The Beta: I love this little gem, but I haven't been able to get T sized booster motors any more.
UPDATE: Estes is now making them again - I have some due to arrive shortly! Yea!!!!!
I think the small size of this rocket combined with its high-altitude capabilities is better off with a bright Mylar streamer instead of the 10" parachute. This makes it easier to spot in the air and on the ground, and reduces drifting in the wind. This rocket was recently given my "Iris" modification, which extends the body tube about 5 inches above the streamer/parachute bay, and allows for a payload with an Altimeter One to measure altitudes. The A-power booster and A-power sustainer really lift this Beta high, over 700 feet on just two A's! I'd say that's pretty good proof that multi-stage rockets are more efficient with propellant, as the same mass of propellant made into a single B-motor would have topped-out at about 500 feet.
After a flight where the second stage did not light for unknown reasons, the Beta was badly damaged. It was repaired with a new and shorter payload section, and the body tube was lengthened to fix the worn-down top of the tube. This rocket is now 19-7/8" long with both stages.
What's great about this kit is you can fly a two stage very economically, since T motors are cheaper than standard sizes. (Iris is named after the Greek god of the rainbow. She is a messenger of the gods, linking the gods with humanity.) This rocket has flown higher than the Revel Casino Towers in Atlantic City, and the Met-Life Tower in NY, and could very easily fly over the St. Louis Gateway Arch.
| Flight Date: | 2012-06-30 |
| Rocket Name: | Beta |
| Kit Name: | Estes - Beta {Kit} (845) [1972-1984] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | A10-0/A3-4 |
| Expected Altitude: | 400.00 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 6.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 432.00 Feet |
After the last disaster flight of this rocket I repaired the payload tube and booster fin. I have come to expected many kinds of trouble with rocketry, but never expected the 2nd stage to not ignite. Even so, I’ve had three other successful 2-stage flights with another rocket last month. So getting back on the horse, I was itching to get some numbers on this, but the winds limited me to a 1/2A powered sustainer. Since re-built, the new payload tube is ½ inch shorter, and the nose cone was re-finished. The old steel wire shock cord attachment was changed to a lighter Kevlar loop glued to the inside of the body tube. Overall I saved about 2 grams.
Staging went very well this time, total burn time was 1 second. Its flight path was quite straight. It reached a very high peak acceleration of 23 Gs, the overall average was 5.1 Gs, allowing this rocket to reach 112 mph. It coasted for 4.7 seconds before deployment at 425 feet, still going up. 3/10 seconds later it apogee at 432 feet, three feet short of its record, but helped by the 7/10thsecond “bonus” delay. Although this delay isn’t quite long enough for the speed of the Beta, it was close enough, and there really is no better motor choice available.
A good streamer let it fall at 15 mph and the flight was over in 24.9 seconds. The first stage landed at the launch pad, the second stage landed only about 120 feet away. The booster motor was about 1/3 out the rear of the rocket – almost was ejected. The recovery opening of the body tube, weakened from the previous wreck and reinforced with some paper, was partly ripped outwards by the Mylar streamer ejecting (lucky it didn’t get caught in there). Now the tube opening needs some serious re-construction to fly again.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes A10T-0 |
| 2 | Estes A3T-4 |
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