Theo-Max (Level III 98mm 6" diameter multi stage project)

High Power (98mm M&N motors)


This is a scratch built two stage rocket using high power construction methods.



Design Notes



The vehicle (Theo-Max) is built around 6.0" fiberglass and carbon fiber tubes. The booster is fiberglass which is wrapped in carbon fiber and the sustainer which is all carbon fiber. The overall height of the vehicle is around 18'. There are two stages, the sustainer with 3 sections and the booster with 2 sections. Both the booster and sustainer are dual deployment for a total of 5 section.

The Booster

This portion of the vehicle has a motor/fin can assembly (about 4'long), a parachute cannon (2' long) and a stage coupler. There is a drogue chute and a main chute. There are redundant flight computers to detect motor burn out for seperation, apogee detection for drogue deployment and deployment of the main chute. A 4' drogue will be released at apogee using a Rouse Tech CO2 deployment system. The main chute will be deployed at 1000' AGL.

The Sustainer

This portion of the vehicle has a motor/fin can assembly (about 4' long), a parachute cannon (4' long) and a camera/GPS payload section ( 1' long) with a nosecone (3'long). There is a drogue chute, main chute as well. There will be redundant altimeters in the electronice bay. Two on board video cameras will be in the payload area and and GPS tracking in the nose cone section of the payload. Dual deployment will be used for recovery. A 4' drogue will be released at apogee using a Rouse Tech CO2 deployment system. The main chute will be deployed at 1000' AGL.

Motors

The motors selected for this project are the AeroTech N2000 (booster) which delivers an average thrust of ~425 lb-s. This yields a thrust to weight ratio about 5:1 at liftoff. The sustainer motor in an N1000.

The targeted weight for the rocket is 70 lb with two 20 lb motors (90 lb total). If met, this rocket will reach optimum performance at an altitude of over 31k' and a maximum velocity of just over Mach 1.



Above are the booster components and the sustainer components.

Component Fabrication






This is the "Rocket Rotisserie" used to lay up carbon fiber on the fiberglass body tubes. This is the fin can/motor tube and parachute cannon section being covered in carbon fiber for the booster.



The fins are a lamination of G-10 fiberglass (drilled to reduce weight) between two laters of aircraft plywood. the fin layers are epoxied together and cured under compression.





The bulk heads completed (raw left, completed right).




This is the Rouse-Tech CD3 ejection system for ejecting the sustainer and booster drogue chutes. Note, the HCX flight computers have not been mounted yet.


Here are the completed electronics bays contain the dual altimeters and parachute deployment electronics. On the left is the port side booster e-bay and on the right, is the starboard side sustainer e-bay. Each have a Rouse-Tech CD-3 (starboard side) and dual HCX flight computers (one on each side of the sled).




The payload section contains the GPS tracking system and VGA (640x480) digital video camera. On the left is a 910 Mhz digital SSFH transciver. On the right, is the power supply and the GPS engine (reciever).

Recovery Testing




For a video of the booster drogue chute ejection being tested click HERE!


For a video of the sustainer drogue being tested click HERE!


For a video of the booster Main Chute being tested click HERE!


For a video of the sustainer Main Chute being tested click HERE!

Simulations






The CP calculation for the sustainer.



The CP calculation for the 2-stage vehicle.



Here is the predicted flight profile.

Flights




XPRS (N2000 and an M1419) 9/09



The sustainer and booster will each be initially test flown separately on an N2000 and an M1419 to test their flight systems and recovery.

Click here for a video with sound of the launch, deployment and recovery of the sustainer N2000 test flight! RUN VIDEO

Click here for a video with sound of the launch, deployment and recovery of the booster M1419 test flight! RUN VIDEO



Mavrick's Launch (N2000 - N1000) 10/09



Click here for a video with sound of the launch,deployment and recovery!
RUN VIDEO

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