Record-Breaking Model Rocket Launch Set For April 25

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."

Comments

Takes me back

[stoolpigeon]

Even though it makes this stuff look pretty simple in comparison, it still makes me want to dig out my old home made launcher and build a rocket.
 
I remember as a teenager saving up for months to buy the Estes designer's kit. I set up a card table in my room where I designed and built quite a few rockets - nothing that used bigger than a D engine. I'll never forget the night I left a bottle of dope open on the table. Very bizarre dreams that night. Learned to keep the window open when I worked on stuff and to shut everything up when I was done.

So.....

[cortesoft]

When exactly does a model rocket become just a rocket?

Re:So.....

[SputnikPanic]

When the FAA and NASA know about it...

Re:So.....

[644bd346996]

The FAA probably already knows about this rocket. I've been to a few launches with a local rocketry club, and they always get FAA clearance. My understanding is that they have a permanent clearance for their launch site for the first few thousand feet, but when they're launching the high-power rockets, they get unlimited clearance, making the area essentially a no-fly zone for planes. (Although that clearly didn't stop the Predator drone that was hanging out above us one day.)

Re:So.....

[notthepainter]

I was talking with a friend about 5-10 years back and the FAA had recently pulled all approvals for model rocket launches. Being the resourceful group that model rocketeers are, they found some connections and got all set to launch from some Navy proving grounds. FAA got wind of that and got all huffy and said "no no no boys."

And then the Navy got all huffy at the FAA, "You talking to me?"

Must have been a fun few meetings!

Surprised they let him

[nurb432]

Not joking here, i'm surprised the government has not stepped in and stopped him.

Re:Surprised they let him

[John Hasler]

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.

Re:Surprised they let him

[sjames]

In order to justify it's existance and grow, a government bureau must continuously find new excuses to add layers of regulatory bureaucracy and new things to regulate. They were far far more interested in throwing their weight around and making people kiss their ass than they were in any sort of safety or public well-being.

The fact that the rocket engine cores cannot be made to explode even intentionally was irrelevant to them. A regulatory agency saw a group of people who they weren't directly regulating. The group was small enough to not create an inconveniently noisy public protest but large enough to stroke their collective ego.

Kind of like being...

[StarManta.Mini]

.....the world's tallest midget?

This is amazing

[ZERO1ZERO]

It's great that regular folk can do these things One thing though - I wonder just how bi

Re:broken summary

[the_other_chewey]

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...)

Re:communications

[PolygamousRanchKid]

It would be ironic, if this thing performed better than North Korea's "communications" rocket. Of course, then North Korean agents would start scrounging the US for model rocket engines, for their next attempt:

"Hello, Estes http://www.estesrockets.com/rocketengines.php? We would like to buy a lot of engines. Yes, it will be a VERY big model rocket."

FAA Rocketry Rules

[dtmos]

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.