hermanjc
Well-Known Member
I would like to add to my fleet of scale scratch builds. Next up, the Space Shuttle. And just because I like to make things way more complicated than they have to be, I plan to have 18mm motors in the SRBs, with a 24mm motor in the orange fuel tank. The SRBs will separate at burnout (similar to the Falcon Heavy I built). The basis of the design is the Estes 1284 model (from the 80s-90s I think) that had just the single motor in the orange fuel tank, and a shuttle that would separate and glide at ejection (which I will also attempt). I am upscaling it 1.5X to use a 3" scratch tube for the fuel tank. SRBs will be 1.3" scratch tubes (or maybe BT-55s if I don't want to make them from scratch). The shuttle itself will be built around a 2" body tube.
I do have a question for the TRF community on this one. In order to be stable, the Estes kit needed to have large fins at the bottoms of the SRBs. Since I plan for these to breakaway and the center motor to continue to burn, I am going to need the fins to be attached to the center tank. My first thought is to use a lightweight boom (carbon fiber perhaps) with V-tail fins. I have modified and upscaled a Rocksim file found on rocketreviews and at first blush this might just work (will require some nose weight). Does anyone here have any similar build experience with a "tail boom" like this? I have never worked with carbon fiber, and hoping a small tube (maybe 4mm OD, 2mm ID) will be sufficient. Thoughts? Should I at least rotate the fins away from the flame?
I do have a question for the TRF community on this one. In order to be stable, the Estes kit needed to have large fins at the bottoms of the SRBs. Since I plan for these to breakaway and the center motor to continue to burn, I am going to need the fins to be attached to the center tank. My first thought is to use a lightweight boom (carbon fiber perhaps) with V-tail fins. I have modified and upscaled a Rocksim file found on rocketreviews and at first blush this might just work (will require some nose weight). Does anyone here have any similar build experience with a "tail boom" like this? I have never worked with carbon fiber, and hoping a small tube (maybe 4mm OD, 2mm ID) will be sufficient. Thoughts? Should I at least rotate the fins away from the flame?