SpaceLoft XL Failure

This is slightly off topic, but I do see people talking about commercial
space in here. From what I can tell, the group launching the SpaceLoft XL
ran into a problem similar to mine, instability at high Mach numbers
resulting in a corkscrewing or coning motion during the burn (and eventual
structural failure).

What I thought was interesting is that around the same time the SpaceLoft XL
crashed, an amateur named Gene Nowaczyk successfully launched an 8" diameter
rocket on a Q motor reaching about 93,000. I was not there but this is what
I've been told by people who were there. Granted, it's not a flight into
space but I do see a day when a small numbers of amateurs will be able to
reach above the 62 mile number on a regular basis.

C. Newport

On Tue, 3 Oct 2006 10:28:02 -0500, C. Newport wrote
(in article ):

What I thought was interesting is that around the same time the SpaceLoft XL
crashed, an amateur named Gene Nowaczyk successfully launched an 8" diameter
rocket on a Q motor reaching about 93,000.

So how many Estes D engines is that equivalent to? ;-)

--
Herb Schaltegger
"You can run on for a long time . . . sooner or later, God'll cut you
down." - Johnny Cash
http://www.angryherb.net

One could also think of the following two points:

1. Center of gravity changes as the Solid fuel is used up, (this may
have contrib. to the flight profile change).
2. Structure reinforcement may be needed for the highest point of
dynamic pressure, (Check some of the open source calc programs, to give
design requirements).

Hope this helps you out. My Space Club Kids are building a 1:48th Scale
Saturn V right now, (Scratch design has been a nightmare). I will not
let them work with the high power stuff, (But we wish you good luck,
and God Speed).

Carl

wrote:

Hope this helps you out. My Space Club Kids are building a 1:48th Scale
Saturn V right now, (Scratch design has been a nightmare).


Could be worse, could be an N-1; that makes a Saturn V look simple in
design by comparison.
Did you use Evergreen prescribed sheet styrene for the corrugated sections?
http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/
There square tile makes great solar cell arrays.

Pat

OK, now I've got to figure this out. Accordoing to Estes, a D motor is a
maximum of 20 newton-seconds. A Q motor is anywhere from 81,920 n-s to
163,840 n-s. Consequently, you would need anywhere from 4,096 to 8,192
Estes D motors to equal the output of Gene's Q motor.

I feel good now

C. Newport

You are right Pat, I have a display model of the N-1. A flight version
would diff. be a nightmare! The guy that just calc'd the # of "D"
engines gets a star. Could you imagine trying to get that many of them
to fire at once? Prob. have as much luck as the Red's had with the N-1,
(LOL). The N-1 was a wild confg.. It would have been cool to see it get
to orbit. My Fav. Russian offering is the Energia. That was a hell of a
rocket an proved itself in (2) flights. The idea of refurbing the liq.
boosters was the right track, for a heavy lift vehicle. The proton is
neat too, (but the Energia was the cats meow!)!

Carl
P.S.
If anyone wants a card stock model of the N-1, Energia, or Proton, mail
me off group. Not simple builds, (but worth your time). They are really
cool display models, (and good luck if you want to modify for flight).

On 3 Oct 2006 15:28:10 -0700, wrote:

You are right Pat, I have a display model of the N-1. A flight version
would diff. be a nightmare! The guy that just calc'd the # of "D"
engines gets a star. Could you imagine trying to get that many of them
to fire at once?

http://www.moonrace2001.org/n1_launch.shtml
http://www.polecataerospace.com/1_16..._soviet_n1.htm

wrote:

You are right Pat, I have a display model of the N-1. A flight version
would diff. be a nightmare! The guy that just calc'd the # of "D"
engines gets a star. Could you imagine trying to get that many of them
to fire at once?


Wanna see the 22-foot-high N-1 model rocket with the 42 model rocket
engines blast off? :-)
Unlike the Soviet one, this actually works:
http://www.moonrace2001.org/n1_rocket.shtml
http://www.moonrace2001.org/n1_launch.shtml

Pat

Darren J Longhorn wrote:

http://www.moonrace2001.org/n1_launch.shtml
http://www.polecataerospace.com/1_16..._soviet_n1.htm


Ah hell, you beat me to it.
That is _some_ piece of work. =-O

Pat

"C. Newport" wrote in message
. ..
OK, now I've got to figure this out. Accordoing to Estes, a D motor is a
maximum of 20 newton-seconds. A Q motor is anywhere from 81,920 n-s to
163,840 n-s. Consequently, you would need anywhere from 4,096 to 8,192
Estes D motors to equal the output of Gene's Q motor.


That makes sense since each letter basically doubles the newton-seconds of
the previous one.

(If I recall correctly.)


I feel good now

C. Newport