Brief:
This is a very simple "flying saucer" style rocket for Micro Maxx motors. Its main component is a 2 ½" paper baking cup.

Construction:
The materials used include: one 2 ½"paper baking cup, one Styrofoam picnic plate, one piece of note paper, masking tape, and a 2 ½" long Estes launch lug.

To make the motor tube, I applied a thin layer of white glue on some paper and wrapped it tightly around the tube from an Aerotech Copperhead. After it dried for a while, I cut off a 7/8" section. Next, I cut 1.875" and 2.375" rings from a Styrofoam plate. I made the holes for the motor tube a little big (oops), so I built-up the motor tube with masking tape until it fit snugly. The smaller ring was placed at the end of the motor tube and set into the baking cup. The second ring was slipped down until it just touched the sides of the cup. This assembly was removed, and the rings were glued in place with white glue.

After the glue set, I made notches for the launch lug and slid it through the rings. It fit snugly and I decided not to glue it in.

Finally, the motor mount assembly was glued into the baking cup. While this dried, I set the cup back into the package on top of other cups, in order to provide even support around its circumference. I was originally going to cut the lug flush with the front ring, but decided to leave it as is. The only finishing step was the application of an American flag sticker.

Flight:
The MMX motor is held in with a wrap of masking tape. In order to mate with the launcher, I had to let the motor overhang the motor tube by ~1/4". The saucer flew straight to an altitude of maybe 25 feet and floated down nose first. Using a launch lug that is considerably wider than the Micro Maxx launch rod didn't seem to impact the flight profile. After the first flight, there was a little scorching of the paper near the motor mount. This did not get any worse after the subsequent flights, so I assume it was because I did not fully remove the paper covering the end of the motor mount.

Summary:
This simple rocket flies well and can be easily built while watching TV, cooking, or performing other non-rocket activities. Gee, am I obsessed or what? You can easily substitute different materials; I just used what I could easily grab.