Big Red II finally takes to the sky!

Mar27
by cgould on March 27, 2011 at 5:06 PM
Posted In: XR5 (Aurora) Medium Power Booster

(March 26, 2011 – Middlefield, Ohio)

Aurora X5-03 booster “Big Red II” took to the sky in two amazing flights.  The maiden flight on an Aerotech E-18 (5) (Aurora mission AU-12) was flawless.  Winds were above 10 MPH, so the launch angle was quite a ways from vertical.  A slight bit of “rod whip” from the weight of the rocket caused a slight tail-end wiggle when leaving the pad, but Big Red II recovered immediately, and flew straight and true.

Video frame capture of Big Red II's maiden flight launch...

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEvzAtSRUvs

Flight #2 (mission AU-13) was just as spectacular.  Launch angle was a little closer to straight, and Big Red II screamed skyward to 1292 feet on an Aerotech F-24 (5).   On board camera malfunctioned on this flight, so we have no on board video of that launch.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ccdauRRxo

Post flight inspections show the booster and other sections of the rocket in great shape.  A little bit of soot on the fins from the flames bouncing up at the rocket from the launch pad blast deflector on flight #2 was the only sign of wear and tear this time around.

Frame capture froml launch video showing flames from the motor bouncing back to the bottom of Big Red II

The ejection baffle system and flight surfaces all look good.

Big Red II taking to the sky on flight # 2

Next scheduled launch for Big Red II is May 1st, 2011 in Amherst, OH.

Firefly’s next mission will be April 30th, and will also be in Amherst.  This mission will test the electronic parachute deployment system on an Aerotech F35 motor.

(((  )))

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Welcome home, Discovery!

Mar10
by cgould on March 10, 2011 at 1:05 AM
Posted In: CG's Rocket Thoughts...

Well….

Discovery touching down for the last time 3/9/2011

It’s been a bittersweet time watching the Space Shuttle program slowly come to an end.  Discovery touched down today (March 9th 2011) after a successful flight & mission.  It spent a full 365 days in space over its 26 or so years of service.

Job well done, NASA and Discovery crew!

((( )))

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Perseus X4 booster #05 under construction.

Mar07
by cgould on March 7, 2011 at 2:30 AM
Posted In: XR4 (Perseus) Medium Power Booster project

(March 6, 2011)

For the past few weeks, the booster section of the newest member of the Perseus booster family has been under construction.

Perseus rocket #5 will have a fun name.  In honor of my favorite Science Fiction series since I was a kid “Dr. Who”, the new booster will be named “TARDIS”.  🙂

I am not 100% sure, but this may be the last of the Mid Power versions of project Perseus.   There MIGHT be one more that would be specially designed for Dual Deployment.   I will decide at a later time.

Color scheme will be Orange / Black featuring the trademark Perseus color fade.

TARDIS will join Eagle and Columbia mid spring with flights designed to gather data points for use in a larger Level 1 version of Perseus.

The Fin Can structure was completed today (March 6th), and construction will begin on the ejection baffle system, which will be the same type used on the Aurora boosters.

Another feature borrowed from the Aurora booster program for the build of TARDIS will be the anti-zippering split airframe design.   This and the latest version ejection baffle system have been proven so effective that I am using them as standard parts of all my rocket designs from this point forward.

More information and build pictures will be posted soon!

((( )))

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Big Red II progress

Feb20
by cgould on February 20, 2011 at 5:46 AM
Posted In: XR4 (Perseus) Medium Power Booster project, XR5 (Aurora) Medium Power Booster

(February 20th, 2010)

Aurora X5 rocket “Big Red II” is progressing along.  Nice warm temperatures allowed me to get a coat of primer on the airframe.  Next step will be the trademark red speckle paint of the original Big Red booster rocket.

Big Red II with a coat of primer applied to the airframe.

The scheduled maiden flight for Big Red II is set for late March 26, 2011.   That date may slip into April if the next Aurora rocket “Firefly” flight is delayed another week.  Firelfy’s last scheduled launch window was scrubbed due to high winds at the launch site.   Next attempt is set for February 26, weather permitting and my personal schedule permitting.

Perseus Booster “Columbia” ready for service again.

Both Perseus booster “Columbia” has been removed from active service for some design modifications to include anti-zippering tech into its design, as well as a few other needed.  The scheduled flight for Columbia last January was scrubbed at the last minute in favor of Eagle because of additional maintenance needs found while preparing the rocket for that mission.   Eagle had some needed repair work as well, but it was in a better position to fly the mission.

Both rockets are now 100% ready for active duty in 2011.

Work has also begun on a new Perseus booster to add to the existing fleet.  Perseus booster X4-05 will be called “Asteria”.  Asteria will have a number of features that will extend functionality to the Perseus booster fleet, including facilities for light weight video camera, and extremely light weight altimeters.

As you can see, 2011 will be a very productive year as our rockets are taken to the next step of operations and experimentation!   More to come for sure!

((( )))

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Latest Updates (2/14/2010)

Feb14
by cgould on February 14, 2011 at 5:19 AM
Posted In: Carina Shuttle Project, General News, XR5 (Aurora) Medium Power Booster

(February 14th, 2010)

Feb 13th Launch window

The launches for February 12 / 13th were scrubbed due to high winds.  Saturday’s forecast called for winds of 20 MPH, gusting to 30 MPH.   NAR safety guidelines call for flying in winds less than 20 MPH, and anything over 15 MPH is generally risky for any of my rockets.

There’s a possibility of a launch window on Feb 20th, but we’ll see.   The next opportunity is Feb 26th – both are weather dependent.   The next launch is scheduled to be Aurora X5 “Firefly” to perform a dry run of our dual deployment electronics.  One flight on the Aerotech F-24, and at least one other on the Aerotech F-35 motor.

Big Red II status update…

The construction of Aurora X5 “Big Red II” is proceeding right on schedule.  The maiden voyage of Big Red is still scheduled for sometime in March.  The rocket is about 90% done.  Some unique features of Big Red II include an experimental process to provide additional protection to the leading and trailing edges of the stabilization fins.

As I have been flying the rockets in the fleet over the past year, I’ve noticed how pitted the leading edge of the fins have become from all the rough conditions of model rocketry flight.  The process under test with Big Red II should reduce this damage greatly.  We will see how well it works!

Carina Shuttle news

Work is progressing on the design of first mock-up of the Carina RC (Radio Controlled) boost glider “Shuttle”.   This work should be done by mid summer, and the goal will be for testing general aerodynamic properties of the glider design with the possible goal of fitting it with the required computers and electronics for self-correcting flight.  If no major re-design is needed, next year should see the mock-up glider with RC electronics added into the mix for further testing and refinement of the avionics systems.

At some point in the process over the next few years, a test rocket design with a boilerplate shuttle will be used to test the aerodynamic stability of the entire system under launch conditions.

More on this as it slowly unfolds.

There is your update from CPG Aeronautics!

((( )))

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