Supersonic MODEL Rocket?

[jqavins]

Why did this turn into a gun thread? (OK, bullet thread.)

There are some darn small altimeters today that were not around 2008 that could easily settle the the matter of confirming the speed. If you can get it back. But there are some darn small trackers today also. Easily packed together into a 29 mm min diameter rocket.

If you want to use a loitering aircraft, and altimeter might still be useful, since it's really just a barometer with funny calibration and display units. A shock wave should show up as a glitch on the otherwise steady altitude, if the sampling rate is high enough.

 

[bjphoenix]

Why did this turn into a gun thread? (OK, bullet thread.)

It was strictly to give a comparison for the velocity of the speed of sound.

I remember from very long ago a reference to rocket velocity of 400 mph. It was probably related to a small rocket with the core-burning B motor. That's pretty fast on its own.

 

[sperocket]

Another good bump here... 2009 to 2018 to 2024 but still an interesting subject..

I'm wondering if a drone up high and near the flight path could detect the sound of a sonic boom.

Other than the technical interest of doing this otherwise the flight is not so interesting because you don't see it. The speed of sound is as they used to say "faster than a speeding bullet". A small rocket will just disappear on ignition without much evidence that it was ever there. Sure something the size of an Aerobee would be visible and some of the amateur rockets larger than M are visible, but something in the model rocket range would probably be too small to be visible.

The DJI drones I have don't record audio. Maybe a bump in the video?

 

[jqavins]

It was strictly to give a comparison for the velocity of the speed of sound.

I remember from very long ago a reference to rocket velocity of 400 mph. It was probably related to a small rocket with the core-burning B motor. That's pretty fast on its own.

I know, to start. Then it went on and on. Never mind.

 

[lr64]

Don't get stuck on quad copters. Fixed wing models will take less power to get to altitude, and, as someone pointed out, can glide. If permission was obtained, such a model could loiter a little above the predicted motor cutoff altitude. Then it would have a chance of hearing the boom before hearing the motor. But I wonder if a radar gun used on a rocket with a radar reflector of some sort wouldn't be easier.

I also wonder if the greater cross section (presumably) of a rocket made closer to conformance with the Whitcomb area rule would be made up for by less drag at transonic and supersonic speeds. Maybe we need barrel-shaped motors.

 

[ReynoldsSlumber]

For an aerial microphone platform I think someone in the past has used a tethered balloon.