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Record-Breaking Model Rocket Launch Set For April 25

Posted by timothy on from the mx-missile-would-have-been-more-exciting dept.

darkjohnson writes with this impressive excerpt from Rocketry Planet: "On April 25, 2009, history will be made. At Higgs Farm in Price, Maryland, Steve Eves will enter the history books as the person who flew the largest model rocket in history. The rocket will weigh over 1,600 pounds, it will stand over 36 feet tall and it will be powered by a massive array of nine motors: eight 13,000ns N-Class motors and a 77,000ns P-Class motor."

3 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Surprised they let him by John+Hasler · · Score: 4, Informative

    The BATF tried to stop all amateur rocketry beyond the toy size but they lost the lawsuit. A Federal judge ruled that solid rocket fuel of the type used by these rockets is not an explosive.

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
  2. Re:broken summary by the_other_chewey · · Score: 4, Informative

    eight 13,000ns N-Class motors and a 77,000ns P-Class motor

    So that's a 90-microsecond array?
    (They mean Ns - yes, case matters with physical units...)

  3. FAA Rocketry Rules by dtmos · · Score: 4, Informative

    The US Federal Aviation Administration rules relevant to unmanned rocketry are in CFR Title 14, 101.21 to 101.27. In 101.22 one finds the definitions of "Model Rocket", "High-Power Rocket", and "Advanced High-Power Rocket" relevant in the United States:

    101.22 Definitions.
    The following definitions apply to this subpart:

    (a) Class 1--Model Rocket means an amateur rocket that:
            (1) Uses no more than 125 grams (4.4 ounces) of propellant;
            (2) Uses a slow-burning propellant;
            (3) Is made of paper, wood, or breakable plastic;
            (4) Contains no substantial metal parts; and
            (5) Weighs no more than 1,500 grams (53 ounces), including the propellant.

    (b) Class 2--High-Power Rocket means an amateur rocket other than a model rocket that is propelled by a motor or motors having a combined total impulse of 40,960 Newton-seconds (9,208 pound-seconds) or less.

    (c) Class 3--Advanced High-Power Rocket means an amateur rocket other than a model rocket or high-power rocket.

    [Doc. No. FAA-2007-27390, 73 FR 73781, Dec. 4, 2008]

    So according to this taxonomy, Mr. Eves' rocket is an advanced high-power rocket, and is not a model rocket.