November 2020 virtual meeting

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by the Reaction Research Society

The RRS held its monthly meeting on November 13th. The teleconference brought several of us together again from different parts of the city and around the country.

The November 2020 monthly meeting by teleconference

PAST EVENTS

The society discussed the prior launch event at the MTA held on November 7, 2020. Details of the event are in the firing report posted this month. More RRS members are buidling more rockets and this is a good trend, We were not able to work on site improvements at the event, but these tasks can be resumed at the next event.

Bent panel on the vertical thrust stand to be removed and replaced.

The 2020 Constitution Committee is almost ready to release the recommended draft with updated policy listings according to RRS vice-president Frank Miuccio who is the single executive council representative on the committee. Release of the draft will go out in December 2020. If ratified by the voting membership, this new Constitution will clarify RRS rules and policies and supersede all past revisions.

FACILITY UPGRADES AT THE MOJAVE TEST AREA

The society discussed the current progress of facility upgrades approved by the executive council. At the top of the list is a new restroom facility. A couple contractor bids are forthcoming with one being delivered just a few hours before the meeting. Cost is an important consideration and other designs besides a block and concrete design are being considered. Containerized, portable systems may offer an effective solution with fewer complications.

The council approved the construction of a similar pit toilet like the one being used now at the MTA. The second toilet is meant to replace the first as it will not be usable for much longer. A few RRS members are already working to put in this stop-gap measure until the better facility can be selected and funded.

Second pit toilet at the MTA approved as stop-gap measure.

Other site upgrades discussed at the meeting was replacement of the roof structure on the existing blockhouse which would be a temporary but safer solution until a new structure can br funded and built. Another was removal and replacement of the bent panel on the vertical thrust stand which may be done at the next launch event. Still another improvement option is purchasing some of the existing containers from our tenant for more storage space at the site and a water storage tank.

The blockhou at the RRS mTA. Replacement of the roof would enhance the safety of this shelter.

Other improvements include locked and secured areas for high-pressure gas bottles and cryogenic liquid cylindeers. Towable water-spraying trailers have also been discussed to augment fire-fighting at the MTA. A larger launch rail system for heavier liquid rockets at the RRS MTA is also being considered.

DONATE TO THE RRS THROUGH AMAZON SMILE

Amazon Smile is a program that allows Amazon to donate a small percentage of eligible purchases to a non-profit group, such as the Reaction Research Society.

go to Amazon Smile and see for yourself

You first enter: smile.amazon.com

then select the Reaction Research Society as your chosen recipient. There is no extra cost to you and you allow the RRS to recieve quarterly donations from Amazon when sufficient purchase amounts have been made in that quarter. With the holiday season approaching, this is a simple way to benefit the RRS and the many activities we support.

For more details and assistance, contact Chris Lujan or just go to Amazon Smile.

NOMINATIONS FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

As per the Constitution, the society holds nominations at the November monthly meeting for the four elected executive council positions. Terms will start in the new calendar year, First, an election chairman is appointed by the council. This person can not run for office in that election cycle. Dave Nordling was selected as election chairman.

Only administrative members in active status can be nominated and hold office. The nominees will be listed on the ballots going out to the eligible voting membership. Ballots will be sent by email which underscores the importance of all members keeping their contact information up to date with the RRS treasurer. Also, one of the requirements of active membership is being current with dues payments also tracked by the RRS treasurer.

treasurer@rrs.org

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES

RRS policy is that all annual dues are to be paid on January 1 of each calendar year. New members joining the society throughout the year can pay a pro-rated dues for their first partial calendar year. Membership dues are $40 per year and student membership is $20 per year.

The executive council voted to keep dues at their current levels for the new calendar year, 2021. However, dues will increase to $50 per year starting in 2022 (January 1). All payments are made to the society to the RRS treasurer or the RRS president.

president@rrs.org

NEXT MTA EVENT

The next launch event at the Mojave Test Area will be held on December 12th. The nitrous oxide hybrid will be launched with the upgraded igniter and new airframe. Other rocket launches are planned.

IN CLOSING

The next monthly meeting will be held on December 11 by teleconference. Anyone with questions or suggestions should contact the RRS secretary.

secretary@rrs.org

MTA launch event, 2020-11-07

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By Dave Nordling, Reaction Research Society

The RRS held a launch event at the Mojave Test Area on November 7, 2020. It was a largely overcast day with brief periods of sun. The daytime temperatures reached only 50 Fahrenheit but the winds were no more than 20 miles per hour which meets the criteria for safe launch. Osvaldo Tarditti, our society president, was the pyrotechnic operator in charge for this event.

RECOVERY OF ANOTHER ALPHA FROM JULY

John Krell was able to find the standard length micrograin alpha rocket laumched at the July 2020 event. The rocket was found further north than expected but the downrange distance was about right. This was the rocket with the ceramic coated nozzle which was to have its performance compared to the standard alpha with a plain steel nozzle which is known to erode from the high temperature exhaust.

Recovered standard alpha from the July 2020 launch
The standard length alpha was recovered with its nozzle and the ceramic lined throat. No erosion seems to be present.

Unfortunately, the data was absent on the memory chip. It appears there was a malfunction and flight data wasn’t recorded. John is looking into the problem.

The nozzle was removed and inspected from the recovered alpha. Preliminary results show that the nozzle stayed intact. Careful removal of the largely zinc metallic residue firmly adhered to the entrance and nozzle throat must be done to determine how well the ceramic coating survived the 2300 Fahrenheit flame temperature for the quick four-tenths of a second burn time, John Krell is trying a traditional remedy of heated white vinegar (acetic acid) which has been modestly successful in this application.

The golden color of the coating can be seen at the inlet. The condition of the coating around the throat is what must be determined.

A FEW ROCKETS IN NOVEMBER

Keith Yoerg and a few others launched five model rockets from the MTA event that day. We’re getting a lot more participants at our launch events which is a trend the society will encourage as we are expanding our organization by supporting a range of projects.

  1. The first was “Star Orbiter” which was prepared and launched by Wilbur Owens, and successfully recovered about 3/4 of a mile from the launch site. 
  2. The second launch of the “29mm Rocket” was prepared and launched by Ivan DeDios, and unfortunately was not found after a lengthy search. 
  3. The third launch of the day was “Charlie Horse” and featured the largest motor flown that day. The rocket was prepared and launched by Keith Yoerg and resulted in his first flight above Mach 1.0. In addition, it was the first flight of a GPS carabiner used to track the rocket which performed extremely well & was easy to use. Cheaper options of similar technology are being researched for future flights.
  4. The fourth launch was the “Bell X-2” which was prepared and launched by Keith Yoerg, and was a textbook flight with a simple recovery.
  5. The fifth and final launch of the day was “Low and Slow” which was prepared and launched by Alexander Jones. Unfortunately, the parachute failed to deploy at apogee and the rocket came back ballistically & was destroyed along with one of the carabiner GPS units.
The aptly named “29mm rocket” by Keith Yoerg, powered by a 29mm H115 Darkmatter motor, seen at take-off from the RRS MTA on 11-07-2020
The 29mm Rocket taking off.
Keith Yoerg’s “Charlie Horse” takes flight again frim the RRS MTA on 11-07-2020 powered by a 38mm J520 Skidmark motor.
A great still capture on the Bell X-2 at launch.
Camera view of the Low and Slow rocket at take-off
The recovered remains of the “Low and Slow” rocket by Alexander Jones.

The RRS encourages all forms of reaction-based propulsion including commercial solid motor rocket flights. We have our traditional love for the micrograin rockets, but our society is open to all ideas as long as they contact the society and our pyro-op in charge well in advance of our launch events.

The five commercial solid motors laid out on display.

BILL INMAN’S SOLAR COLLECTOR

Bill Inman came out to the MTA to test his next prototype of a solar collector. Bill’s latest project is exploring the idea of a solar-based heating system for a steam rocket. This second device had a wider collection area and a longer pipe length. He didn’t have good sun conditions that day and his larger collector structure was a little unstable in the wind, but he was able to get ideas for improvement.

Dimitri Timohovich aids Bill Inman in deploying his second generation prototype solar heater. It was a less than ideal day for solar insolation at the RRS MTA. Even the Mojave Desert can be cold on winter days.
A wider collector area in the new design. It was a less than sunny day.

There was a very short period of sun that day and in that time a measurable temperature gain was seen with the new collector.

A wider view of Bill’s solar collector

Testing the same device in the days following the MTA event at another location showed this second design to be a substantial improvement with the larger parabolic mirror area which allowed the water pipe to reach fluid temperatures exceeding 300 Fahrenheit and internal pressures of 90 psig. This is closer to Bill’s goal of reaching above 400 Fahrenheit for his next generation steam rocket from his successful Scalded Cat design almost 20 years ago.

Vapor curve data for water, psia in the left column, degrees Fahrenheit on the right.
The vspor curve of water showing the whole range from triple-point to critical point.

STATIC FIRE OF THE USC RPL ALUMNI SOLID MOTOR

A group of USC RPL alumni static fired an 8-inch solid motor at the MTA. The team worked very hard from the night before and all through the day in getting the motor ready for static fire. The RRS MTA is an excellent location for these operations and conducting safe motor testing.

Unfortunately with some experiments, the results can be disappointing. The hot-fire in the very last hours of daylight ended with a rupture near the bulkhead after roughly one second of the burn.

The 8-inch motor in preparation for testing.
Preparation at the pad as the afternoon is fading at the MTA
Photo of the static firing, less than ideal performance

IN CLOSING

The details of the event will likely be discussed at the monthly meeting teleconference on November 13th. We’ll be also discussing our next launch event to be held next month in December.

We will likely attempt the nitrous oxide hybrid motor with the modified igniter. The colder temperatures should allow the propellant manifold to operate properly without any modifications.

The removal and replacement of the bent panel on the vertical thrust stand was deferred because of USC’s static firing of their solid motor. This maintenance activity will remain a high priority since the replacement plates are ready and at the MTA already.

Thanks to the many members that contributed to this report. We will be planning our next launch event for the month of December at the monthly meeting scheduled for Friday, November 13th.

October 2020 virtual meeting

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by the Reaction Research Society

The RRS held it’s monthly meeting by teleconference on October 9th at our usual starting time of 7:30pm. We had a few members calling in from out-of-state. We had a few new topics to cover.

Some of the attendees to the October 2020 monthly meeting

SUMMARY OF RECENT MTA EVENT

We held a work event at the Mojave Test Area on October 3rd which was very successful despite higher temperatures for that autumn Saturday. We cleared a lot of tumbleweeds, mended the barbed wire fence at our front gate, painted the metal window gratings on the front of the Dosa Building and even cleared off the decks of the large vertical test stand. We had a lot of great help and we hope to continue making these site improvements to make our facility more attractive and useful.

The large vertical test stand at the RRS MTA after some clearing.

We agreed to meet at the MTA again on November 7th which will coincide with a static fire test of USC’s Rocket Propulsion Lab latest multi-grain solid motor design. We will also attempt to remove and replace a bent panel on the vertical thrust stand. The nitrous oxide hybrid rocket by Dave Nordling, Larry Hoffing and Osvaldo Tarditti is also ready for launching. If there are other member projects that are ready we will add those to the event and notify the pyro-op in charge.

LIQUID ROCKET PROJECTS

Liquid rocket projects have become more popular recently and some have started within the RRS.

Loyola-Marymount University (LMU) in Marina del Rey started a capstone project for their upper classmen in their undergraduate aerospace engineering program to design and build a large liquid rocket. The LMU Lion project was inspired by the FAR-MARS competition. Dave Nordling has been supporting the early design work on behalf of the RRS starting early this calendar year prior to the pandemic restrictions ending in-person meetings. LMU has restarted the project with the new academic year with a series of specialized coursework and short presentations on topics from experts around the industry. Dave was glad to present the history and capabilities of the RRS. The presentation was well received and LMU has looked at using our vertical test stand when they get their first liquid rockets systems ready for test.

Loyola Marymount Aerospace Research Society

The Compton Comet project at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum has been restarted with RRS members, Waldo Stakes, Kent Schwitkis and Dave Nordling. The Compton Comet is a liquid rocket to be built, tested and flown at the RRS. It is a larger vehicle design which has several parts built and will use a surplus XLR11 single-chamber fueled by LOX and a 75% ethanol-water blend, It is a very ambitious project for the Compton College STEM students but it will provide an excellent means of learning practical skills.

Engine section built from a surplus tailcone and ethanol-LOX engine sits on the workbench

UCLA is continuing Project Ares for this next academic year. Last year’s liquid rocket vehicle design was in its final preparations for a Spring 2020 launch at FAR until the pandemic closed campuses around the country including the UCLA Lab. UCLA invited a few RRS members to attend their preliminary design review by teleconference. They are proceeding with several design improvements from last year’s vehicle design and when their laboratory access is restored under carefully regulated conditions, they hope to have another static fire at the RRS and flight from FAR next spring.

Thr Rocket Project at UCLA

Richard Garcia had started a design for a small liquid fueled rocket that would be easier to build and serve as the basis for a common or standard design for society members wanting to test and fly a liquid rocket at reasonable cost. Propellants are ethanol and liquid oxygen. The design has features proven from past successful liquid motor testing at the RRS MTA. The first prototype of the small 125 lbf motor is in build now. After successful demonstrations of the motor in hot-fire, the vehicle will be built.

Illustration of the RRS standard liquid rocket concept

There is a rocket hangar space opening up at the Compton/Woodley Airport which RRS members will soon have access. It has been a goal to have a work space within the city centrally located for most of our members. Operations at the rocket hangar will be limited to construction activities and small-scale pressure tests and cold flow operations, but it will offer our members a greater convenience for those with limited working space in their homes. Contact Wilbur Owens and Xavier Marshall for details. Social distancing and mask protocols would apply.

MTA FIREFIGHTING MEASURES

Fires are one of the greatest risks that come with amateur rocketry. At the behest of several members we have been discussing way of better preparing to fight fires from our site. The roughly one dozen pressurized water containers we have in our storage container are filled and made ready at every event. These have been useful for containing any fires starting at the pads. The RRS is looking at storing large quantities of water at the MTA. We’re also looking at trailer mounted water tanks that could be pulled by a small all-terrain vehicle (ATV) with a motorized pump spray system. These are commonly found in agricultural locations and would be an excellent addition to help limit the propagation of downrange fires until county resources can arrive.

An example of a 200-300 gallon water tank with a motorized pump system

MTA FACILITY UPGRADES

New restroom facility designs have been discussed over this summer. Concepts have been discussed with contractors and firm cost proposals are being prepared. Issues like cost and permits are important concerns. The society last year approved this facility upgrade project as the top priority.

One of several concepts for a new restroom facility at the RRS MTA under discussion

ANNUAL ELECTIONS FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Next meeting teleconference will be held on November 13th. After appointing an election chairman, we will be holding nominations for executive council positions at the meeting. Administrative members of society are encouraged to participate as we select our next year’s leadership. Active membership is also required so be certain to pay your dues if you haven’t all year.

If there are any questions or comments, please contact me RRS secretary. You can also follow the RRS on Facebook and on Instagram.