Extreme Air Mail! Mailing Tube Rocket Project!

Probably it'll be sometime after Easter. I'll definitely document it though!

A few days ago I bought a long launch rod at Home Depot. I intended to use 1/4" x 72" but it was so flimsy. Instead I picked up a 6 ft length of 5/16". It's a lot more rigid and inspires more confidence. One pair of launch lugs I made it a loose sliding fit on the 5/16" bar.

I also bought a 100' roll of 18ga speaker wire to make extensions for the launcher. I want to be a little further away than the 12' of the Estes launcher I'm using!

Now I'm working on a more powerful launch controller because of the increased wire length. I have a nice little 12V lithium battery that I've been using to power a sonar unit in my fishing kayak. I mounted the small battery in a 1120 Pelican case with a 2 pin GX12 connector on the outside of the box so I can connect different things to it with the reciprocal connector.
 
I had a crazy idea for a launch system. Get one of those wood burning lasers from ebay. Use a small metal mirror to reflect the beam into the nozzle. How cool would that be. Complicated and dangerous, just like NASA.
Robert
 
It is way after Easter! I'm sure the glue is dry by now. Most every cell phone can take video. Even Space X has failures.
Robert
 
Haha, yea I'm dying to launch this thing but I don't have the motors I need. Everywhere that sells them is closed and getting them shipped incurs a $37 HAZMAT fee from the postal service. Ugh!
 
See if you can get in touch with a local club. They often have a member that runs a little business selling motors. They usually stock some in most every size. They buy in quantity, so the hazmat fee is spread out.

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Smaller motors from them are usually hazmat free. The bigger stuff requires it, no getting around that. What size are you looking for?
 
You're right about that. I went to look up some motors from Estes directly and there was no hazmat fee for the motors I need. I'm looking for D12-3, 24mm motor.

It seems like Estes has the best price but shipping is still about $11, which is what the motors themselves cost. It's like 2 D motors are gonna cost me $22 to get. If the hobby shop was open I could get 4 for about the same price. Plus since I'm unemployed at the moment I'm trying to be careful with spending, ya know?
 
Yup. Shipping them can cost. I try to run about $100 worth when I mail order them. Totally get needing to keep costs under control though.

When things get better, local store is the best option for the Estes motors. If you fly a lot of them, the reloadable motors are great, but they do have the cost of the case. So it takes some time to make up the difference. On the up side, you can get F motors in 24mm. One of my favorites is the Aerotech F12. It's a longer burn than the Estes D12, with thick black smoke and a similar capacity to the D12. I like flying rockets that take the D12 with them. Just something to consider if want to try something different in the future.
 
I fully expect the launch of this rocket on a D12 to be unsuccessful. I'm reasonably sure that it'll fly well with an E20 or E30, both single use 24mm from Aerotech.

Regarding reloadables I did some research into the 24mm RMS from Aerotech. The reload grains are commonly about $30 for the 24mm kits. You can get two single use motors for around that price, so the reloads are like getting three for the price of two. If I had absolute confidence in not loosing a rocket, I would go for it. I need a bigger field for that kind of confidence.
 
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