Apollo Spacecraft  Explorer Post 1010
Engineering Exploring Program
Launch - February 23, 2019
Lunar Module

Project Home

On Saturday, February 23, members from all teams traveled to the Walkersville launch site for test flights. The day was cool and cloudy, but almost no wind. We used our launch rail, straight up. We got off six flights in an hour and a half.

Temperature=45F, Pressure=29.70inHg?, Wind=2-4mph, Altitude=331ft

Objectives

  • Fly multiple flights with F39-6 motors from same lot number.
  • Fly one rocket with F39-6 from previous launch lot number..
  • Refine the chute deployment so no DQs.

Lessons

  • All six flights were relatively straight..
  • Everyone flew F39s. Pink rocket flew the third motor from the lot used in the last launch. Similar altitudes - 862, 850, 865.
  • The 5 flights with the same lot gave mixed results - two high, two low, one in the middle. Not sure how to consider this. We should fly the final one from the lot.
  • The Pink rocket chutes seemed to give better descent times.
  • Boosters came down after the cargo unit, one was caught in a tree. Maybe use a small chute (10 inch not 12 inch).
  • First Gold flight had tangled chutes, the other five were OK.
  • Had one igniter failure with the Estes sonic igniter.
  • Altimeter 11 started acting strange with weird altitude when it should be zero. We should use a new altimeter.
Gold Rocket Multicolor Rocket Pink Rocket

Launches

Team Rocket Flight Motor/Lot Weight Alt Recovery Altitude Time Comment
5179 Gold (video-8875) 1 F39-6 11191804 504g 11 2-15"/12" 820ft 56sec nice flight, chute tangled
5179 Gold (video-8895) 2 F39-6 11191804 494g 11 2-15"/12" 889ft 56sec nice flight, too high
5180 Multi (video-8871) 1 F39-6 11191804 503g 12 2-15"/12" 891ft 54sec ok flight, too high
5180 Multi (video-8892) 2 F39-6 11191804 513g 12 2-15"/12" 819ft 46sec ok flight, too low
5181 Pink (video-8883) 1 F39-6 04091808 506g 13 2-15"/12" 865ft 45sec nice flight, score=9
5181 Pink (video-8899) 2 F39-6 11191804 509g 13 2-15"/12" 851ft 45sec nice flight, score=5

Altimeter Data (Excel format)
Flight Data Chart Gold Rocket

Flight Data Chart Multicolor Rocket

Flight Data Chart Pink Rocket

Pictures
 Team 1                                                                                    
Team 2
 Team 1    Team 2

 Loading                                                                                   Team 3
 Loading    Team 3

Copyright 2019 Explorer Post 1010
Updated: February 24, 2019