High powered rocket
Encyclopedia
Model rocket
A model rocket is a small rocket that is commonly advertised as being able to be launched by anybody, to, in general, low altitudes and recovered by a variety of means....
ry. The major difference is that higher impulse range motors are used. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
National Fire Protection Association
The National Fire Protection Association is a United States trade association that creates and maintains private, copywrited, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments...
definition of a high-power rocket is one that has a total weight of more than 1500 grams and contains a motor or motors containing more than 62.5 grams of propellant or rated at more than 160 Newton-second
Newton-second
The newton-second or newton second is the derived SI unit of impulse and momentum. It can also be expressed as the kilogram metre per second...
s of total impulse.
Types
High-power rockets are defined as rockets flown using commercially-available motors ranging from H to O classModel rocket motor classification
Motors for model rockets and high powered rockets are classified by total impulse into a set of letter-designated ranges, from A , up to O as the largest...
. In the U.S., the NFPA1122 standard dictates guidelines for model rocketry, while NFPA1127 is specific to high-power rockets. In most U.S. states NFPA1122 has been adopted as part of the legal code. A smaller number of states use NFPA1127.
Associations
The Tripoli Rocketry AssociationTripoli Rocketry Association
The Tripoli Rocketry Association is one of the two major organizing bodies for high power rocketry in the United States. It was founded in 1964 in the Pittsburgh, PA region as a high school science club, integrating both rocketry and space science...
and the National Association of Rocketry
National Association of Rocketry
The National Association of Rocketry is the governing body for the sport/hobby of model rocketry in the United States. It was established in 1957 by Orville Carlisle and G. Harry Stine and is currently headed by Trip Barber. It is the oldest and largest model rocketry governing body in the...
are the major sanctioning bodies for the hobby in the USA, providing member certifications, and criteria for general safety guidelines.
In most other countries, where HPR is supported, the regulations are similar to or derived from
the Tripoli Rocket Association Safety Code and the NAR High-power Certification system.
In Australia, Tripoli Rocketry Association
Tripoli Rocketry Association
The Tripoli Rocketry Association is one of the two major organizing bodies for high power rocketry in the United States. It was founded in 1964 in the Pittsburgh, PA region as a high school science club, integrating both rocketry and space science...
has three prefectures in Australia, with launch sites in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
In Canada, the Canadian Association of Rocketry - L'Association Canadienne De Fuséologie is appointed as regulator for the hobby.
In New Zealand, the controlling body for rocketry is the New Zealand Rocketry Association
New Zealand Rocketry Association
The New Zealand Rocketry Association is a model rocketry organisation based in Auckland, New Zealand. The NZRA holds launches and meetings bi-monthly at its Taupiri launch site, an hour south of Auckland, and has an annual launch day...
or NZRA
In South Africa, the controlling body for rocketry is SAASA
SAASA
SAASA or the South African Amateur Space Administration, is the controlling body for rocketry in South Africa. It was established to support the interests of rocketeers, in South Africa, to ensure the hobby remains safe and legal....
, the South African Amateur Space Administration.
In the UK the British Model Flying Association
British Model Flying Association
The British Model Flying Association is the body elected by the Royal Aero Club to be responsible for all aspects of flying model aircraft in the UK.-History:...
or BMFA is the governing body with United Kingdom Rocketry Association
United Kingdom Rocketry Association
The United Kingdom Rocketry Association is an enabling body set up to promote and represent high power, medium power and model rocketry in the United Kingdom for educational, recreational and amateur research purposes....
or UKRA acting as the High Power Association for Motor flights classed as H and above.
Certification
Certification in the USA & Canada
Unlike model rocketry, certification is required by the governing organizations in order for individuals to fly high powered rockets. The certification system is standardized across the hobby and governing organizations. There are three levels of certification, each allowing the user to fly successively larger motors. In the USA (TRA and NAR):Level 1: H, I
Level 2: J, K, L
Level 3: M, N, O and beyond
Note: In Canada, the Canadian Association of Rocketry
Canadian Association of Rocketry
The Canadian Association of Rocketry - L'Association Canadienne De Fuséologie is a Canadian federal not for profit self-supporting association and governing body representing amateur/model rocketeers across Canada...
has an additional step to Level 4, which is equivalent to the US Level 3. Level 1 is H motor, Level 2 is I motor and CAR Level 3 and 4 is the same as U.S. Level 2 and 3, respectively. Due to a change by the Board of Directors upon recommendation from the RSO Committee, all hybrids are considered High Power.
In order to gain certification an individual needs to demonstrate his ability to fly a rocket within the given power range of the level he is seeking successfully. For example, if an individual desires to gain a Level 1 certification he must successfully fly a H-I motor in an appropriately sized rocket. This is also true for Level 2 and 3 certification with the added requirements that, for Level 2 a test be successfully passed and for Level 3 the build be documented and overseen by an individual that is already of Level 3 certification. These requirements vary slightly between NAR and Tripoli, but are very close in both organizations.
Certification in the United Kingdom
The UKRA offer a certification programme in the UK similar to the USA. The process is very similar to that of the USA.Level 1 : H, I
Level 2 : J, K, L
Level 3 : M, N, O
Range Safety Officer (RSO)
The requirements for level 1 certification are a successful test flight with a level 1 size motor in front of a UKRA certified RSO.
A level 2 certificate requires a successful test flight with a level 2 sized motor witnessed by an RSO. The candidate also has to pass a multiple choice written exam set by the UKRA.
A level 3 candidate has to submit a detailed written report on their rocket to the UKRA Safety and Technical Committee, who will also examine the rocket prior to launch. After the written report has been approved and the rocket inspected, the candidate must then complete a successful test flight to obtain his level 3 certification.
Any UKRA member can apply to be a Range Safety Officer. The candidate must pass the level 2 written exam and pass an interview. An RSO can be either a Model Rocket RSO, Level 1 RSO, Level 2 RSO or Level 3 RSO, depending on the certification level he holds. The RSO can only act at launches involving rockets of his level of certification or lower.
Third party indemnity insurance is only provided by the British Model Flying Association (BMFA) and is included as part of the membership package. High Power Rocket fliers must hold the appropriate certificate for the size of motor that they are flying, and abide by the UKRA safety rules, for insurance to be valid.
The UKRA recognise the certification from the following National Organisations, who also recognise the UKRA certifications.
- Interessengemeinschaft Modellraketen e.V. (IMR)
- National Association of Rocketry (NAR)
- Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA)
- Canadian Association of Rocketry (CAR)
Construction
High-power rocket designs can vary widely as do anticipated altitudes and performance but altitudes of 10,000 ft and velocities in the supersonic ranges are not uncommon. A combination of (often) larger massMass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
and higher apogees may require sophisticated recovery systems. High-power rockets are frequently flown with sophisticated electronic devices used for recording flight data (altitude, velocity, acceleration/deceleration, G-forces) and for deploying recovery methods or devices.
High-power rockets are constructed from materials such as phenolic resin, fiberglass
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
, carbon fiber, and other composite material
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
s and plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s. Motor casings are normally machined aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
with ablative phenolic or paper liners and are reloadable, i.e. can be used multiple times.
Propulsion
High-power rockets are predominantly powered by commercially-available APCP-based motors or nitrous oxideNitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
-based hybrid motors. Experimental Propulsion is also the source of propulsion for many high-power rockets.
Motors for High-Power Rocketry are "H" and above. The lettered naming system is a standard in the hobby in which successive letters double the delivered impulse of the previous letter. Each letter also has a range of impulses under which a given motor can be classified.
Obtaining rocket motors in the United Kingdom
Black powder motors, typically manufacturered by companies such as Estes and Quest are classed as fireworks, and subject to few purchase restrictions in the UK, the main restriction being the purchaser must be over 18 years old. The motors are available up to class D in the UK and only suitable for low power model rockets.Ammonium Perchlorate is classed as an explosive by the UK Health and Safety Executive, so Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant
Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant
Ammonium perchlorate composite propellant is a modern solid rocket propellant used in both manned and unmanned rocket vehicles. It differs from many traditional solid rocket propellants such as black powder or Zinc-Sulfur, not only in chemical composition and overall performance, but also by the...
(AP) motors formerly required the purchaser to have an Explosives Licence and Recipient Competent Authority Transfer Document (RCA). A Registered Store Certificate was also required if the purchaser wanted to store the motors rather than purchase them at the flying event and use them immediately.
The UKRA has negotiated an exemption so that model rocket fliers can obtain some AP motors in limited quantities without the need for an explosives licence. Since the 4th December, 2007, model rocketeers have been able to purchase AP motors with a net weight less than 1 kg of propellant without an Explosives Licence. They can also store motors up to a total net weight of 5 kg without needing an Explosives Licence or Registered Store Certificate. They will still require an RCA document. This can be obtained from the UK HSE by writing an appropriate letter to them requesting an exemption for model rocket motors. This document is currently issued free of charge, although this may change. Rocket Store has full details of the legal restrictions on purchase of AP motors and details of how to obtain the RCA document.
A motor with 1 kg of propellant is a K impulse motor, so model rocketeers can now fly level 2 models without the need for an explosives license, however an RCA is still required. This relaxation in the regulations has made mid and high power rocketry much more accessible in the UK.
Recovery
In model rocketry, a parachute, streamer or other recovery device or method deploys at apogee, but high-power rockets may employ more complex recovery systems since altitudes can be much higher than their counterparts. In a high-power rocket, an altimeterAltimeter
An altimeter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth underwater.-Pressure altimeter:...
or electronic timer may deploy a drogue parachute
Drogue parachute
A drogue parachute is a parachute designed to be deployed from a rapidly moving object in order to slow the object, or to provide control and stability, or as a pilot parachute to deploy a larger parachute...
(which stabilizes the rocket in descent) or a controlled freefall (where the fore and aft sections are merely separated by a tether or umbilical cord, often made of tubular nylon). These recovery events can be brought about by small explosive charges (black powder or Pyrodex
Black powder substitute
thumb|300px|Pyrodex, a modern black powder substitute for [[muzzleloader|muzzleloading]] rifles, in FFG sizeA black powder substitute is a replacement for black powder used in muzzleloading and cartridge firearms...
) or pressurized gasses (e.g., CO2
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
). At an altitude predetermined by the hobbyist, an altimeter deploys a main parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
that slows the rocket to a safe recovery speed. The most common varieties of altimeter use accelerometers, barometric sensors or a combination of both.
External links
- Argentina
- Asociacion de Coheteria Experimental y Modelista de Argentina (officially incorporated society).
- Australia
- Tripoli Rocketry Association prefectures
- Tripoli Australia - Victoria
- Queensland Rocketry - Queensland
- Tripoli Western Australia - Western Australia
- Tripoli Rocketry Association prefectures
- Canada
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- NFPA 1127 - National Fire Protection Association Rules Part 1127 - High Power Rocketry
- Tripoli Rocketry Association (international, including USA)
- National Association of Rocketry (NAR)