Northwest Rocketry: 2011 Northwest Xtreme Rocket Show

2011 Northwest Xtreme Rocket Show

Article: 2573
By Robert Krausert, July 2011

Event Flyer:

The weekend of July 1st through 3rd OregonRocketry hosted NXRS, a Research rocket launch sanctioned by Tripoli Rocketry Association. Created with the intent to establish an early summer Research event with a higher waiver. This was achieved, the FAA approved the site in Brothers Oregon to hold a window limit of 42,280 AGL. Call it a BALLS warm-up, fine. Call it what you want. But this weekend, OregonRocketry just added one more high interest events to the list along with BALLS, XPRS, LDRS, and FITS for example. Received positive feedback that we should keep this as an annual event.

Comment by NXRS Director Fred Azinger:
Cheers to the fliers who made NXRS a success! Nice plot of the motor impulse from NXRS. Nicely done! Nice distribution! Let push the curves more up and to the right for next year. We had a lot a last minute cancellations, holiday timing issues and some teams that just chose to come and lurk and drink our beer (wink), so I know we had potential to be much bigger!

So next year….plan ahead…Robert’s set the date. Let’s see a few more N’s and O’s!!! See you all next year!

Comment by NXRS Creator & Host Robert Krausert:
WOW!!! 16 M’s… We don’t see 16 M’s at Brothers in a three year period, yet we had 16 M’s in three days at NXRS. Fricken Rocks!!! Not bad for a 266,500 Newton second weekend!!! See you all next year. If you missed, find a way, and get out there. If you’re in jail, break out!

Echo Fred’s comment; You made NXRS a success! For that I’m honored and shall never forget…

The following are the results of the 2011 Northwest Xtreme Rocket Show. Materials, images, video, and details are contributed by event participants.

2011 Shred Race @ NXRS was spectacular to watch. 2011 Shred Race @ NXRS was a success. Sorry to Randy Steck, had to bow out of the race. Racers were Joe Bevier, Paul Bogdanich, Rich Bremer, and Rod Moorehead. All loaded with K250’s donated by me, and using my e-matches with matching pyrogen dipped tips. 3 of the 4 rockets took to the sky at the same time. Rod’s match popped, but didn’t light. Paul’s rocket appeared to be first off the pad, and Joe’s rocket had the highest altitude of 18,700 feet. Rod’s rocket flew a few mintutes later after replacing the match. Congratulations to everyone, your rockets didn’t shred.

Photo by Rich Bremer

Image above, from left to right: On pad #1, Paul Bogdanich. On pad #2, Rod Moorehead (still on pad, ignitor issue). On pad #4, Rich Bremer. On pad #8, Joe Bevier.

Cameron Tinder Level-3 Certification

Mr Ed is all carbon fiber rocket with just a little fiberglass in the nose cone so that the DC-20 can transmit through it. It has two layers of carbon fiber over Kevlar and balsa wood cores for the fins. It is 6.3 inches in diameter, 8 feet tall and 37 pounds on the pad when loaded with the M-745 Gorilla Rocket motor. Mr Ed had a very nice flight to just over 9100 feet and was recovered using what I call “1 plus 3” parachute recovery where I pop the drogue at apogee then use an L2 Tender Descender tether and release device to deploy 3- six foot mains at 1000 feet. If you missed it, I am sorry for you! You missed a really nice flight!

Photo by Fred Azinger

Video by Cameron Tinder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=464xb7Flud8