Ah, now we are talking. Ideally of course , the source of propulsion would
be a ratiometric thrust, so taht fuel could be conserved and metered. I
happen to work with a dandy little pump that is positivepressure, positive
displacement, and virtually pulseles, and can be driven by either steppers
or servos, so that it is a precise metering pump. I have often thought that
a couple of these,  pumping kerosene and 60% peroxide, controlled by pics,
could yield a small but highly intelligent vehicle capable of getting to
80,000 feet...

The temptation is there. If I had a decent machine shop and a good vacuum
system to do some thermo-molding...well... I probably would make one.  One
could do the Goddard route and shift from inner tanks that could be
jettisoned leaving the outer structural tanks for the high alt phase....
Sigh... so much imagination, so little time.... with a gps and a small
microwave xciever , one could have data, and video transfer. Probably would
need FAA / DOD clearance... but worth the try... Can you imagine what irt
would sound /Look like leaving the pad....

M


At 04:05 PM 6/28/02 -0700, you wrote:
>In my youth, I also was a model rocket enthusiast, and, I admit, I still
>have leanings towards that path.  For instance, I really do need to get
>around to building my really nice model rocket launch controller (PIC
>controlled, of course).
>
>I keep thinking that I should go back to doing it a little, but I can't find
>the time...
>
>One thing that always bugged me when I was doing model rocketry was the loss
>of rockets.  Now that I know a bit more about electronics, I'm thinking of
>ceating a radio location device.  Which I'm sure will entail a PIC.  And,
>maybe, a GPS ;)
>
>Now, I begin to wonder about the fesability of building multi-stage cluster
>rockets.  Like 3 engines per stage, 2 stages, engines fire in parallel, use
>a mercury switch to fire the second stage from a small Lead-Acid Gel cell.
>
>I wonder if there's a model rocketry list out there....  I guess I'll have
>to find it when I find time ;)
>
>
> > Ahhh... In my youth I was affiliated with Rocket Research Institute, the
> > youth oriented, basement bomber wing of Aerojet General. We designed and
> > built " Model " rockets. Six foot long tubes of steel filled with
> > Zinc-Sulfur fuel in little paper cartridges. One experiment, germane to
> > this slightly o.t. thread, was a steam rocket. This was a welded stainless

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