The Andromeda: This is the original Estes 1977 kit. It was started in 1977 but not finished until 2011! I have added an Iris altimeter payload bay when I completed it. During initial string stability tests, the rocket buckled and folded in half! To repair, about 2 inches were cut from body tube, so even with the 3 inches of altimeter bay; this rocket is only 1.3 inches longer than the standard model. The two sections are now joined by a coupler; which makes for easier transporting by separating the two halves. To prevent losing the lower half if it ever separates during recovery, I attached a small Kevlar cord between the two halves. It needed about 19grams of nose-weight to pass string-test, but flies straight up under moderate winds. This model got a lot of oohs and ahhs at the launch, as nobody else in the local club has one. To me, gloss black seems to look nicer than the recommended flat black. To that I added a small amount of silver trim, around the engine rings, the rectangles on the engine pods, the antennas, and some rings around the body tube ends. This model takes off fairly slow and majestically. With its large fins, I wouldn't want to fly this in stronger winds, as the weather-cocking could produce a near lawn dart, and its length would almost guarantee a folded body tube and fractured fins. This rocket has flown higher than the US Capitol building in Washington DC, and the Flatiron Building in NY.
| Flight Date: | 2011-12-04 |
| Rocket Name: | Andromeda |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Andromeda {Kit} (1273) [1975-1982] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-3 |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 218 Feet |
Wanting to collect performance data for this classic, I waited for the winds to lighten up before launching this last, just as the sun was beginning to set. Many rockets were flying directly into the stiff breeze instead of going up on this day. Unfortunately the wind 100 feet up or so continued to blow. The C6 burned for a long 2.3 seconds, accelerating this monster-length, draggy rocket at only 1.2 Gs, peaking at 5.2 Gs. The takeoff was a straight, slow thing of beauty. At about 100 feet or so it encountered stronger winds and proceeded to turn directly into the wind, going horizontal. It reached a speed of 62 mph and coasted into the wind for another 2.6 seconds before apogee of 218 feet (should be closer to 300).
This was another motor with a late ejection charge, taking another .7 seconds to fire instead of .4 seconds. Still traveling fast, mostly horizontal but heading down, the chute opened at 202 feet, where the winds ripped two shroud lines off. (The string held, the plastic didn't.) It descended slightly fast at 11 mph, meeting the ground in 17.4 seconds with no further damage. The last flight of the day, last flight of the year as the sun sets on 2011.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-3 |
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