'I Landed a (Model) Rocket Like SpaceX. It Took 7 Years' (hackaday.com) 33
"If you've been following Joe Barnard's rocketry projects for the past few years, you'll know that one of his primary goals has been to propulsively land a model rocket like SpaceX," reports Hackaday.
"Now, 7 years into the rollercoaster journey, he has finally achieved that goal with the latest version of his Scout rocket." Many things need to come together to launch AND land a rocket on standard hobby-grade solid fuel rocket motors. A core component is stabilization of the rocket during the entire flight, which achieved using a thrust-vectoring control (TVC) mount for the rocket motors and a custom flight computer loaded with carefully tuned guidance software. Until recently, the TVC mounts were 3D printed, but Joe upgraded it to machined aluminum to eliminate as much flex and play as possible.
Since solid-fuel rockets can't technically be throttled, [Joe] originally tried to time the ignition time of the descent motor in such a manner that it would burn out as the rocket touches down. The ignition time and exact thrust numbers simply weren't repeatable enough, so in his 2020 landing attempts, he achieved some throttling effect by oscillating the TVC side to side, reducing the vertical thrust component. This eventually gave way to the final solution, a pair of ceramic pincers which block the thrust of the motors as required.
"I have been trying to do what you just saw for seven years," Barnard says in the video, remembering that he started the project back in the fall of 2015. "Not because it's revolutionary or game-changing for model rocketry, but because it's a really cool project, and I knew I would learn a lot." (On Twitter, Barnard added that "I had no background in aero, electrical engineering, coding, etc so it took a lot of trial and error.")
And in the video Barnard made sure to thank his 690 supporters on Patreon — and also shared a surprise. He'd printed out a sheet of paper with the name of every one of his Patreon supporters, rolled it up, and inserted it into the hollow center of his rocket before the flight. "So if you support, you were part of this."
The Patreon account offers more details on Barnard's mission. "Learning by experimentation is the most effective way to gain a deep understanding of new concepts, which is why providing hands-on experience with advanced rocketry components is important for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and astronauts."
And the video ends with Bernard describing the next projects he'll attempt:
"Now, 7 years into the rollercoaster journey, he has finally achieved that goal with the latest version of his Scout rocket." Many things need to come together to launch AND land a rocket on standard hobby-grade solid fuel rocket motors. A core component is stabilization of the rocket during the entire flight, which achieved using a thrust-vectoring control (TVC) mount for the rocket motors and a custom flight computer loaded with carefully tuned guidance software. Until recently, the TVC mounts were 3D printed, but Joe upgraded it to machined aluminum to eliminate as much flex and play as possible.
Since solid-fuel rockets can't technically be throttled, [Joe] originally tried to time the ignition time of the descent motor in such a manner that it would burn out as the rocket touches down. The ignition time and exact thrust numbers simply weren't repeatable enough, so in his 2020 landing attempts, he achieved some throttling effect by oscillating the TVC side to side, reducing the vertical thrust component. This eventually gave way to the final solution, a pair of ceramic pincers which block the thrust of the motors as required.
"I have been trying to do what you just saw for seven years," Barnard says in the video, remembering that he started the project back in the fall of 2015. "Not because it's revolutionary or game-changing for model rocketry, but because it's a really cool project, and I knew I would learn a lot." (On Twitter, Barnard added that "I had no background in aero, electrical engineering, coding, etc so it took a lot of trial and error.")
And in the video Barnard made sure to thank his 690 supporters on Patreon — and also shared a surprise. He'd printed out a sheet of paper with the name of every one of his Patreon supporters, rolled it up, and inserted it into the hollow center of his rocket before the flight. "So if you support, you were part of this."
The Patreon account offers more details on Barnard's mission. "Learning by experimentation is the most effective way to gain a deep understanding of new concepts, which is why providing hands-on experience with advanced rocketry components is important for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and astronauts."
And the video ends with Bernard describing the next projects he'll attempt:
- More SpaceX-like vertical landings
- A 9-foot model of SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy rocket
- A special secret project known only as "the meat rocket"
- An actual model-rocket space shot — that is, a rocket that ascends over 100 kilometers
7 years? (Score:4, Funny)
how slow-burn was that propellant?!
Re:7 years? (Score:5, Interesting)
I think his use of ceramic pincers as thrust modulators is genius. Along with his home-built thrust-vectoring control, this is a great example of someone who has a goal and sticks with it.
While not all of his technologies are new, combining them on a hobby-grade solid engine rocket with self-developed control software is very innovative.
Re:7 years? (Score:4, Interesting)
Dumb question: Why not use liquid fuel?
There are liquid-fueled hobby rockets.
Liquid fuel makes throttling and directional thrust much easier.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Because when a liquid-fueled rocket fails the whole thing is destroyed.
I guess you get some nice fireworks but doesn't really work unless you like wasting money (*cough* government).
Re: (Score:3)
Liquid fuel opens up a whole new set of problems for storage and transport, both in mechanical operations and administrative sense.
Propellant grains once-cast are generally pretty stable, it usually takes a lot to set them off. They have to be stored with humidity and an avoidance of mechanical damage in mind but they're fairly safe to handle and don't corrode that which they're stored in/on. Even deflagration danger is fairly minimal so long as they're not stored in something that can build pressure to d
Re: (Score:2)
Dumb question: Why not use liquid fuel?
Because its just a fun hobby. You don't want it to be too easy :-)
Re: (Score:3)
Model rocketry has a large installed base of solid propellant systems.
I am unaware of any liquid propellant Model Rockets (besides water pressure systems). You're not even supposed to use metallic structural parts in this stuff but i love what he did anyway.
Meat rocket? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Should have gotten help from Raging Gerbil [simpsonswiki.com] instead.
Meat rocket? (Score:3)
I saw an educational video about a meat rocket on the internet once
Re: (Score:2)
Now that's just pure unadulterated cool (Score:5, Interesting)
Good engineering for the sake of the challenge, great-looking videos, totally a-propos subject matter: what's not to love?
I hope Elon Musk offers this man a job. He deserves it and SpaceX would be richer having him on board.
Re: Now that's just pure unadulterated cool (Score:5, Informative)
Or Blue horizon or Boeing. Keep the talent pool distributed so we don't have too much intellectual capital in the hands of one , frankly unstable, man. Multiple (also unstable) players at least pushes hard on competition to keep things innovative
Re: (Score:3)
As someone not totally on board with the Musk hate, I nonetheless totally agree.
SpaceX is depending on your definition a quasi king in the field. I despise Bezos and Boing is Boing... But still, humanity as such is always better off when the ultra rich are occupied winning pissing contests amongst each other.
Re: (Score:2)
Musk made himself a public outspoken individual, it is a great way to get a lot of fan, but it also opens yourself to get a lot of people who will dislike you. Also as a public figure laws against Slander and Libel are eased, so one can be rather brutally insulted all the time.
So Musk will be getting a lot of hate, because he is such a public figure, the same with Bazos. The Boing CEO is mostly out of the spotlight, so there is in general less hate towards him, but any issues may be more towards the actual
Re: (Score:2)
Don't waste talent in environments carefully designed to suffocate it under a mountains of stale procedures and management bloat that never lets anything change. RocketLab, Firefly, Relativity and many others can give people a chance to flourish.
Re: Now that's just pure unadulterated cool (Score:2)
Which environments are designed to suffocate?
Re: Now that's just pure unadulterated cool (Score:3)
That's nice and all, but the talent pool wants money, and not many have much to offer.
Re: (Score:2)
SpaceX doesn't look like a 9-5 job, more like a 5-9 job.
Elon Musk looks like a workaholic who expects others to do the same (but without the billions). And SpaceX is the company he has the most control over.
Re: (Score:1)
"I hope Elon Musk offers this man a job."
Why? They already land all their rockets, the competition should hire him.
Open source (Score:2)
Open source the design, if itâ(TM)s not already.
Congratulations (Score:1, Funny)
You have earned the right to call random people "pedo" on Twitter.
Traveler IV (Score:1)
Re:Traveler IV (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah if you get a rocket to 100km, is it really a "model" any more? I suppose you could call it amateur or something, but it's definitely a "real" rocket...?
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, it's probably better if they're called Amateur, but rocketry like this is a niche enough thing I kind of understand someone not knowing and just saying Model.
IANAE, but slashdot's had articles about these in the past. If I remember right, the USA's Federal Aviation Administration licenses a few tiers of amateur rocketry (e.g., the more fuel and the higher they go, the more stringent the FAA licensing). Delft University's group, DARE, is a preeminent european group.
https://friendsofamateurrocket... [friendsofa...cketry.org]
h [tudelft.nl]
A lot of time on his hands (Score:5, Insightful)
That video makes it look like he has had several million dollars of funding. I have seen a lot of well funded venture startups that couldn't produce a promo that looked that high-tech slick.
solid engineering and problem solving (Score:2)
flight computer (Score:2)
The video shows someone hand-assembling a 'flight computer' board at the 41 second mark, which seems odd because surely he could buy something off the shelf that has adequate compute power and interfaces for driving sensors and actuators. And then at 44 seconds there is a much different board that looks commercial, so maybe that happened.
I haven't followed the project, is there a diagram posted somewhere that shows the layout of the rocket and the parts? That you can see without paying him money?
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe that is a commercial kit that you assemble yourself?
Re: (Score:2)