What
an exciting event. We started off Friday evening at Battlefield High
School in Haymarket, Virginia. We completed our registration and
listened to Trip Barber give us instructions for the next day. We were
pumped.Early Saturday, we traveled to the Great Meadows launch site and prepared for a launch at 10:00am. Here is a video around the event.
We finally got our chance to launch. Wind was out of the NW about 10mph. It was a beautiful launch -- straight up, but unfortunately it went a little too high. Recovery was a little long, but we got everything back. Our score put us in the middle of the standings. Here is a long video on the launch process with some interesting audio.
We were a little bummed by the score, but
wait -- we still were presented with a special award -- the shortest rocket
that qualified. Here are the
results (PDF,
Excel) for all the teams.
Lessons for next year...
- We over compensated by removing too much weight -- we took off 18 grams.
- We used an engine from a new batch, which may have been more powerful than the test engines.
- We should have used a smaller parachute on the engine section.
- Separate recovery mechanisms was a good idea.
- We learned how to load the altimeter without it triggering.
Our Launch
| Rocket |
Engine/ Weight |
Cargo/ Chutes |
Recovery | Results |
|
BT80-1 Video Score: 73 |
E9-6 268g |
Egg, Altimeter, Chute1-14in with 2in spill, Chute2-18in, Chute protector |
Vertical launch, Cargo recovery SE 500ft, Engine section SE 1500ft |
Height: 850ft altimeter Time: 68sec altimeter Altimeter Data |
Pictures
Team picture |
At the launch pad |
Chilling out |
Score Board |
Buzz Aldrin |
Special award |