Physics is a harsh mistress. Takeoff under light winds was perfect and it flew straight up. At ejection, the foreward centering ring that held the screw eye for the shock cord snapped and caused the nose cone to separate from the payload bay (despite the fact I could not remove it by hand easily before launch... Lesson learned number 1). The parachute with the rest of the payload bay went for at least a mile into a forest and was unrecoverable. The booster free fell along with the nose cone unharmed very close to launch site. As this was a Level 1 certification flight, obviously I failed. It will be rebuilt for a second attemp in March and it will be stronger. I do not know if that centering ring was faulty or it was something I did and may never, but those few seconds of going up into the skies was was worth it.