Picture Perfect liftoff!
Artemis / Pathfinder lifting off on the Aerotech F-35 motor. This is the first time any of my rockets have used this more powerful motor! -- Click on picture for a larger image
This picture was taken as Artemis / Pathfinder took to the skies on an F-35 White Lightning motor. More on this flight soon!
(October 23, 2011 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH)
Artemis rocket “Pathfinder” took to the sky for two missions on Saturday, October 22.
The first mission of the day (ALS-039) had a mechanical issue which resulted in a “very successful failure”. The failure was a result of a misfit on the door for the apogee deployment charge. This caused a loss
of pressurization which resulted in the rocket not separating into two pieces at apogee. The entire stack started coming in ballistic at a “scary speed”.
Now the successful part: After a couple of seconds of sheer terror and facing the possibility of a total loss of the rocket, backup systems kicked in, separating the rocket at around 600 feet. This slowed the rocket down enough so that the main parachute deployment system was able to function, and Pathfinder landed slowly into a small tree. I was able to easily recover it. WHEW!
The success comes in the fact that the backup systems worked totally as planned. This was a total relief as the system was designed purely around theory. (In THEORY, it should work), but there was no way to test it in the real world. ALS-039 proved it to work in reality. The rocket was able to recover from a close to 200 MPH ballistic decent under parachute with NO damage to the rocket or any other property. THAT in itself was amazing to see! Unfortunately, no video of any of the flights as our club consisted of a skeleton crew of 3 (including me).
ALS-040 was a total success with all systems functioning as planned.
The next series of flights (ALS-041, ALS042) are set for November 12. I am making a few changes to the booster section to lower aerodynamic drag, and also testing some subtle changes to the parachute deployment system.
The November 12th flights will be the final flights under the power of an F24 motor. The next series of launches (ALS-043, and ALS-044) will be flown using the F-35 motor for the first time. My highest power flights yet!
Starting next week, I will begin construction on another booster section featuring a 29,mm motor mount. This will allow Pathfinder to reach heights well over 2,000 feet! The first mission using that system will be ALS-045 which is set to fly in December.
((( )))
(October 8, 2011 – Aurora, OH)
Pathfinder performed wonderfully in three test flights using dual deployment technology, but in a small BT-60 diameter airframe.
Pathfinder on the launch pad.
The tests were a raging success! Only two missions were planned. After the second mission, we found that there was some minor wear-and-tear on one of the ejection charge canister holders. A simple masking tape fix was enough to prepare Pathfinder for an encore mission.
Here are some quick data points:
ALS-036 (Maiden flight) Max altitude: 1007′ Speed: 240 MPH Main deploy: 500′
ALS-037 (Second flighy) Max Altitude: 1056′ Speed: 265 MPH Main Deploy: 500′
ALS-038 (bonus flight) Max Altitude: 902′ Speed: 220 MPH Main Deploy: 400′
Pathfinder lifting off on the encore mission ALS-038
All three flights were met with cheers as the main parachute deployed on target at the pre-programmed altitude, and Pathfinder floated home with a nice and gentle landing.
Since Pathfinder is equipped with a Perfect Flite “Stratologger” as a flight computer, she had an additional role.
Missions ALS-037 and ALS-038 were spotted by the MTMA optical tracking crew. They were working as contributors to a national effort across many of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) club chapters in the country
to verify the accuracy of the peak altitude calculations from the Stratologger. This data is needed to qualify the Stratologger for use in NAR altitude competitions.
Pathfinder lifting off on it's maiden voyage, mission ALS-036
In that regard, we found the Stratologger to be completely in line with the tracking crew’s calculations, which were derived from the tried and true method of optical triangulation.
More information to come as I crunch through the data from these missions!
Enjoy the video below of the maiden flight of Pathfinder!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P7dbGp4eAM
Best to view full screen, maximum resolution (1080)
((( )))