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.