Quick Links

EX Products

Home

EX Forum

Propellants

Rocket Motors

Rockets

Rocket Electronics & Recovery

Ground Support

Launch & Static Tests

Software

Links

Motor Class Table

Iowa Amateur Rocketry Group

Don't Click Here!

What's New? I wrote a little application to calculate injector flow rates. You can download it from the Software section. My next project will delve into bipropellant liquid engines. I've started a page with some early thoughts and ideas here, this will likely be more of a blog than a detailed build page. Never the less, it should be interesting. The new version of the 1" altimeter is done. I designed the PCB to handle either a low cost pressure sensor that will read altitudes up to 44,000' or a more expensive sensor that will read all the way to vacuum for extreme altitude flights. I've started a page here, it has an early draft of the user manual, a series of calibration tests, some images of the board, the source code for both versions and a few other odds and ends. I'll add more details in the near future. This altimeter is called the HLA2 Altimeter, which stands for High/Low Altitude altimeter. Here's a quick page on making igniters using a steel wool and thermite. They should be a non regulated form of igniter. I flew 3 rockets for a total of 6 flights at the IARG launch on June 13 & 14. Great weather conditions and a lot of rockets flew! On June 19 I flew the Cosmo 2 and A2MD rockets as demonstration launches for a youth rocket camp at the North Iowa Area Community College. Details of those launches are on the LT 163 page. I wrote a new rocket descent rate calculator with a more advanced model of the atmosphere to calculate descent rates as well as descent times. You can download it from my software section. Here's a new homemade high altitude, easy to use altimeter. Cosmo March 15, 1997 - April 6, 2009 Thanks old friend for 12 great years... Highlights The Ganymede rocket has been launched, check out the details in Launch Test 155. The Defiance Hybrid rocket was successfully flown to 23,474' and recovered on May 17, 2008. Check out the details on the Launch Test 149 page. Aestus "O" class hybrid flew on November 3, 2007. The details are on the Launch Test 148 page. The Defiance has successfully been flown to over 29,000'! Details and video of the flight have been posted to the updated Launch Test 134 page! My third high altitude balloon flight reached over 80,000' and returned some fantastic pictures. See the details in the HAB3 Flight Report. Second static test of the "O" class KNER motor was as close to a perfect test as I've seen. While the recovery system failed, the A2MD rocket had a great flight to over 18,000' on an "N" class KNER motor. The Prelude rocket was my first flight over 10,000' and picture perfect. The SBS-6250 Static Test was my first ever "O" class motor test. The first flight of the Cosmo 2 rocket may well be my favorite flights of all time. This rocket used a new propellant based on KN and Xylitol, the rocket also used a homemade altimeter I designed, built and programed, as well as one of my timers for backup deployment. This rocket from nose tip to nozzle was completely home built and resulted in a perfect flight, also my first documented flight over 1 mile.

Disclaimer: You've seen it before, and here it is again. This web site details my experiments in experimental rocketry. This can be a dangerous activity! Always put the safety of yourself, other people and property first. It is not my intent to create a manual for experimental rocketry, rather an on-line log of my experiments. Use any information on this site at your own risk. This isn't kid's stuff, if you're not of legal age, get a responsible adult to introduce you to rocketry. If you're looking to blow things up, or make pretty things that fly at night, go elsewhere. There's nothing here for you.