DMC-FX7
ƒ/5.6
5.8 mm
1/500
80

It had a beautiful launch on a N2000 motor. These motors leave a crater in the clay at takeoff. Moments earlier, a rocket shredded at Mach 2 on an L motor.

Click here for the rocketry photo set.

(As you go up the alphabet in motor sizes, each letter represents a successive doubling of total power (B is 2x A and so on). Estes mainly sells A, B and C motors, and some larger D and E sized ones as well. Aerotech Consumer Aerospace is the common source for F and G motors. For H and above, you have to be certified by NAR or Tripoli to buy one, and the motors are hand-assembled in reusable metal casings. I had to build an H motor and rocket, and launch and recover it successfully to get my Level 1 Cert.)

17 responses to “My, that’s a big rocket”

  1. Victor1 Avatar
    Victor1

    Happiness…. is a warm rocket.

    Reply
  2. Automatt Avatar
    Automatt

    awesome! what if you used 25 E’s at once, soviet style?

    Reply
  3. goofy comparison Avatar
    goofy comparison

    Whoah! That is a Big One.

    Reply
  4. biotron Avatar
    biotron

    beyond Freud…! 😉

    Reply
  5. Eric Olson Avatar
    Eric Olson

    Wow, that is incredible. I am going to look and see if we have any meet up like that out here in the Northeast. My bet is that we don’t since we lack the open desert. If anyone knows anything please let me know. The highest I have launched is a C motor but I am ready to move up after seeing those pics!

    Reply
  6. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    Automatt: I saw a video of a rocket with 256 Estes D engines. They used a pan of black powder underneath to try to light them all. It did not hold together, and the engines scattered like fireflies on crack.

    eolson: you don’t need a desert, or a license, for low and mid power launches (A-G engines). For a club near you, you might seach for NAR or Tripoli. Estes estimates that for their rockets alone, there have been 300 million launches in the U.S.

    Reply
  7. benjiman Avatar
    benjiman

    That is one big shit-eating grin! 😉

    Good times!

    Reply
  8. Vanita Avatar
    Vanita

    Remind me to mach you later.
    ‘-}

    Reply
  9. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    heh…
    It was great to have Victor there also taking pictures. He got me assembling the H motor with all of the propellant, timers, chute charges and the infamous o-rings….

    Reply
  10. RS Shared Avatar
    RS Shared

    "These motors leave a crater in the clay at takeoff." Gee, did you clean up the burn scar?

    Reply
  11. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    Plenty of shovels… =)
    No trash left behind is the goal.

    Reply
  12. neverCryWolf Avatar
    neverCryWolf

    Whoa. I’ve launched a "D" or two, but never godda play with a rocket THAT big!

    Reply
  13. attractive cook Avatar
    attractive cook

    Sigh, I miss my rocket days. Will have at least one more run to black rock though, for my L2 Cert attempt. But it’s an order or two of magnatude smaller than that beautiful beastie.
    I have one J-350 just set aside for it. But now looking at that, wonder if I have an L3 in me or not…

    Reply
  14. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    I just posted some rocket video. You can see this one launch with a N2000 motor on Revver…

    Automatt: speaking of Soviet-style cluster engines, check out this crazy N1 project, especially the bottom of the page…

    Reply
  15. borealnz Avatar
    borealnz

    This looks like great fun, I guess the first commenter sums up your feelings about this perfectly 🙂

    Thanks for sharing in the "Happiness is…" theme at
    The World Through My Eyes

    Reply
  16. sakichin Avatar
    sakichin

    cool rocket!

    The World Through My Eyes happiness theme

    Reply
  17. stormtroopercarlos Avatar
    stormtroopercarlos

    Dose any one know what size engin i would need for a 5 foot tall rocket that is made of plastic and ways about 5 pounds totally empty ?

    Reply

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