the

walkie-talkies too and just “txt” the altitude to launch base from the

iPhone and results could be posted to FacePage!

The Editor’s Pad

Dr. “Oooo - The Trooth Can Hurt” Bob KreutzI’m Still just “Acting” as the Editor…

Spring Means Contest Time!(You Can Clean Up The House Later…)

Oh Yeah? Tell that to my Wife…

WOW! Have you seen the schedule coming up??? Contests,

Funtests, Molly Brown Local Meet and then NARAM! Lots and lots of

COMPETITIONS! Do you have enough models to fly everything?

Well, maybe we can help out. I’m a bit of a technophile so, I’ve

scanned my plans and done a few online searches, even visited the

NAR Competition Model Plans site to come up with a few suggestions

for you, in case you’re sitting there scratching your head wondering

what to build. There are some wild ideas out there, but for the most

part, we’ll stick to proven designs and ones that work.

place to start is QCR, http://www.cybertravelog.com/qcr/

which carries models designed to “qualify” in just about any event.

There is just an incredible amount of information we would

to put in the Launch Rack this issue, just as a primer for each event,

but we can’t fit it all in! So, we have elected to fill the pages with

models and designs that you can use as potential qualifying entries

for both Molly Brown and NARAM. Some designs will be for the same

event in both competitions and will be designated so.

The March GSSS Launch

The March launch started off with

warm weather, and a light wind that picked

up later in the afternoon. Most of the people

at the launch were Radrockteers officers, and

members. There were no GSSS officers there

except myself. We launched a total of 46

rockets (measured by counting the left over

ignition wires). Two of the launches were "G"

level, and two rockets landed in trees, both were recovered. We had

two soil samplers, and two lawn darts. An attempt was made to have

a four saucer drag race, but two of the saucers failed to take off. A

attempt was made to use the Estes attitude measuring App with a

smart phone, but it did not work out very well. Overall it was a very

You can check out the iPhone application

ent’s

Message at the Estes “Mobile” Web Site:

. The app

looks pretty interesting and could have potential.

Additional information about each of the 4 program

apps can be found on the Estes Support page:

ou think we could get rid of our optical

trackers, eventually? Then we could drop the

talkies too and just “txt” the altitude to launch base from the

Editor’s Pad

Can Hurt” Bob Kreutz just “Acting” as the Editor…

Spring Means Contest Time! (You Can Clean Up The House Later…)

WOW! Have you seen the schedule coming up??? Contests,

, Molly Brown Local Meet and then NARAM! Lots and lots of

COMPETITIONS! Do you have enough models to fly everything?

Well, maybe we can help out. I’m a bit of a technophile so, I’ve

scanned my plans and done a few online searches, even visited the

ompetition Model Plans site to come up with a few suggestions

for you, in case you’re sitting there scratching your head wondering

what to build. There are some wild ideas out there, but for the most

part, we’ll stick to proven designs and ones that work. Another good

http://www.cybertravelog.com/qcr/, a Co.

which carries models designed to “qualify” in just about any event.

There is just an incredible amount of information we would like

this issue, just as a primer for each event,

! So, we have elected to fill the pages with

models and designs that you can use as potential qualifying entries

igns will be for the same

so.

Countdown 5Countdown 5Countdown 5Countdown 5

The GSSS Schedule for the remainder of 2013 is posted below.

As always, it has a little something for everyone:Apr 20 – Sport Launch (B Streamer Duration)

May 25 – Molly Brown Local Contest

1/4A-Helicopter Duration**

A-Parachute Duration

B-Streamer Duration**

Open Spot Landing

** NARAM-55 Events

Jun 29 – Sport Launch

Jul 22-26 - NARAM - Aurora, Ohio

1/8A-Parachute Duration Multi

1/4A-Helicopter Duration

1/2A-Altitude

A-Payload Altitude

A-Rocket Glider Duration

B-Streamer Duration

C-Dual Egg Lofting Altitude

Scale

Research & Development

Jul 27 – Sport Launch (1/2A Boost-Glider Duration)

Aug 31 – Sport Launch (4xA Cluster Streamer

Sep 29 – Sport Launch (Open Spot Landing)

Oct 26 – Sport Launch

Nov 30 – Sport Launch

Dec 28 – Sport Launch

Renewing Members

One & All!!Joe Dunay, Jenna Dunay, Dr. Bob Kreutz, Jude Mikolajczyk,

Peter Nein and Alex Nein

Molly Brown LocalMolly Brown LocalMolly Brown LocalMolly Brown Local

Participation is open to all NAR members in a geographical area

determined by the sponsor (GSSS) which simply means “anybody.”

Local Meets have a Contest Factor of 1. Entry Fees for Molly Brown

Local:

Division A (7-13 years old) Free

Division B (14 through 18 years old) $5.00

Division C (19 years old and older) $8.00

Division T (Registered NAR Teams) $8.00

Note: You must be an NAR Member with a valid membership card to

compete in this Meet.

National Association of Rocketry A

First of All, I can’t believe this will be the 55

55 YEARS worth of National Rocketry Competition!!! So, You going to

GO? If so, this issue of the Launch Rack will serve as a short “Primer”

as to selecting models and few techniques for successful

and sport flying. Ohh! Did I forget to mention having a great time at

NARAM http://www.naram.org/ and indulging in a week’s worth of,

yes, rockets, ROCKETS, ROCKETS!

Here we will present a number of designs for practically all

the NARAM events and 2 for Molly Brown, 1/4A Heli and B Streamer

being events at both-a chance to pra

Countdown 5Countdown 5Countdown 5Countdown 5----4444----3333----2222----1...1...1...1...

The GSSS Schedule for the remainder of 2013 is posted below.

As always, it has a little something for everyone: Duration)

Helicopter Duration**

Parachute Duration

Streamer Duration**

55 Events

Parachute Duration Multi-Round

Helicopter Duration

Rocket Glider Duration

Dual Egg Lofting Altitude

Research & Development

Glider Duration)

Streamer Duration)

Sport Launch (Open Spot Landing)

enewing Members – Welcome Back

One & All!! Dr. Bob Kreutz, Jude Mikolajczyk,

Peter Nein and Alex Nein

Molly Brown LocalMolly Brown LocalMolly Brown LocalMolly Brown Local MeetMeetMeetMeet

Participation is open to all NAR members in a geographical area

determined by the sponsor (GSSS) which simply means “anybody.”

Local Meets have a Contest Factor of 1. Entry Fees for Molly Brown

13 years old) Free

through 18 years old) $5.00

Division C (19 years old and older) $8.00

Division T (Registered NAR Teams) $8.00

Note: You must be an NAR Member with a valid membership card to

ssociation of Annual Meet

All, I can’t believe this will be the 55

th NARAM - that’s

55 YEARS worth of National Rocketry Competition!!! So, You going to

GO? If so, this issue of the Launch Rack will serve as a short “Primer”

as to selecting models and few techniques for successful competition

and sport flying. Ohh! Did I forget to mention having a great time at

and indulging in a week’s worth of,

ROCKETS! Here we will present a number of designs for practically all

the NARAM events and 2 for Molly Brown, 1/4A Heli and B Streamer

practice and hone competitive skill.

You may find a number of other designs on the internet by searching,

or simply visit the NAR Competition plans pages:

http://www.nar.org/competition/plans/competitionplans.html One design you could use has already appeared in the Jan-Feb-Mar

(2013) issue of the Launch Rack, the Sunday Brunch – for C Dual

Eggloft Altitude. You should note (from the NARAM.org pages): All

Altitude Events will be optically tracked. No fiddling with electronics

this time, so be sure to bring and familiarize yourself with tracking

powder and enhanced altitude visualization.

NARAM-55 and Molly Brown will be flown according to the

rules specified in the U.S. Model Rocket Sporting Code. Be sure to

review the regulations for the events being held! The worst thing

possible is to show up and be disqualified before you can fly because:

“I assumed the rules said such-n-such…” There are a few other

documents I have found, which may help with your designs and

strategy. http://www.narhams.org/library/rnd/StreamerDuration.pdf Is an R&D report by Chris Kidwell on the effectiveness of different

common materials that are used for streamer material. Another, by

Trip Barber, http://www.nar.org/competition/plans/pdf/Helicopter

Duration Presentation (Barber).pdf describes advances in the design

of helicopter duration models. I like a unique aspect of one particular

helicopter design on the NAR Competition Models page, by Bob

Kaplow: http://www.nar.org/competition/plans/pdf/Competition -

Rotacrock 20 Helicopter Model – Sport Rocketry.pdf. Kaplow’s design

incorporates tension bars (springs) for rotor deployment, instead of

the classic rubber bands.

Two events that we can’t publish models for are: Scale and

Research & Development (R&D). But, we can make a few suggestions.

If you’re flying Scale for the first time, purchase a bona-fide, true

scale model from Estes, Apogee or a major manufacturer. Many, if

not most, will come with supporting scale documentation and

photographs which you will need to submit in your scale pack. You

may not want to start with a Saturn V, but if its your favorite, by all

means go ahead. I’d suggest taking your camera and viewing all the

models entered in the Scale Viewing Room at the hotel. There you

will find some of the best craftsmanship and probably get a few

pointers on creating that masterpiece, museum-quality model. The

“Bible” of scale documentation is Peter Alway’s: Rockets of the World,

an absolute must, for building scale rocket models. Another good

source is: Small Sounding Rockets, by Richard Morrow and Mitchell S.

Pines. You should be able to find them on-line or on eBay.

Research & Development will send you back to grade school.

This event is a science project involving rockets. One place to start is

Tim VanMilligan’s 69 Simple Science Fair Projects with Model Rockets

http://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocket_Books_Videos/Books/69_Si

mple_Science_Fair_Projects_with_Model_Rockets. See the chapter

on how to do a science fair project based on scientific method,

written by Dr. Bob Kreutz. Other good sources may be found at:

http://www.apogeerockets.com/Tech/RD_Projects_from_the_NAR , which includes some tips on “what not to do…”

Competition Events – Potential Model/Motors 1/8 A Parachute Duration (MR) A Payload Altitude

Tempest - MicroMax II SkyQuestor - A3-4T

1/4 A Helicopter Duration B Streamer Duration

Mini-Rotaroc - 1/4A3-2T ASTRE/Barber SD - B6-6

1/2 A Altitude C Dual Egg Lofting Altitude

Zenith - 1/2A3-4T Sunday Brunch - C6-3 (5)

A Rocket Glider Duration Scale

Xebec - A3-2T Estes Kit - D-Region Tomahawk

Research & Development

Basic data and analysis Earn Flight Points

Test/vary 1 variable Eliminate additional factors

NARAM-55 “BEST OF THE REST” Schedule of Events Friday July 19th Tuesday July 23rd

7-8 pm FAI contestants social 7pm-9pm Cannon Auction

8pm-9pm FAI contestants briefing Wednesday July 24th

Saturday July 20th 5pm-7pm Manufacturer’s Poolside Social

9am-6pm FAI flyoffs 7 pm-10pm R&D presentations (A/B div.)

7-9 pm SNOAR Old Rocketeer Reunion Thursday July 25th

9-11 pm Beer Lofting 7pm-10pm R&D presentations (C/T div.)

Sunday July 21st 7pm-10pm Scale display/viewing

9am-3pm FAI Flyoffs Friday July 26th

7-8 pm Opening ceremonies 9am-5pm Competition Flying - Scale

8-9pm Mandatory contestants meeting 5 pm-6pm Pre-banquet social

9pm-11pm Scale and R&D turn-in 6pm-10pm Awards Banquet

Monday July 22nd

7pm-9pm NAR town hall meeting Take Full Advantage of all the Offerings!

Trick AND Treat!(?)Trick AND Treat!(?)Trick AND Treat!(?)Trick AND Treat!(?) or

“How to Eliminate Mis-Fires and Prep MMX Q2 Ignitors”

By: Dr. Bob Kreutz All too often, the Quest Q2 ignitors bend, crimp or

twist, shorting out the ignitor and preventing the launch. I employ a

little “trick” when igniting my single stage or booster motors. I spread

the bridge wire of the Q2 ever so slightly, bowing it out. This can

easily be done by inserting an unfolded paperclip between the bridge

wires and gently squeezing down with your thumb. Once placed in

the motor, the spread-apart bridge wires will have more intimate

contact with the propellant and

actually hugs the inside of the

nozzle - increasing retention! I

most often tuck a small piece of

tissue, wadding or flash paper

between the wires with a pencil

point to lock the ignitor in place.

No more mis-fires!

Descent Rate Calculator for Parachute Models 1/8A-PD at this year’s Nationals, is a Multi-Round event,

similar to FAI duration. MR is composed of 3 “rounds” each with a

“max” time limit. Flights over the max (in this case: 40s) and no added

time is awarded. Why chase that model for a 1/2 hour? Cool but Ugh!

http://www.onlinetesting.net/cgi-bin/descent3.3.cgi If you’re interested in determining descent times for Multi

Round, Predicted or Random Duration events, check out Jordan

Hiller’s online parachute descent rate calculator at OnLineTesting.net.

You will need to know the model’s mass (minus propellant weight),

expected altitude and parachute diameter. Projected altitude can be

obtained from projection programs or Apogee’s RockSim. Additional

information on design and properly sizing your parachutes see:

https://www.apogeerockets.com/education/downloads/Newsletter1

49.pdf

Before After Spreading

OK, First Off, if you’re going to fly a MicroMax model in

a COMPETITION, build it LIGHT! A 1/8A impulse motor does not

have a lot of “oomph” so every fraction of a gram counts when

you are building one! As a matter of fact, when I built my

SURGE, the heaviest part was the parachute! So make sure

you have a gram scale handy that can register 1/10ths of a

gram. Here are some ideas and strategies to keep in mind if

you’re flying 1/8A Parachute Duration (applicable to other

events as well!).

No launch lugs – although light in nature, launch lugs

are going to add up to 30% of the total drag on the model. Just

get rid of them and plan to fly your model either out of a tower

built for the model, or a piston launcher (floating head

preferably) for MicroMax motors – or both.

Materials: The only true “tube” you will use is the

short motor tube for the MicroMax motor (T2Plus from BMS or

Flis). You do NOT need a thrust ring – motor tape will prevent

the motor from thrusting through the model. The body wall

can be made from a number of materials, lighter the better.

They include Vellum or Tracing Paper, Printer Paper, Graph

Paper, Epoxy coated Tissue Paper. The technique is simple:

curl it or roll it and connect the edges with stick glue.

Centering rings are made from Index Card Paper – but it is too

heavy to make the competition body tube out of. Remember,

these are not models meant to last a great number of flights, 3

or 4 at the most, but just like in FAI International competition,

you only need maximum performance for the flights in the

event. When it is done, so is the model.

Parachutes: 2 problems – weight and folding. There

are 2 materials that suit micro-impulse motors, ¼ Mil Mylar

and Dry Cleaner Bag Polyethylene. Everything else seems

heavy and inefficient. Unfortunately, Mylar is stiff and relies on

the folds to “spring open” to deploy the chute. This requires

the user to NOT fold the material tightly and it becomes

problematic when trying to stuff a large chute in such a small

MMX tube. On the other hand, Polyethylene sticks to itself

especially in humid weather and requires talcing or baby

powder to insure it opens. Shrouds add weight too – use

sewing thread, the lightest you can find – but use more of

them! Increasing the shroud number to 12 to 16 reduces air

spillage from the chute and keeps it aloft longer. Use a round

chute – mine is made from dry cleaner bags, 12 shrouds. I use

silver mylar tape to connect shrouds to the canopy, punched

out round with a hole punch (put the tape on wax paper first

before punching, or it will just stick to your hole punch!!! ;-D

Nose Cone: Make your own. If you are going to use a

balsa cone, sand it as smooth as you can using auto body

sandpaper down to 2000 grit (it is made even finer!) and color

if you must, with magic marker. No sealant, no paint, they

both add weight. Then, hollow out the nose with a Dremel tool

to further reduce the weight. The parachute will be all the

nose weight you need. As an alternative and if it is available to

you, you can make a 1/2oz fiberglass nose or a vacuformed

nose made of thin 0.030” styrene.

Lastly: *Practice, Practice, Practice.* Never show up at

a competition with a model or design you have never flown

before. Make a boilerplate model and get a few flights in on it

to work out the bugs and any quirks, the model may have.

Now comes the tricky part: Getting a 20” parachute inside a tiny, tiny tube! This

chute is made from dry clear bag plastic & thread. It weighs 3.3 grams.

Forms & Molds used for making nose cones

Index card centering rings are

flimsy, use rims to strengthen

An epoxy-tissue tube can be formed on a paper cone.

Beware! Epoxy weighs a lot!!!

This one

weighs

2.2 grams

Tabs face the direction the body slides

on. Apply Stik-Glue to assemble tubes

I used a long T2 tube to center the T2+

motor tube, transition and centering ring.

Two holes forburning thread,1/16" diameter

2.25

14.5"

BT-5

Balsa BT-5nose cone

Hinge line location

2.5"

12" to end of tube

Rotors are 1" wide (chord), 12" long.Made from medium-light 1/16" balsa.Balsa should be somewhat stiff so it willnot bow outward much when folded forboost.

tiprootroot

roottiptip

12"

Rotors are fragile and easy todamage or break while sanding thetrailing edge. Below is how to sand thetrailing edge of all rotors before cuttingout from balsa sheet. Middle arrows point in direction ofleading edge. Top view for modelsrotating counter-clockwise

tiproot

roottip

1 2 3 2 3

Cut away rotor 1, thensand trailing edge of

rotor 2

Sand trailingedges of

rotors 1 and 3

1 2 3

Mini-ROTAROCPlans page 1 (Design & assembly)

How to tie elasticthread to hold

rotors for boost

Pull snug, then tie knot

1/8 by 1" slot tovent

ejection charge(not facing arubber band)

Launch rod goesbetween blades,fin, and body. No

launch lug isused.

Drawings show model which would rotatecounter-clockwise as viewed from above.

Top Viewof rotation

Klett RK2 hingehalves glued totube & wrappedwith thread, withglue applied to

thread last

PARTS: light 1/16" balsa (fins & rotorsupports), Med-light stiff 1/16" balsa(rotors), 14.5" BT-5, BT-5 nose cone,Klett RK2 model plane hinges (3), pinsor model railroad spikes, 1/16" by 2.25"rubber bands.

3"

2.25" long 1/16" rubberband, two may be

necessary for properdeployment tension

4"

.75

7/8 (.875)2.0

2.5

Grain

Full size fin (three)1/16 light balsa

Leading Edge

Trailing Edge Triple size airfoil shape (3" chord)

Actual size airfoil

to root

OptionalRotor tip shape

Leading Edge

Trailing E

dge

Full size rubber band standoff &dihedral angle support

(3 from 1/16" balsa, note grain)

split segment of 1/8" launch lug

Root,Glue to rotor

Pin or model R.R.spike to anchor

rubber band

Down angleachieved bytwisting outer

portion of blade

Twist tip of blade upnearly horizontal for

more efficiency, but willwork OK if blade is same

angle all across

Blade flat at root, mustbe angleddown outtowards tip to rotate

Blade angled at root,will rotate fine withoutany additional work.

Perpendicularhinge mount

New Skewedhinge mount

To Tip To Tip

BOOST FRONTVIEW OF MAJOR

PARTS (NOT TO SCALE)

Root

Mini-ROTAROCPlans page 2 (with full size templates & details)

ROTOR AIRFOIL

For best performance, buildmodel carefully so that partsare not grossly out ofalignment and so it willdeploy and rotate properly. Keep model lightweight inselection of parts, wood, andin construction. UseCyanoacrylate glue. For finish, use only 1 coatof thinned clear dope on finsand nose cone, 1-2 coats ofclear thin dope on rotors. Donot use any paint. Forcoloring, use magic marker.

Construction:

(Full size, top view)

Power: 1/2A3-2T, A3-2T, A3-4T

8-1/2"

8-1/2"

3/4"

dihedral detail

airfoil cross sectionD

C

B

exhaust port

1/2 Wing - full size

3/32" light C-grain balsa, airfoiled and tissued

grain

XEBEC-IIIA 1/2A - A rocket gliderAn original design by George Gassawaythat appeared in Jan. 1979 SNOAR News.Redrawn by Wolfram von Kiparski. 2001 National Association of Rocketrypermission is granted to make personal copiesfor the purpose of building this glider.

SHEET 1 OF 2

c

E (drill hole for thread)

Music wire spring detail - full size

side view

front/rearview

top view

aftend

aft end

Pylon - 3/32" balsa

B

10 degree tilt, max

boom stab

spring

rudderpins

Pop Elevator Detail

- tie thread to stabilizer at hole E.- hold stab flat against boom, and string thread around pins C and D and then though pod exhaust port.- tape end of thread to pod.- increase thread tension by pulling thread over pin B on pylon.

D

C

E

XEBEC-IIIA 1/2A - A rocket glider Sheet 2 of 2

Full sizerudder (make 1) 1/20" light balsa

Full sizeStabilizer (make 1) 1/20" light balsa

hinge line

Materials List

3/32" x 1/4" x 17" spruce boom3/32" x 3" x 16" light C-grain balsa sheet1/20" x 3" x 9" light C-grain balsa sheet2-1/2" BT-5 podshort balsa nose cone for BT-51/8" launch lugs4" 0.015" music wire for pop-elevator spring3 pins placed at B, C, D on pylon and ruddertissue or monokote for hinge material

D

C

2001 National Association of Rocketry permission is granted to make personal copies for the purpose of building this glider.c

You Can BEAT CHAD RINGS’S RECORD ! ! !

On August 4th

, 1993, I had the pleasure of establishing one of my

US Records in A-Payload Altitude. Optically tracked to 142 meters on an

A3-6t motor, the record stood for a decade until March 23, 2002, when

Chad Ring greased out just the 1% he needed, to take the lead with 144m.

I haven’t flown A-Payload Altitude since then, but with a few simple

modifications on this 1993 record setting model, I predict that you, yes –

YOU can BEAT CHAD RING’S US RECORD ! ! !

Why not give it a try at this year’s NARAM in Aurora, Ohio? I’ll

Help You! OK, the model you see to the right was made from fiberglass.

If you are able to make fiberglass models, this is an advantage: they are

strong enough and lighter than most paper/balsa models. With Altitude

events, light weight is preferable but “optimum” weight is the best. This

can be calculated using design and simulation programs such as RocSim

from Apogee. With a standard 1 ounce NAR payload , it is already over

optimum weight. Any weight saving measures will yield a higher altitude!

Remember This!!! Payload models are allowed to Separate into

2 pieces! [See: US Model Rocket Sporting Code (the "Pink Book") 25.4/3.5]

Don’t risk a DQ from a broken shock cord or lanyard – and for Pete’s sake,

don’t try to catch your model! The ejection charge will throw a 1 ounce

standard sand payload forward, with incredible force. Design the Payload

to return with a small strong parachute maybe 10”-12” in diameter. Use

Kevlar thread from Flis or Apogee for the shrouds – over the canopy! Let

the motor section return separately with a small streamer, 1/4mil silver

mylar, 1” x 10” long.

Modify the model with some of these suggestions: Use light,

strong 16 lb Kevlar Thread for the Lariat as a substitute for the Dental

Floss and 30 lb on the recovery Lanyard - only if you decide to connect

both halves, otherwise you can get away with 16 lb if it is just attached to

a streamer. If you have had problems with 16 lb light Kevlar breaking, use

the 30 lb heavier weight. The Lariat is sized to loop around and be tight

around the payload once it is inserted. The rear portion of the payload

itself serves as the shoulder of the payload section. 2 small plywood

squares glued opposite each other, inside the top of the motor section,

serve to support the payload and prevent shifting in flight. Instead of thin

plywood, Carbon Fiber Accent Plate, 0.008” (both sides glossy) from CST

can be used for the new modified fins. These 3 are slightly smaller and

thinner to reduce drag and placed all the way rearward. You MUST piston

launch this model! A floating head piston is preferable if you are familiar

with how to use them, otherwise a standard piston will work, as well. You

may also wish to launch from a tower for some additional stability.

Fly the model on an A3-4t. Buy a bunch of them, old and new.

Weigh your motors. Check the “fill” of the motors on the ejection end.

There are variances when Estes makes their motors. You want to find the

ones with extra propellant – they weigh more and are filled closer to the

top. When you have found a sufficient number of “overfilled” motors,

check the nozzles to be certain they haven’t been over-inserted, deeper in

the casing, giving you a false impression that the motor is overfilled. That

is why it is also important you weigh them. Lastly, scrape the inside of the

nozzle where the propellant is located. Sometimes extra clay from the

nozzle manufacturing process remains as a thin layer over the propellant.

It will prevent motor ignition and you will misfire. The clay is white-grey

in color. Scrape it with a pin or small screwdriver until a small amount of

the black propellant comes out. And Remember…

YOU CAN BEAT CHAD RINGS’S RECORD ! ! !

(and Mine as well !!!)

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The ULTIMATE The ULTIMATE The ULTIMATE The ULTIMATE

SOLUTIONSOLUTIONSOLUTIONSOLUTION (to last month’s GSSS Word Search Puzzle)

Hmmm, OK. If you’re reading this, let us

assume you didn’t solve the “puzzle” contained in the

April Issue of the Launch Rack. It was a little bit more

thatn a simple Word Search. Yes, it was a real puzzle,

with a real solution AND it actually was the real HIDDEN

CONTEST!

The funny thing about puzzles is the more

complex they are, the more clues they have to have in

order to solve them. Those clues are called: the

“DIRECTIONS” and for our contest puzzle, that’s where

they were. So let’s go through the solution:

First was the classic word search. You had to

find 24 words contained within the grid of letters. No,

NAR and USA were not inside other words, they were

there all by themselves. If you circled all the terms, you

should have had as your final grid mark-up:

If you read

all the DIRECTIONS,

you would have

noticed something

strange. Almost

looking like a typo,

certain words or

phrases were in

bold print, the first

one of which was…

D-I-R-E-C-T-I-O-N-S,

indicating the clues how to solve it were in bold. Your

second clue in bold was the word HIDDEN, indicating

there was something else in the grid besides a word

search. Now, solving the word search would be fun by

itself, but there was more – HIDDEN. Third clue was the

word ELIMINATION, yes, something else for you to do.

If you “eliminated” all of words in the word search, your

grid would look like this:

I told you –

it was not your

usual word search,

didn’t I? Let’s see

what was hidden

there according to

the directions. The

next clue in bold

were the words

BACKWARD, UP

and OUTSIDE THE

BOX. The only way to go backwards and up is to start in

the lower right hand corner, the opposite of where one

would normally start reading. Did you notice that none

of the word search words were in the borders? Reading

up you would find “SENDxTOxDRxBOB”. Reading

backwards from that point could also be found:

EMAIL/ME/BY/APRIL/THIRTIETH/ORBITBOYBOB/AT(@)/

COMCAST/DOT(.)/NET – the HIDDEN directions for the

HIDDEN CONTEST. You had to email me your solution

by then to that email address.

So far so

good? So what’s

the solution? The

last clue in bold

read BETWEEN and

FIRST FEW LINES.

Eliminating all the

previous answers

leaves us with the

remaining letter

grid. If you did not

eliminate the

answers, the hidden message or clue, could still be

found in the letters BETWEEN the word search answers

in the FIRST FEW LINES. The hidden clue read:

T-A-K-E/M-E/T-O/Y-O-U-R/L-E-A-D-E-R.

While that

answer would solve

the puzzle, you had

one more answer to

give if you were to

win the hidden

contest. So, WHO is

YOUR LEADER?

BARACK OBAMA of

course!!!!! Uh, No,

wait, too many letters for the first name. So, my GSSS

“Rocket-Science-Rack-Reader” Who IS Your Leader?

Well, its our good friend and President:

~ A R N I E K L E I N ~

Had you emailed me by April 30th

, with that as

your final answer, You would have been a winner in

GSSS’s first HIDDEN CONTEST. Feedback is appreciated

and an indication of whether or not you would enjoy

more of these brain-draining mind-benders. You might

be interested to know, that contained in the title of the

issue’s President’s Column was the phrase “Words from

YOUR Fearless LEADER” in italics. Now, admittedly, it

was in Spanish, but we did give you the URL of Bing

Translator just in case you haven’t taken your Spanish

as a Second Language classes yet!

“ “ “ “ PPPP aaaa rrrr tttt i i i i nnnn gggg SSSS hhhh oooo tttt ssss ““““

The Launch Rack

Volume 31, Number 3

Issue 174

May-June, 2013 (Back on Schedule…)

The Launch Rack is the official

publication of the Garden State Spacemodeling

Society and is published for the enlightenment and

entertainment of the membership. It is published

bi-monthly.

You are invited to send your articles,

photos, letters and hard earned cash to the editor for

his enlightenment and entertainment, ect., and for

publication. This publication is by and for the

membership.

Articles appearing in the newsletter may

be used by other publications provided proper

credit is given to the author and this newsletter.

Jack Sarhage, Chief Editor

24 Canterbury Court

Piscataway, NJ 08854

E-mail: gssshq@optonline.net

Dr. Bob Kreutz, Lackey to the Chief Editor

506 Hunters Road

Brick, NJ 08724-4614

The Launch Rack

c/o Jack Sarhage

24 Canterbury Court

Piscataway, NJ 08854-6206

May-June, 2013

Volume 31, No.3 (Issue 174) Expiring NARAM, 2013

1

2

Photos taken by

Fred Taverni with his

camera rocket. Picture 1

was taken at 160 ft and

shows the immediate area

around the launch rack.

Picture 2 was taken at 425 ft

and shows the surrounding

area.

The rocket is a

modified Aerotech Initiator.

A payload section was

added to house the camera

and related electronics. The

Rob Nee -designed AYUCR

timer controls an R/C servo

that mechanically depresses

the shutter button on the

on-board Canon SD-1000

digital camera. The AYUCR

timer is programmed to

trigger every 1.5 seconds

beginning at lift-off. A Raven

altimeter initiates recovery

deployment at apogee with

the motor ejection charge

serving as a backup and

records altitude vs. time.

Using this data it is possible

to determine the altitude of

each photo. The rocket

descends on two separate

chutes… one for the booster

and the other for the

payload. [REAL NICE Results,

Fred!– Ed.]