Tag Archives: Solar Cat

March 2021 Virtual Meeting

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by Keith Yoerg (RRS Secretary)

The latest meeting of the Reaction Research Society took place this past Friday, March 12th and had 20 attendees (who came & went at different times) – including a guest presenter. Society president Osvaldo began discussion by informing the group that USC has requested a launch of their 6″ booster rocket in April, before leaving the meeting to go on a Home Depot supply run.

Screenshot of discussion during the monthly meeting

GUEST PRESENTATION – GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKET SPACE PROGRAM

Sam Kim from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Space Program made a presentation on their mission to be the first collegiate team to send a liquid rocket to Karman Line. The team conducted the first hot fire of an 800 pound-force LOX-kerosene engine in November 2019 (pictured below). This engine will support a sub-scale rocket which will be used to prove and test methods on this student-designed, -machined, and -assembled project.

November 2019 static fire of the Georgia Tech YJ-1S rocket

The team has planned a launch for the sub-scale rocket in October to an apogee of 5,000 ft. An 11-second burn static fire of this engine is expected in April. The team conducts testing out of the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, and plans to make launches from the Spaceport Camden in southeast Georgia.

BILL CLAYBAUGH’S 6″ ROCKET

Bill Claybaugh presented a number of hardware pieces related to a 6″ rocket which he hopes to launch this year. The rocket will fly on a 6″-diameter, 60″-long motor producing 1,350 lbf of thrust with an 8.3-second burn time. This design is optimized to be used as the second stage in a rocket boosted by a 9″-diameter motor, but the impending flight is only the 6″ second stage. Bill mentioned that he has a test flight planed for the 9″ first stage some time within the next year. The combined 2-stage rocket will have to fly out of a national range because of the expected altitude of 120 statute miles.

Bill showing off the avionics package on his rocket

The hardware that Bill C. presented from his rocket included the tapered fins, bulkhead assemblies, and a section of the 40″ avionics payload which will be mostly contained within the nosecone. In addition, Bill provided insight on the FAA paperwork that he is currently completing for the flight of the 6″ rocket. The FAA form 7711-2 he has been working on is the same one used for airshows, and requires a supplemental that covers both class 2 & 3 amateur rockets. The final hurdle is the “splash pattern” Monte Carlo analysis of over 1,000 launches with varying launch angles, wind, and other launch parameters to determine the probability of landing in a populated area. He expects the launch will be deemed safe, and plans to submit the paperwork soon.

PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING MTA EVENT – SAT. MAR 20

Several members stated their intentions to join the launch & work event at the MTA site next Saturday, March 20th. Work on welding the new plate on the vertical test stand, clearing brush in the launch/firing areas, and other site maintenance may take place if time and equipment availability allow. There has also been discussion of taking an inventory of the working order of some Society equipment (such as the PA system) stored at the site.

Bill Inman plans to once again bring out his solar-powered steam rocket, Solar Cat, which uses mirrors to heat water with sunlight. Bill has been a fixture at MTA events the past several months, perfecting the design and procedures so that he won’t be caught unable to launch because of a minor oversight like untested equipment or cables that are too short. Although all of his equipment is flight-ready, MTA launches are always at the mercy of the Mojave desert weather. Wind, rain, and sunlight permitting – we hope to see the Solar Cat take to the skies next weekend!

Early stages of Dimitri’s water bottle rocket module, which is now assembled & ready for testing

Wolfram Blume is vaccinated (an impediment to his attendance at last month’s event) and ready for another launch attempt of the booster stage on his rocket, Gas Guzzler. In the final version the upper stage will include a gas-powered ramjet, but this flight will be flown with water instead. The goal of this test is to measure drag & acceleration, particularly during separation of the booster stage, which will help inform the final design parameters. We’re excited to see this launch, and expect it will be a fun one to watch!

Keith Yoerg will bring his model rockets and multi-pad wire rail launcher to test out deployment boxes and high-power solid rockets to test LoRa GPS trackers as a cheap rocket tracker. Dimitri is finishing work on a his hybrid & water rocket launch controllers (pictured above), both of which should be ready for testing on Saturday as well. It was once again agreed that a grill-out should take place, which is quickly becoming an MTA event tradition.

WIRELESS LAUNCH CONTROLLERS

The last topic stimulated a great discussion on the use of wireless launch controllers, with many members providing thoughts and opinions. Richard Dierking presented the commercially available Wilson F/X wireless control box, which consists of the firing box shown in the photo below and 2 wireless modules which run on 12V gel cell batteries. This entire system cost him around $900, and larger versions of this system have been used by the Rocketry Organization of California (ROC) and Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) for launches of high-power solid rockets.

Richard Dierking showing a Wilson F/X wireless control box

Dimitri expressed his comfort and trust in the Cobra wireless firing system, which he has used many times as the Pyro Op for million-dollar shots in movies and television. The Cobra system uses 64-bit encryption (it was suggested that the Wilson F/X system uses 32-bit) and the only issues Dimitri reported was when attempting to fire directly near an ultra high-speed camera. Richard stated that he would look into getting someone from the Wilson F/X company to attend a future RRS meeting to describe that system in further detail.

Most members expressed cautious optimism about the potential of using wireless launch controllers at RRS events, though it was re-iterated that the Pyro Op in charge has the final say in what firing systems may be used at any event. The consensus best path forward was progressing slowly by starting with LED lights & low energy firings like model rockets. The aim is to build experience with and knowledge of these systems to determine if they can be safely used for more energetic firings. Richard & Dimitri plan to bring the Cobra and Wilson F/X systems up to the MTA event next weekend, where (with the permission of the Pyro Op in charge) they will be tested safely on a small scale.

NEXT MONTHLY MEETING

The next RRS monthly meeting will be held virtually on Friday, April 9th at 7:30 pm pacific time. Current members will receive an invite via e-mail the week of the meeting. Non-members can request an invitation by sending an email to:

secretary@rrs.org

The Executive Council has committed to an additional monthly meeting moving forward to address administrative matters. Members who would like to discuss an admin topic in detail can request attendance at a Council meeting by sending an email to the Secretary at the address above.

MTA launch event, 2021-02-20

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by Dave Nordling, Reaction Research Society

The Reaction Research Society held another launch event at the Mojave Test Area (MTA) on February 20, 2021. The weather was not cooperative for much of this day with wind gusts well beyond acceptable limits for launch (> 25 MPH). Our neighbor, Dave Crisalli and his Polaris Propulsion team, were using the Dosa Building as he had construction activities planned but were cancelled for that day. The RRS and Polaris Propulsion were glad to share the Dosa Building as we both made good use of the day.

The three planned objectives (weather permitting) for this MTA launch event were:

  • Build a new pit toilet restroom just north of the original site.
  • Conduct Solar Cat operations at the MTA
  • Conduct model rocket launches from Keith Yoerg’s new wire launcher array

THE ALL-SOLAR POWERED SOLAR CAT PROJECT

Bill Inman and his colleague, John Wells, made the long journey to the MTA from Nevada. Bill had made further improvements to the launching system and solar collector powering the Solar Cat steam rocket. He was able to and a remote tracking motor and drive system to further automate his solar concentrator, but several minor problems in setup prevented a launch that day.

Bill Inman and John Wells examine and prepare the solar collector system from the trailer at the east side of our MTA.
Photovoltaic panel mounted to the front of the collector to power the tracker.
Bill Inman and John Wells set up the latest iteration of the Solar Cat steam rocket from just west of the alpha and beta launch rails

Bill is striving to use an entirely solar powered system including a photovoltaic power system for his auxiliary functions. Because of the east to west passage of the sun through the sky, the steam rocket must be launched in a northerly direction. This is possible if done from the northern or western edges of our launch site.

Although the winds were excessive throughout most of the day, Bill could still conduct some assembly testing and even conduct steam rocket heating operations while keeping the rocket secure on the ground. Launch would only be attempted if the winds lowered in that time. Sadly, much of the day passed in correcting minor problems and system tests. The system proved ready but insufficient sunlight remained that day and launch would have to be conducted from the MTA at the next opportunity.

BUILDING A NEW PIT TOILET AT THE MTA

The society has been examining many improvements to our Mojave Test Area which has stood for over 65 years. The site has been improved over the many years but time has taken its toll and renovations are needed.

The top priority selected by our membership and visitors was the restroom facilities. Our short term plan was to build a second pit toilet while we work on plans for a more luxurious option in the longer term. This effort is viewed as a stopgap solution which will serve our society for at least a few years. Dmitri Timohovich and Wilbur Owens contributed greatly to this effort. With the many people we had at the site, we were able to start and complete the project with time to spare that day.

Our starting point for the project.
Wilbur operates the backhoe to get the trench dug for the sonotube. While Dmitri completes the wooden deck for the new pit toilet,
The precarious job of installing the sonotube once the pit is at the proper depth.
After getting sonotube vertical, the rest of the pit was filled with a few bucket loads of dirt and a few of us with shovels.
The new restroom deck gets placed and aligned with the new sonotube.
The toilet booth is removed from the original concrete platform. Our president, Osvaldo Tarditti, pauses a moment to consider how much crap our society has taken from our visitors and members alike,
The toilet booth is placed on the new platform, but first some further trimming of the sonotube must be done,
RRS secretary, Keith Yoerg, and RRS member, Dave Nordling, stand at the original concrete platform now filled flush to the surface with dirt. The task is nearly complete.
Once firmly affixed to the new platform, the toilet booth was fit checked by Dmitri Timohovich. He is signalling that our pit toilet is now ready for business.

The pit toilet project was a success thanks to both our members providing their physical and material labor and the careful planning and coordination that took place starting in this new year. This improvement project will be only one of several to come. We hope to make our remote testing site both more functional but also a bit more comfortable to all who visit us after many hours drive from the city.

LAUNCHING ROCKETS FROM A NEW MULTI-WIRE RAIL STRUCTURE

With the last hours of the day upon us, the winds had subsided to a more reasonable speed. Keith Yoerg had a few model rockets prepared for launch with commercial motors. He had also built a multi-wire launcher which is a convenient way to display and launch several small vehicles successively.

Max Timohovich (left) views the Baby Bertha and the Big Bertha rockets as they sit on the launch rail made from PVC pipe and fittings.

Second thing introduced at this MTA launch event was a four channel launch box built by Dmitri Timohovich. With a clean wood finish and a rugged latched case, this box proved its function well with the launch of three model rockets that day.

The new launch box was tested at the 2/20.2021 MTA launch event

After some glitches with the electric matches, Keith was able to launch and recover the Baby Bertha (A8-3) and the Big Bertha (A8-3) rockets. We got excellent footage of these classic model rocket types. The last of the three launches was the slightly larger Star Orbiter (E16-6) which left the rails cleanly and the recovery system deployed without issue. Although the winds had subsided sufficiently at ground level, the higher level winds carried the Star Orbiter for a long horizontal trek west well beyond the property line, After some searching, the Star Orbiter was lost to the desert hoping to be recovered

Baby Bertha leaps off the wire rail with its tiny A8-3 motor,
Big Bertha comes back under its parachute landing just to my left. This great video can be seen on the RRS Instagram account.
The last photo of the Star Orbiter as it sits on the pad before the wind carried it far to the west.

IN CLOSING

The team cleaned up the area and put away the gear at sunset. We talked about setting the next launch date in March 2021. We hope to have a new date set soon, likely after March 12th.