| Article: 3244
From: [email protected] (Charles Pooley)
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
Subject: Amateur rocket builders attempt to "reach space"
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 1994 15:43:06 GMT
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
The Pacific Rocket Society, one of the oldest amateur rocket clubs, which
has been flying rockets designed and built from scratch from a facility
north of Mojave, California since the 1940's has been involved in a project
funded by the National Space Society (NSS) to build and fly an amateur
rocket to "reach space"--exceed 50 mi altitude.
This will be by a large margin the most ambitious amateur project
undertaken. The name of the first phase of this is to be called AmSpace I,
an will, we hope, lead to a movement toward thinking in new ways for
developing access to space: "For Access to Space, Build Rockets".
Below are two short articles which introduce the idea. The first, written
in Nov. '93 for an AIAA newsletter was to announce a talk given in Dec. 93.
The second is a short article summarizing a talk given to a symposium of an
organization called CSDC, California Space Development Council, in Lompoc,
CA in May of this year. In it, a way of attempting to institutionalize the
design, building of space access by amateurs/entreprenuets is proposed.
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AMATEUR GROUP GETS FUNDING FOR HIGH ALTITUDE ROCKET
The Pacific Rocket Society, like most hardware oriented rocket building
groups is used to out-of-pocket funding for their rocket projects. Now
things may change. Last September the PRS made an agreement with the
National Space Society, one of the largest space advocacy organizations,
to build and launch a rocket capable of carrying a ten kilogram payload
to an altitude of over 50 miles. The funding is to cover costs of
materials, propellants and other components. The payload will be supplied
jointly by both organizations.
This is a significant and new development in amateur rocketry, and maybe
also in the ways commercial space causes might be promoted. It should
be by far the highest performing amateur rocket built so far.
A secondary objectivet will be to establish a "rocket infrastructure", a
standardized system of components, sources of materials and means of
fabrication. This will make it possible for future rockets to be built
more easily rather than having each new project start form scratch.
The design approach being adopted makes use of cheap, easily available
materials such as extruded aluminum tubing for the propellant tanks
and other structure.
The basic structure involves the use of a number of long tubular tanks,
half containing ethyl alcohol and the others liquid oxygen. This choice
avoids the problems associated with design and fabrication of larger
diameter tanks arranged in tandem with a highly stressed intertank
structure. This also allows the tanks to be of equal size.
For six tanks, they will be each about 13 feet long and four inches in
diameter, each holding 30 liters of propellant at a pressure of 300
pounds per square inch. The tanks are to be arranged around a core
containing a 10 liter liquid nitrogen tank, a heat exchanger, valves,
and the engine. It will be about 20 feet long overall and about 13 inches
wide with three fins extending about a foot from the engine area.
It is expected that the complete rocket will weigh less than 150 pounds,
and with 400 pounds of propellant, weigh about 550 pounds at launch.
It will, for the first flight, carry telemetry electronics to make some
performance related measurements, such as propellant and engine pressure,
some temperatures, dynamic pressure, and perhaps, a doppler transponder.
Though launched from a tower and guided aerodynamically, there will be
two experimental optical guidance devices, which will report via
telemetry their response. Both measure the direction to the sun, and
the horizon. With the sun at least 30 degrees away from zenith this
will give a three dimensional reference without resorting to gyroscopes.
The remaining challenge of the first flight will be to recover the
rocket intact. This will be done by having a pair of page size panels
extend out from each fin, to act as air brakes. These will deploy near
the peak altitude as determined by the onboard accelerometer, and they
will decelerate the rocket so the air speed will be low enough for
parachutes to work.
The parachutes will consist of a drogue chute which will deploy at about
20 thousand feet, and a main chute at about 10 thousand. A Rogollo wing
type used by skydivers is being considered, so the landing point of the
rocket might be less far away.
We are trying for the May to July period, from the Black Rock Desert
horth of Reno, a popular location for amateur rocketeers.
A presentation of this project is the subject of our technical meeting
on December 15.
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Amateur Space Project Discussed at CSDC Meeting in May
The NSS funded AmSpace I project was outlined by Charles Pooley,
president of the Pacific Rocket Society. Also the objectives of a
newly formed working group to advance the idea that amateurs could be
developing access to space was presented.
The project itself was initiated by Margaret Jordan of the national
office of NSS, and the objective was to have an anmateur rocket group
"reach space". It was decided that a payload exceeding 10 Kg should
be sent to at least 50 miles. Current estimates are for the rocket to
attain about 70 miles.
The rocket being built is to be fueled with liquid oxygen and 75%
ethyl alcohol, the same as used in the V-2. The propellant is to make
up at least 2/3 of the lift-off weight in order to attain the
necessary vel- ocity of over 4000 feet per second.
The structure is to feature use of a bundle of six lengths of
irrigation tubing to provide a simple, cheap but strong structure. It
is hoped that the materials cost of the rocket airframe will be less
than three dollars per pound, so that a series of these can be built
on a small budjet.
The first flight is to be sometime late summer or early fall in
northern Nevada. Telemetry is to include a test of a prototype of a
video based guidance, and a GPS reciever to indicate the actual
altitude attained is planned.
AmSpace Working Group
Charles initiated, and is chair of the new working group with the
objective of advancing the idea that amateurs should be doing much
more than has been accomplished so far. They have yet to approach the
level of accomplishment of Dr. Goddard of 50 years ago, in spite of
the high level of technology readily available thes days.
Among the goals:
* To establish a community of interest in achieving space access by
desining and building launchers.
* To try to repeat the history of the microproccessor (remember the
Computer Faire and the excitement in the early 1970s?).
* To try to explore paths to space other than the "mainstream" Cold
War based path.
* To create an infrastructure organization for the facilitation of
amateur space activity.
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As I am directly involved in the rocket building effort (we are SEVERELY
undermanned), I've been very busy, but will try to write up and post here
some progress reports. As the project gets further along, we will be
looking for people who want to get involved.
Charles Pooley, pres PRS, dir NSS LOX rocket, [email protected]
PS--on Aug 14, we tested the engine for 1st time. It is a regenerative
cooled LOX/75% alcohol, 200 lb thrust engine, which is to run for nearly 60
sec in flight. More on it will be posted anon...
--
Charles Pooley [email protected] GEnie c.pooley
EE consultant, Los Angeles, CA president, Pacific Rocket Society
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