12" Modular Booster with Legged Lander

Video 1 of 1017
PreviousBackNext
Author:Npowrd
Published:2011-11-16 16:07:19

This video was shot and edited by friend and fellow WOOSH member Jackson L. (Thank you!) The rocket was my entry into the Legged Lander Challenge at WOOSH ECOF in 2011, the 12" Modular Booster with the Vanessa Doofenshmirtz legged lander and her secret payload. (For those not familiar with the name, Vanessa is a character on the Disney cartoon "Phineas and Ferb". Two gifted boys find some massive project to build each and every day of summer vacation. Ferb has a crush on Vanessa, and if he were to build a legged lander for a contest in Wisconsin, he would name it after her.) The lander is in position, inverted, as the nose cone atop the booster, like a giant Estes Venus Probe. At apogee, the lander is ejected, the leg downlocks release and the legs swing 135° to their landing position. The booster recovers under a 168" Spherachute. The lander was intended to recover under a Giant Leap TAC-3C, but it wasn't fully released by the deployment bag so it had a higher descent rate than desired. To add insult to injury, she landed on the gravel runway - the closest thing to playa we have in Wisconsin. The good news is that the bungees did their job. In addition to pulling the legs down to extend them, the bungees stretch back out on ground contact to allow the legs to absorb some landing shock. The legs did crack on landing, but the capsule remained intact, undamaged, and upright. The secret payload finally revealed to the judge. Yup, Phineas and Ferb made the flight.

What You Can Do

- Post a Comment -