| Model |
Flt
# |
Recovery Type |
Motor |
Comments |
|
Luna 2-18 Express
|
1
|
14" plastic parasheet
|
2x Estes A8-3
|
This was the first test flight for my Descon 7 entry (the rec.models.rockets
Design Contest), the Luna 2-18 Express. This is a future/fantasy
historical standoff scale model of a nuclear powered Lunar liner of the
late 20th and early 21st century; as such, it has large wings like those
envisioned by von Braun and Heinlein when writing about the future of space
travel from the perspective of the 1950s. This model also has a cluster
of two motors mounts, which don't quite fit into the BT-56 airframe; I
solved that problem by adapting the motor mounts down to BT-5, of which
four will fit neatly in a BT-56; I used the space of the other two for
the second half of a baffle, which worked nicely to protect the parachute
(though the 18+ inches of dead tube space between the baffle and parachute
doubtless didn't hurt). There'll be more information on the construction
and "history" of this model in my Descon entry, which will also appear
in my fleet pages. For now, I was amazed at how little peformance
I got from the pair of motors; this rocket flies very much like a Big Bertha,
only on twice as many motors. That is to say, the two A8-3 were only
just enough motor, and the slow opening of the Quest parachute led to a
minor core sample, but the damage was very minor and I was able to relaunch
without repairs. |
|
Luna 2-18 Express
|
2
|
14" plastic parasheet
|
2x Estes B6-2
|
For the second flight, I decided to err on the side of short delay
to avoid a repeat of the core sample -- this time the delay was a bit short,
but there was no damage and the flight was still nominal; a B6-4 would
be just about right. As with the first flight, I also snapped a picture
as the rocket left the pad; of the three, I'm pretty certain I got the
rocket at least twice. |
|
Luna 2-18 Express
|
3
|
14" plastic parasheet
|
2x Estes C6-5
|
Third flight, I decided to put it all the way up -- and the flight
was just about perfect. A good fresh coat of baby powder on the parachute
improved the opening, and the rocket was just arced over at apogee when
it ejected -- no doubt about it, just like a Bertha, but on twice the motors.
This time the rocket drifted a little more, and landed in the edge of a
blackberry bramble, but the actual bush it landed in was some other sort
of berry without thorns, and I was able to recover the model without any
further damage (to me or the rocket). |