I learned the hard way that gunpowder is hygroscopic.
The L730 motor performed perfectly. The V2.0 flew straight as an arrow as per the flight plan. The onboard computer detected apogee and ignited the black powder (BP) charge that is needed to separate the nose cone from the body and deploy the parachute. But the BP did not fully ignite. In the post-mortem, we found the partially ignited BP sack. My BP storage container was not airtight, and over the past year, the BP absorbed water from the atmosphere, ruining its efficacy. The rocket launch in the desert was foiled by water.
So, the 28 lb rocket made a sickening arc through the sky and started picking up speed as it came back ballistic, howling back to the playa and drilling into the clay with great force.
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