I know that it is not an actual rocket, but just had to post these.  My 6 year old son made this, he is in kindergarden and told me to take it to school.  He knows I build rockets, so "This is the rocket car".  This is why most of us get into rocketry in the first place isn't it?  That sense of childhood wonder and imagination as you design, build and decorate.  That sense of giddiness when you put it on the pad for the first time.  That anticipation during the countdown and excitement when the motor ignites.  I hope that we never lose that.

We are only two short weeks away from our spring Paint Night to benefit our NASA SLI team.  Please click on the link below to download the registration form.  For only $40, you will get the materials and instruction to paint the beautiful sunflower below.  This is one of the last fundraisers of the year for us, so please consider attending.  If you are not able to attend, but would like to make a donation, the "Triton Appeal" document below is the form that provides background on our team and is the form to submit for a donation.  Any donation over $100 is tax deductible and you will receive recognition from the school board.  Please help us wrap up our fundraising efforts and be fully funded for this program.  Thank you for your support.

I know that I posted this before, but some of our new visitors may not have watched it.  Filmed at 240fps, I really like being able to see the igniter (starter) burn and the time delay until the propellant ignites.

In March 2013, we had our first full scale HPR launch for SLI.  It was the first year that we participated in SLI and the rocket was 4in in diameter and roughly 7ft long.  We flew it on a K2045 Vmax motor made by CTI.  Since the rocket was just over 14lbs, the rocket was pulling just over 45Gs coming off the pad.  That impressive motor burns out in .7s.  This rocket was able to reach 500ft high in .7s!

Here are a few TARC launch videos to get you over the hump.  

Please consider attending our Paint Night on Thursday March 9 at 6pm in the high school cafeteria.  For only $40, you can paint this beautiful sunflower.  Light refreshments will be available to purchase as well.  Tickets at the door are $45.  Please download and print the registration form above.  Checks should be made payable to SGASD.

The video below is from an on-board camera mounted on the Triton rocket taking off on a CTI K711 motor.  The video has been edited for length.

Full speed video of Triton taking off on an Aerotech K1000 motor the past weekend.  The height was 5455ft.  Very interesting nozzle configuration for this motor with 5 nozzles.

The scientific payload is nearing completion.  The payload this year will test a non-Newtonian fluid.  The fluid some call O'obleck is a colloid and has the properties of both a solid and a liquid.  The payload will test to see if the substance acts as a solid or liquid during the ascent of the vehicle.  on the picture at the right you can see two clear plastic tubes.  The fluid will be in the top one and a valve will open using a soleniod and timing switch during launch that will keep it open only during the ascent.  if some of it goes into the bottom vial during flight, it acted as a liquid. 

This video was taken from right under the pad when the Triton rocket lifted off on a CTI K711 motor to a height of just over 5600ft.  This video is flimed at 240fps and it is interesting to see when the igniter lit and time till the full propellant ignited and started to lift off.

This past weekend we had 3 successful flights with our 2 full scale SLI rockets at MDRA in Maryland.  A great launch weekend .  More photos and videos will be posted throughout this week.  Come back often!  In-flight photo courtesy of Todd Harrison.  Great picture of Trident taking flight!

We are currently prepping for our full scale launches this weekend.  We will be traveling to Price, MD to launch with MDRA.  Below are the launch videos from our full scale launch in Jan.  We are trying out a new motor to improve the thrust-to-weight ratio.  Stop back next week for more exciting photos and videos.

This is the time of year where we are planning for our culminating trip to Huntsville, AL in April.  With transportation, meals, hotel, etc it is expensive.  We have been doing various fund raisers throughout the year and have received some very generous donations and grants for us to meet our goal.  If you already contributed to our effort, we appreciate it very much.  Please consider making a donation or purchasing advertising on our final full scale rocket.  All donations $100 and up are tax deductable and will be recognized by the school board.  We would not be able to participate in this program without the generous community support.  Thank you!

Another fund raiser that we will be offering this spring is a Paint Night on Thursday March 9.  For only $40, you will receive all materials and instructions to paint a sunflower.  Light refreshments will be available to purchase.  Please make checks payable to SGASD.  Tickets at the door are $45.  

Here is a segment of our CDR oral presentation.  The 30 minute long presentation is compleed via video conference and ends with a question and answer section.  The team successfully completed the Critical Design Review and will move on to more full scale launches and preparing for Huntsville.

It may be cold, but today we are launching.  Searching for that 0 qualifying score.