I have been the Rocketry Station lead at Webelos Adventure Camp for five years. Yes, you read that correctly, putting explosive black powder in the hands of fourth and fifth graders...
To celebrate, I'm upping the ante: building a custom launch control system.
You see we normally have ten Scouts/LCOs "drag race" their rockets at a time. But that then leaves us struggling to push through enough load/fly/recover cycles to get everyone finished in time to get to their next station of learning & fun. We'll have 20-40 Scouts learn about engineering, rocketry, & safety; and build kits to fly _twice_ every hour. We fly once, talk to them about timing, winds, other factors beyond control that left us scattered about the rocket range....then how to adjust for those factors, and fly again to see the results.
But it takes so long to do at just ten at a time. So let's do twenty, thirty--or more!
I'll be building a set of launch frames that are somewhat of a cross between a sawhorse and an IKEA flat-pack. There will be a crossbeam holding ten sets of electrical box covers as blast deflectors and launch-guiding rods. This will be held up by triangles of plywood on each end, with sections of 2"x4" with slots & bolts sliding along the triangles (allowing extension to pivot the triangles, limiting the tilt to maximum 30 degrees).
The Scouts will drag & drive this launch frame from storage out to the middle of a dirt or grass field (so this will be getting dirty). The days often start with dew on the grass, and Summer storms pop up without warning (so this will be getting wet). And this will be done over and over, day after day, year after year (so this will be getting a lot of wear).
Thus I'm thinking to perhaps make the:
1) Crossbeam out of 6'x2"x8" pressure-treated lumber,
Simple beam, use natural crowning oriented to shed water from the top.
2) Triangle Legs out of marine grade ply,
Water-resistant, even if edges or faces get chewed up a bit.
3) Slotted Leg Extensions out of 2"x4" pressure-treated lumber.
Simple to make, and to replace, as these will have most mechanical wear and tear, and significant load-to-ground contact.
Will be building a couple of these launch frames (so initially setup for 20 rockets at once).
Once this launch frame is ready to go....I'll pair it with a custom electronics system as well....test, then donate to MCC use and enjoyment!
Sorry to be long-winded! But now that you have a sense of what I am trying to achieve, my questions:
1) Does this seem to work well, or what would you change?
2) Where might I source the materials best (I'm donating this, but need to contain the budget, as I am unemployed.)
Many thanks for any and all input!
To celebrate, I'm upping the ante: building a custom launch control system.
You see we normally have ten Scouts/LCOs "drag race" their rockets at a time. But that then leaves us struggling to push through enough load/fly/recover cycles to get everyone finished in time to get to their next station of learning & fun. We'll have 20-40 Scouts learn about engineering, rocketry, & safety; and build kits to fly _twice_ every hour. We fly once, talk to them about timing, winds, other factors beyond control that left us scattered about the rocket range....then how to adjust for those factors, and fly again to see the results.
But it takes so long to do at just ten at a time. So let's do twenty, thirty--or more!
I'll be building a set of launch frames that are somewhat of a cross between a sawhorse and an IKEA flat-pack. There will be a crossbeam holding ten sets of electrical box covers as blast deflectors and launch-guiding rods. This will be held up by triangles of plywood on each end, with sections of 2"x4" with slots & bolts sliding along the triangles (allowing extension to pivot the triangles, limiting the tilt to maximum 30 degrees).
The Scouts will drag & drive this launch frame from storage out to the middle of a dirt or grass field (so this will be getting dirty). The days often start with dew on the grass, and Summer storms pop up without warning (so this will be getting wet). And this will be done over and over, day after day, year after year (so this will be getting a lot of wear).
Thus I'm thinking to perhaps make the:
1) Crossbeam out of 6'x2"x8" pressure-treated lumber,
Simple beam, use natural crowning oriented to shed water from the top.
2) Triangle Legs out of marine grade ply,
Water-resistant, even if edges or faces get chewed up a bit.
3) Slotted Leg Extensions out of 2"x4" pressure-treated lumber.
Simple to make, and to replace, as these will have most mechanical wear and tear, and significant load-to-ground contact.
Will be building a couple of these launch frames (so initially setup for 20 rockets at once).
Once this launch frame is ready to go....I'll pair it with a custom electronics system as well....test, then donate to MCC use and enjoyment!
Sorry to be long-winded! But now that you have a sense of what I am trying to achieve, my questions:
1) Does this seem to work well, or what would you change?
2) Where might I source the materials best (I'm donating this, but need to contain the budget, as I am unemployed.)
Many thanks for any and all input!
