BUILD AN ASGARD XP SERIES ROCKET
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Its piss easy. And fun, cause if u do it right it'll explode in the
air somewhere in nice pretty fireballs. I'm sure u can b creative with
the payload ;)
Note: Its illegal to shoot a rocket without a recovery system (parachute)
or within 8k's of an airport or heaps of other shit. The author
suggests you don't get caught. ;) Use some common sense.
WHAT YOU NEED:
Minimum:
* Rocket Engine - avail in hobby shops, around $5 each. Use C6's or A8's
for starters. Try hobbyco, level 2 mid city centre, pitt st
between wynyard & town hall. Later u can experiment with D12's.
* Electricians Tape
* Couple pieces of paper (A4)
* half sturdy straight wire, like coathanger wire or thicker, about 80cm.
Recommended:
* Estes Electron Beam ignition thingy. Bout $20 in the same hobbyshop.
and 4 AA batteries to go with it. Or you could make your own. The
ignitors come with the engines... all u need 2 do is throw 6volts DC
down the two wires... so a battery and 2 x 10 foot pieces of
insulated wire could do the same - cost $10... and no hoopy
launch button or light... make it easy, buy the starter thingy.
PROCEDURE
~~~~~~~~~
Take your time. If you bodgy somewhere the rocket wont fly as fast or
straight as it can...
Start by making the nosecone. Cut a piece of paper into a trapezium
about 10cm on the bottom and 7cm on the top - ie
___________________________________________
top -> / \
/ \
/ \
/ \
roll / \
==> / \
/_______________________________________________________\
Roll it into a cone shape for the nose. Tape the cone to keep it
closed with tape. Shove the rocket motor into the cone with the exhaust
side pointing out (closed side into the cone). Tape the nosecone firmly
onto the rocket engine. Make sure the nose cone is completely covered
in tape and well sealed onto the engine. This is what'll give u the bang.
Also, if u want to fill the nosecone with, say, gunpowder, well, make
sure u tape it up some more ;) Whatever is in that nosecone is gonna
get roasted and ejected at force with plenty of flame etc ;)
All that remains is the fins. How many are you going to have? 3 or 4 works
well. Dont make them more than about 8cm long... I like using pizza cartons
or other cardboard box. Tape the leading edges with electricians tape.
Stick the fins on with more tape. Put a few bands of tape around to make
sure it holds together well.
One other thing, u need a launch guide.. cut a piece of paper about
8cm square and roll into a tube, fastened with tape. The tube should be
about 3 times the diametre of the launchrod wire. Stick the tube (with tape
of course) to the lower part of the rocket engine, vertically. Try and make
the whole thing aerodynamic as possible.
Now, insert the ignitor, the match type end first firmly into the motors
exchaust. Tap in the plug (comes with the motors 2) to keep the ignitor
in place...
Stick the launchrod wire into some convenient flowerbed at the desired
angle. Feed the rocket onto the wire through the guide tube. Attach
wires to the ignitor, make sure they arent touching. Now, when u run
6 volts thru those wires, or thumb the launcher, its gonna sing...
expect it to go anywhere up to 800 feet with a C6 motor.
Also, its gonna go bang a second or two after the rocket motor goes out...
Dont be anywhere within 6 feet when it launches - it sprays back a blast
of hot shit for several feet. Its also louder than u'd expect,
both launching and detonating...The rocket can get up to 150/200 or so
km's per hour so be careful where u point it...
also, they can fly erratically... remember to duck when necessary ;)
Cheers!
Mad Dog
Asgard BBS
+61 2 9798 8558
+61 2 9799 6096
Payload in nose cone
/^\ /
Paper nose / \/ taped with 2 or 3 layers
cone --> / /\ of electricians tape
/ \ from tip to at least past
|- - -| halfway down the rocket
| | motor
Estes rocket | |
engine --> | |
| E |
| S | Tape front edges of fins
/| T |\ /
/ | E | \ /
/ | S | \
/ | | \
/ | | \
/ | C6/5 | \
/ XP | | XP \
-------------------------
|
Exhaust hole. Insert ignitor firmly
and plug up. should have two thin
wires protruding, not touching.
Also, not pictured is the 1/2cm paper tube for the launchwire.