As I mentioned in my last post, I ordered a kit to get started with building my first high power rocket. The first thing that I realized is that this kit has a lot of parts. You can see most of it in the picture above, but let me be clear: I have no idea what I’m doing. I didn’t even realize there were multiple tubes inside other tubes until much later. Why so many tubes? And those little bags are just full of more tiny pieces of hardware.
As if to make the situation even more confusing, some of the parts that came with the rocket kit are not actually necessary to build the rocket, and in fact cannot be used at all in this rocket build. (One such example is the appropriately named “baffle” that came in this package.) And yet, other parts that are critical to completing the rocket do not come in this kit, and they need to be purchased separately. Instructions are mercifully included, but they’re more like an overview for someone who is familiar with all the parts. They’re also entirely composed of text – no pictures or diagrams. The lack of clarity rivals IKEA product assembly instructions.
It is starting to dawn on me that building a high power rocket is not as easy as I assumed it would be.
But it is fun. The major parts that come in the kit, and what you can see in this picture, are basically the rocket airframe/ body tube, nose cone, wooden fins and centering rings, wooden electronics bay, and two parachute recovery systems, with shock cords. All the basic parts needed, more or less, to build and fly a large rocket.
Except for brains and ability, which I currently lack. But I can figure that out later, right..?
Improbable Ventures 