MLAS Update

  Hi all,
 This is a update on the progress of Team ARC, for the past few months we have been busy with fairs, football,school and a host of other duties. This week I made allot of progress on the 8 inch boilerplate that we plan to test fly during the Spring blast weekend.  This is a small version of the half scale we are construction in the shop. (my neighbors love me )

For those of you who aren't familiar with this project let me fill you in. We are construction a half scale rocket of the NASA -MLAS. This was used back in 2007 to test the orientation of the chutes and other equipment.

  I have attached all the chute anchors and started with the 12inch version of this, we are doing it this way to get data on flight and timing events.  Timing is everything on this rocket.  Right now we plan for a OCTOBER 2012 launch. After that the rocket will be used as a teaching tool for Middle school kids on the importance of math and research. I hope to be able to travel with this and motivate kids, and pay it forward.

So many in the rocket community take their knowledge with them when the pass.  To me this is a selfish act
So back to the project.

This is a blurry picture but you get the idea.

here I used 24mm motor tubes for the chute compartment

Another picture of the CM this time it was hanging. 
I think it looks cool.

The 12 inch model will be using 29mm motor mounts. These are mounted in the 20 degree angle off center in a square design. This is the design  that the real rocket employed.  We are currently construction the cage for this boilerplate, This takes  allot of time the most important thing we are doing is keeping the 20 degree angle of attack the motors used in the original. We know this will affect the amount of power and other things. This is the reason we are building three boilerplate's. one for the data needed, and two to work out the construction issues ( their are also storage issues we must handle)