Brief:
The space needle is a single stage two piece rocket that stands 10 feet(!) tall. At deployment it separates into a 3 foot and a 6 foot section. Each section has an 18" parachute.

Construction:
Rogue Aerospace is a quality manufacture of rocket kits. The Space Needle is no exception. The kit requires a special handling charge due to three 3' long body tubes. The instructions are easy to follow. The model number is #10001. This could have been their first kit.

The motor mount, a shock cord and fins are mounted on one 3' tube, becoming the lower section. One tube, a coupler and a balsa bulkhead become the middle section. The last 3' foot and the balsa nose cone (10" long + shoulder) become the upper section. The instructions state to make sure the coupler is very tight between the upper and middle section. These sections are not glued together so the rocket can be transported easily.

I added an elastic shock chord between the upper and middle section in case the two sections should separate. I also drilled three 1/16" holes in the middle tube above the bulkhead so the 'six' foot section could vent as it ascended to prevent accidental separation. Neither of these steps are in the instructions.

The nose cone is glued on, thus sealing the two tubes when assembled. The bulkhead can be reinforced with a hardwood dowel (supplied) to create a better anchor for the eyelet that holds the shock chord for the upper section 'chute. This requires a 3/16" and 3/8" drill bits. I did this.

Finishing:
Painting a 10' rocket seemed a bit of a problem as the tallest rocket I have painted before was 2'. I painted the two upper tubes 1/2 a tube at time. I held the tube and spray painted 1/2 the tube. Let the tube dry and painted the other half. I painted the lower section by placing a broom handle down the tube which then rested on the motor mount. This allowed me to paint the entire tube and then set it down on the broom handle to dry. The 'SPACE NEEDLE' decal is a large delicate decal. Be sure to slide it onto the body tube in the direction of the tube. I tried to put the decal on around the tube and almost lost the decal as it did a nasty job of curling.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motors are a D12-5 and an E6-6. The E6-6 is an Apogee engine. I flew my Space Needle on a D12-5, and a E15-7 and a D12-5. I would not recommend the E15-7. It is a bit strong and could result in crimping. It is important to pack the 'chutes lose so they open. The upper stage will not come down as a javelin if the chute doesn't open. It drifts down horizontally. It's the lower section that can be a problem as the fins can hit hard.

The wadding is a Nomex® sheet (provided) as with all Rogue kits. It should be packed properly. I some how tangled the shock chord and did not get a good chute deployment losing a fin on the last launch. The only problem I had was at the launch site. The two 3/16"ID 3" long launch lugs are mounted 1.5" from the ends of the lower tube. Thus one must have 34.5" of launch rod to launch the Space Needle. Due to the breeze the day of launch I had to put the rocket on the 36" launch rod just before launch as the rocket was swaying in the breeze on the pad. I would say if you have access to 1/4" launch rods, I would use 1/4" launch lugs or only launch on a calm day.

Recovery:
The shock cord is tied to the motor mount before assembly. It shouldn't come undone. With this model that is over 5' of shock cord. The D12-5 is just about right for time of deployment.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
An impressive rocket at any launch. 10' of rocket that weighs only 8 oz. Should be on a 1/4" rod for launching on breezy days.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5