Monday, April 6, 2009

Model Rocket Launch Sites Google Map

Do you know of any good model rocket launching sites?
Are you looking for good sites around your neighborhood?
Then go to A-Mach Time's Model Rocket Launch Sites Google Map and contribute!

To contribute you just need to sign into your Google account,

click on the Edit button,

then add a placemark to your favorite site!

A-Mach Time's Model Rocket Launch Sites Google Map!

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Friday, March 27, 2009

March 22nd, 2009 Launch

It was a steadily windy Sunday afternoon when the A-Mach Time Rocket Society met to test two of its new rockets: Tom Cruise Missile and Kobayashi Maru. These two rockets are the cornerstone of the next phase of Society activity which will test out different rocket types.
Tom Cruise Missile is unique in that it has six small cylinders attached to it for stability instead of the traditional four-finned style. Tom Cruise Missile was up as the first launch of the day. Sadly, it did not perform as expected. As soon as it left the launch pad it spiraled out of control, losing five of its cylinders. Luckily, all cylinders were recovered and the rocket is fixable.
Kobayashi Maru fared much better during its first ever launch with reaching nearly a thousand feet, but still came away damaged from the flight. It has already been repaired, however, and will live to fly another day for the A-Mach Time Rocket Society.
Fire on High, quickly becoming the durable go-to rocket for us, performed excellent as always, and recorded some of the best heights of the day, reaching a whopping 933 feet!
The seasoned veteran Riptide also performed well, though taking on some damage. At first we were scared that the rocket would be unfixable. However, with some finely tuned craftmanship, it appears that Riptide will see the skies again.

Here are how the launches fared:

Tom Cruise Missile

Flight Number: 1
Launch Site: Avalon Park
Temperature: N/A
Wind speed, mph (Max): 12.2
Wind speed (Avg): 2
Dist. From Pad (ft): 250
Stage 1 Fuel: C6-5
Stage 2 Fuel: none
Stage 3 Fuel: none
Recovery Device: parachute
Launch Rail Angle: 0
Launch Rail Length (ft): 2.5
Altitude Angle θ: 50
Altitude Achieved (ft): 297
Recovery location (ft): N/A
Time to Max height (s): 1.5
Time from Max Height (s): 2

Kobayashi Maru:
Flight Number: 1
Launch Site: Avalon Park
Temperature: N/A
Wind speed, mph (Max): 13
Wind speed (Avg): 5
Dist. From Pad (ft): 250
Stage 1 Fuel: C6-5
Stage 2 Fuel: none
Stage 3 Fuel: none
Recovery Device: parachute
Launch Rail Angle: 0
Launch Rail Length (ft): 2.5
Altitude Angle θ: 75
Altitude Achieved (ft): 933
Recovery location (ft): 663.92
Time to Max height (s): 8
Time from Max Height (s): 50

Fire On High
Flight Number: 1
Launch Site: Avalon Park
Temperature: NA
Wind speed, mph (Max): 8
Wind speed (Avg): 3
Dist. From Pad (ft): 250
Stage 1 Fuel: C6-5
Stage 2 Fuel: none
Stage 3 Fuel: none
Recovery Device: streamer
Launch Rail Angle: 0
Launch Rail Length (ft): 2.5
Altitude Angle θ: 61
Altitude Achieved (ft): 451
Recovery location (ft): 437
Time to Max height (s): 5
Tim from Max Height (s): 20

Flight Number: 2
Launch Site: Avalon Park
Temperature: NA
Wind speed, mph (Max): 19
Wind speed (Avg): 10
Dist. From Pad (ft): 250
Stage 1 Fuel: C6-5
Stage 2 Fuel: none
Stage 3 Fuel: none
Recovery Device: streamer
Launch Rail Angle: 0
Launch Rail Length (ft): 2.5
Altitude Angle θ: 75
Altitude Achieved (ft): 933.01
Recovery location (ft): 579
Time to Max height (s): 8
Tim from Max Height (s): 20

Riptide
Flight Number: 1
Launch Site: Avalon Park
Temperature: NA
Wind speed, mph (Max): 13
Wind Speed (Avg): 5
Dist. From Pad (ft): 250
Stage 1 Fuel: C6-5
Stage 2 Fuel: none
Stage 3 Fuel: none
Recovery Device: Parachute + Streamer
Launch Rail Angle: 0
Launch Rail Length (ft): 2.5
Altitude Angle θ: 63
Altitude Achieved (ft): 490.65
Recovery location: 575
Time to Max height (s): 7
Time from Max Height: 40.25

Flight Number: 2
Launch Site: Avalon Park
Temperature: NA
Wind speed, mph (Max): 9
Wind Speed (Avg): 4
Dist. From Pad (ft): 250
Stage 1 Fuel: C6-5
Stage 2 Fuel: none
Stage 3 Fuel: none
Recovery Device: Wide Streamer (50x4)
Launch Rail Angle: 0
Launch Rail Length (ft): 2.5
Altitude Angle θ: 70
Altitude Achieved (ft): 686.87
Recovery location: 291.78
Time to Max height (s): 7
Time from Max Height: 19

Flight Number: 3
Launch Site: Avalon Park
Temperature: NA
Wind speed, mph (Max): 6
Wind Speed (Avg): 2
Dist. From Pad (ft): 250
Stage 1 Fuel: C6-5
Stage 2 Fuel: none
Stage 3 Fuel: none
Recovery Device: Thin Streamer (50x2)
Launch Rail Angle: 0
Launch Rail Length (ft): 2.5
Altitude Angle θ: 60
Altitude Achieved (ft): 433.01
Recovery location: 314
Time to Max height (s): 7
Time from Max Height: 18

Take care and be well until next time, everyone!

A-Mach Time Rocket Society
Launching Towards Tomorrow

Friday, March 13, 2009

What's in a logo?

Though the A-Mach Time Rocket Society is a rather new entity, its members have been space and rocket enthusiasts for quite a while. With that being said, we knew that we needed an appealing, eye-catching logo to start things off right. Our final logo is the result of the work of one Chintan Shah. I sat down with Chintan to discuss the creation of said logo, and here is the conversation that transpired (with some of the original designs in between the questions):Question: What was the main purpose you were trying to capture with the logo?
Chintan: I was trying to make something that was modern, but also simple that would represent us. I knew that good logos are recognized by just a glance (like Nike, or Pepsi, etc.) so I wanted to make something different.
Question: What did you use to make the logo? (programs, etc.)
Chintan: I used mostly Photoshop and some Flash to do the lettering and editing.
Question: Were there earlier versions of the logo that you abandoned? Why?
Chintan: The logo was a work-in-progress for a while and I kept working on it from the beginning. While it did look nice, I kept feeling as if something was missing. When the final draft was made, I really felt it was complete and that it captured what A-Mach was supposed to be about.
Question: Are there any interesting facts you would like to tell us about the logo? Any hidden messages that it is trying to convey?
Chintan: I really like the rocket that crosses the A. The A looks like a mountain, the MACH shows we're climbing new heights, and the rocket shows that we're getting everything going!
There you have it everyone. The history of our logo has finally been revealed, hidden messages and all. Thanks for reading and take care until next time!
A-Mach Time Rocket Society
Launching Towards Tomorrow

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Rocket Launches 3.5

the 21st of February, 2009

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Saturday Fun Day!

This past Saturday, the 21st of February, 2009, the A-Mach Time Rocket Society met at the Avalon Park field for an unofficial launch event. It was a beautiful afternoon with a bright blue sky illuminating the ground. Our rocket Fire On High showed up looking spiffy in its new red paint job, while Riptide was its ever-solid blue and silver. Though it was an unofficial meeting and no data was recorded, everyone who attended the event could clearly see that the launches this past Saturday were the most successful we've had so far. Both rockets did exceptionally well, and we speculate that several of our launches, especially those of Fire On High, easily cleared the 1,000 feet mark, a milestone we had yet to achieve. The rockets kept going so high that we lost them in the clouds and could no longer see them. Twice we had thought Fire On High lost forever, only to discover it had already landed in the field not too far away from our group. Even better, both rockets held up extremely well and neither was damaged.

All in all, it was a perfect day for launching rockets. There will be a little break until our next official launch in mid-March. Until then, take care and thanks for reading!

A-Mach Time Rocket Society
Launching Towards Tomorrow

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Launch Recap for Sunday, February 15, 2009


Hello readers! The A-Mach Time Rocket Society had their second official launch event this past Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 1 PM. It was an afternoon filled with constant winds and a gray overcast sky, yet a good time was had by everyone involved. Our numbers grew for this particular launch, as some friends came to the launch field at Avalon Park to help us out. Also in attendance were two neighborhood kids who happened to be riding by when our first rocket went off and decided they wanted to help out. They helped prepare, retrieve and even launch the rockets. Much fun was had by all. In total, there were 11 people present for these launches, as opposed to just 5 from the last event.

Also included in these launches was a lighter and smaller three-finned rocket named Fire On High. Although it performed well, it sustained minor damages to one of its wooden fins after only two launches. The remaining launches were performed by Riptide, our first rocket.

Listed below is the launch data for all six launches from 2/15/2009 (altitude calculations are unreliable as it was difficult to measure the angle necessary for the altitude calculations):

Launch 1
Rocket: Fire On High
Engine type: B 6-6
Recovery Device: Streamer
Altitude Angle: 60 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 173.205 ft. (this altitude seems reasonable)

Launch 2
Rocket: Fire On High
Engine type: C 6-5
Recovery Device: Streamer
Altitude Angle: 110 degrees
Altitude Achieved: unknown

Launch 3
Rocket: Riptide
Engine type: B 6-6
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 80 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 567 ft. (this altitude is more than likely a miscalculation)

Launch 4
Rocket: Riptide
Engine type: C 6-5
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 61 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 405.911 ft.

Launch 5
Rocket: Riptide
Engine type: B 6-6
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 30.5 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 176.8 ft. (this altitude seems reasonable)

Launch 6
Rocket: Riptide
Engine type: C 6-5
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 30.5 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 447.77 ft.

These launches seemed to go much higher than any of those during our first event more than likely due to the more powerful C motors used.

Our next meet up, which is an unofficial launch event, is set for this coming Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 1 pm at Avalon Park. Anyone who is interested in the A-Mach Time Rocket Society, or just rockets in general, is welcome to attend. Also, we are in the process of developing shirts and buttons for A-Mach Time. These items should be in the works fairly soon.

Thank you for reading, and take care until next launch!

A-Mach Time Rocket Society
Launching Towards Tomorrow

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Summary of A-Mach Time's first launch which took place on Sunday, January 25th, 2009


Greetings everyone. The A-Mach Time Rocket Society met officially for the first time ever on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 at approximately 11:15 AM. Upon arriving at our first choice for a launch site, UCF's intramural fields, we found out that all gates leading into the site were locked. Therefore, the group headed for Avalon Park's open fields. Though there was heavy traffic constantly driving by this location, it served us very well. We even got an onlooker near the end (not to mention the cop car parked close to our location, possibly watching us for any signs of tomfoolery)!

The type of model rocket we launched has a brand name of Riptide. It is a standard hobby store rocket which requires zero assembly. Its body is made of cardboard while its nose and fins are made of plastic.

We made a total of six launches throughout the unseasonably warm day. The sky was a perfect blue sky and the wind remained at a steady and constant 6 mph. A perfect day for launching rockets. Two types of rocket engines were used: type A 8-3 and the more powerful type B 6-2. Three launches were made with each type.

Here is a list of each launch and its results:

Launch 1
Engine type: A 8-3
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 40 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 41.95498 ft.

Launch 2
Engine type: B 6-2
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 67 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 117.79262 ft.

Launch 3
Engine type: B 6-2
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 65 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 107.22535 ft.

Launch 4
Engine type: A 8-3
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 35 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 35.01038 ft.

Launch 5
Engine type: A 8-3
Recovery Device: Parachute
Altitude Angle: 55 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 71.40740 ft.

Launch 6
Engine type: B 6-2
Recovery Device: None
Altitude Angle: 70 degrees
Altitude Achieved: 137.37387 ft.

As you can see, our launches with the B 6-2 engines achieved the higher altitudes, with the sixth flight achieving the highest altitude of 137 feet. The sixth flight was also a test to see what would happen to the body our rocket if a parachute was not used. Upon recovery, the rocket appeared perfectly fine and ready for use during the next A-Mach Time meet up.

Overall, it was a successful day for our first ever launch. Ultimately, the plan of the A-Mach Time Rocket Society is to create a rocket which will break the sound barrier. Our self-set goal is to achieve this within the next five years. Though we still have a long way to go, Sunday's launch was a sign of great things to come.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Welcome to A-Mach!

Hi. I look forward to traveling with you all to that blazing, brilliant future of space exploration.