[ExI] It's not rocket science - Well, it is actually.

[Brent Allsop]

Bill,

Wow, that is way cool!!

In only a few minutes I download it and modeled a 3 Stage (each with a D 
engine) rocket I built many  years ago.

It was a one time launch vehicle made out of paper towel tubes; engines 
glued in, carrying pyrotechnics (Firecrackers to blow up each booster 
stage after it separated, and finally about 7 oz of fire crackers and 
spinning flowers... for the payload).  We launched it on new years eve 
one year.  This simulation says it probably got close to 1000 feet 
before lighting up the payload, which sounds about what I remember, 
though spinning flowers don't look very impressive that far away.  I 
recovered the first booster stage (was very slow, probably dropped off 
about 200 ft) partially blown up by the firecrackers, but never saw 
anything else.

I tried simulating more than 3 such D stages, but evidently it maxes out 
at simulating 4 stages?  Let me know if anyone knows how to do more than 
this.  And what does the Stability rating in "cal" units represent?  I 
always wondered how adding weight in the front of a rocket made it more 
stable.  Had I had this simulator, I would have known I could have 
easily added a 4th stage.  Just don't use cardboard for fins on such a 
rocket, the first time I simulated, I forgot to convert the top two 
stage fins from the default cardboard to balsa wood, and the simulator 
simulated them shearing off during the final stage! ;)

I have the .ork file for this if anyone is interested (off list e-mail 
on request).  Does anyone else have any fun .ork files they've built, or 
thought about building to share?

Thanks!!

Brent Allsop


On 8/15/2011 12:14 PM, BillK wrote:
> This might interest budding rocket scientists.
>
> <http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/features.html>
>
> OpenRocket is an free, fully featured model rocket simulator that
> allows you to design and simulate your rockets before actually
> building and flying them.
>
> OpenRocket features a full six-degree-of-freedom simulation, realistic
> wind modeling, a multitude of different components including free-form
> fins and canted fins, automatic design optimization, clustering and
> staging.
> ------------------
>
>
> BillK
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