Elena's Rockets

Elena's Rocket

Not long after I became a BAR, we began collecting various items we thought could be morphed into rocket parts, primarily tubes. Among them were Saran Wrap tubes, Pringles cans, mailing tubes and paper roll cores.

This Elena Lou began life as part of a pair of rockets planned to use Pringles cans as the lower sections. Each would have internal BT-60 (1.6") tubes providing for interchangeable motor mounts. (These mounts were done to an earlier design, and should not be confused with these seen elsewhere on this site.)

The available motor setups were a 3x18mm cluster, a single 24mm motor, or a 29mm motor.

Above the Pringles can, the rockets would transition to BT-55 (1.3") tubes with nose-blow ejection.

However, experience with the Elena Lou's twin led us to take a different route.

When it became clear the Pringles can was just too much trouble, I began looking for a way to salvage the work already done on this rocket. I found that a LOC 3" coupler would just fit over the rings cut for the Pringles can, so the coupler was shortened a tad and used as shown here.

The fins are surface mounted, and the transition is made with a paper wrap filled with 2-part expanding foam.

Here are the interchangeable motor mounts. The 29mm (left) and 24mm (right) mounts just slide in. T-nuts on the rocket are used to retain the motors which will in turn retain the mounts. For the center 3x18mm mount, the T-nuts retain the mount while a 2-56 all-thread (center) is used to retain the motors.

And here's a pic of Elena with her rocket. She's growing up to be a fine young lady.

4-24-2004

Elena is growing up to be a fine young woman. Here's a more recent pic of her flying the same rocket.

	And this is the liftoff shot taken the same day. A baby blue rocket against a blue sky doesn't have much contrast...
12-30-2008

Here's a comparison shot showing Elena with rocket a back in 2004 and a more recent pose with her science fair project.

Link to Elena's science fair project

Elena poses with her best friend Natalie.

Dad loves this smile.

Here's a shot of Elena and Dad, sans hat. Elena looks great. I, on the other hand, look like I'd'a been better off to keep my hat on

8-29-2010