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Those actually exist, except its N2O over cellulose. I saw some of these at the Tripoli rocketry range in Southern California desert. http://www.aerotech-rocketry.c...

I am level 2 certified through the National Association of Rocketry and Tripoli Rocketry Association. I have rockets, built from kits purchased for under $200 and propelled by solid fuel motors for around $200 or hybrid motors for about $100 that can carry a 0.5 pound payload far higher than one kilometer. Anybody on this list who is willing to take a few evenings to build a rocket kit, spend the money to join NAR or TRA, and join the nearest high power rocketry club will be able to launch a small TV transmitter with telemetry over one km and save $18,000 over the Japanese liquid rocket. And if you are really into liquid fuels, you can even find amateurs working with those.

The aluminum normally gives you white smoke.

/August.

I am sure a lot of us on /. launched model rockets as kids. The big boy version is called high power rocketry, where certification is required and rockets weighing hundreds of pounds are launched sometimes over 25,000 feet.

For YEARS hybrid rocket motors have been used by high power rocketeers, and anybody certified can go buy a kit from Aerotech, Hypertek, RATT Works, or a few other companies.

I hate it when some scientist catches on to what people have been doing for years then does a little research and publishes their "original idea".

In Rocket boys, which is the (highly recommended) book October Sky was based on, the author describes ZnS (aka Micrograin) rockets. In the movie they just used off the shelf Aerotech motors.

Too bad really; ZnS rockets suck in many different ways, but they are highly photogenic!

/August

The pad they're using is obvoiusly an Aerotech Mantis, and the rocket isn't much bigger than the standard rockets for that pad.

It looks like a White lightning motor from the plume, but it's hard to tell. I'd guess it flies on somehing like an F or a G. Probably under LMR rules.

There are of course local ordinances and stuff that you need to now about, but should be nothing illegal about that launch from a national POV.

/August, L2 High Power certified.(TRA)

The pad they're using is obvoiusly an Aerotech Mantis, and the rocket isn't much bigger than the standard rockets for that pad.

It looks like a White lightning motor from the plume, but it's hard to tell. I'd guess it flies on somehing like an F or a G. Probably under LMR rules.

There are of course local ordinances and stuff that you need to now about, but should be nothing illegal about that launch from a national POV.

/August, L2 High Power certified.(TRA)

not D engines .... M engines ....

His efforts to date have used HPR hobby motors. His highest flight to date is 20,000ft: you could get to 30,000 with two of those Aerotech motors (the K700 reload as a booster, and the J570 reload as a sustainer), add two fiberglass tubes, two Acme fincans, a nose cone, and a Blacksky timer in the interstage coupler/reducer, and you've trashed his "record" for about $700.

Look at his "rocket" for fuck's sake: what is the point of that steep reduction behind the nose section, especially when it expands to about the same outside diameter at the booster base! I guess the "large penis shape" is a proven aerodynamic design. Who cares about all those annoyong wind tunnel tests that show a reducer of more than 10 degrees or so will just delaminate the airflow?

You've obviously been away from 'hobby' engines for awhile. Both Aerotech and Hypertech make hybrid rocket engines and many kit manufacturers make kits designed specifically for them. Current designs are for large ('I' and up) engines, but some people are working on smaller hybrids.

They're all cool and aren't regulated by the BATF like large solid engines.

some links:
Rocketry Online -- excellent rocketry site
Aerotech -- Motor (solid & hybrid) manuf.
R.A.T.T. Works -- Smaller Hybrids
Public Missiles -- Kit manuf.
NAR -- National Association of Rocketry