N Project: 4" Glass Fibre/Carbon Fibre Rocket, Part 3

Top photo: Professor Eugene Trubowitz is examining one of the fresh arrived Rocketman parachutes at the machine shop of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, in late summer of 2000. All three rockets of the N project used Rocketman main und drogue parachutes.

Second photo from top: the two custom threaded forward closures of the Dr. Rocket 98 mm aluminium motor cases used for the two 4" rockets of the project. We were very fortunate to be granted to use the tool machines of the Institute for any such special modifications required in the course of our project.

Lower two photos: first trail assembly of the electronics compartment for the 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket. The design of the electronics compartments for both 4" rockets was identical. The mounting base for the electronics thus consisted of an aluminium ring/shoulder, screwed to the modified forward closure. This arrangement further provided a mounting point for the glass upper airframe section.

The circular white insulation foam disc was intended to shield the electronics from the head emitted by the subjacent N2000 composite motor. Again, four threaded steel rods served to hold four custom- made aluminium mounting bridges, to which the two BlackSky AltAcc dual deployment recording accelerometers would subsequently be attached.

N Project: 4" Glass Fibre/Carbon Fibre Rocket, Part 2

Further images depicting the construction of the 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre N-motor rocket built for the BALLS 10 experimental launch held at Black Rock Desert in Nevada, in 2000. Top photo shows the custom made carbon fibre 4" nose cone with glass shoulder and steel tip. This beautifully immaculate cone was manufactured by Swiss Composite, based on calculations by Professor Eugene Trubowitz.

Centre photo shows Professor Trubowitz working on the rocket while we were performing a first trial assembly of the full (but still incomplete and unpainted) vehicle at the machine shop of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. Components of the other two rockets of the N project can be seen to the right: the red and silver 4" aluminium/glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket with its welded aluminium fins and, at lower right, a section of the carbon fibre fin can of the 6" glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket.

Lower photo shows the 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre N-motor rocket erected vertically for the first time, in mid-September of 2000. The red Dr. Rocket N2000 98 mm aluminium motor case can be faintly seen through the lower glass fibre airframe section. The steel tip of the nose cone is provisionally held in place by masking tape; it would later be secured internally by means of threaded steel rod.

N Project: 4" Glass Fibre/Carbon Fibre Rocket, Part 1

Construction of the 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre N-motor rocket, the final of three flight vehicle designs built by our team for the BALLS 10 experimental launch held at Black Rock Desert in Nevada, in 2000. All three rockets were designed by the project's initiator, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Professor Eugene Trubowitz, who subsequently invited me to be a main partner in logistics, financing, construction, and launch.

Powered by an Aerotech N2000 motor held in a Dr. Rocket 98 mm aluminium N motor case, this 4" rocket was to comprise glass fibre lower and upper airframe sections, three carbon fibre fins, and a custom-made carbon fibre and steel nose cone. The rocket's design resulted in a length of 2336 mm and a diameter of 101 mm.

Top photo shows the very early stages of the rocket's construction at Professor Trubowitz' home, in July of 2000. The carbon fibre fins have been aligned and attached to the lower airframe section with epoxy adhesive.

The next step, undertaken at the machine shop of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, involved preparing a mould for the manufacture of laminated fillet strips. Centre photo shows these laminated fillets after attachment to the fin/airframe joint, in August 2000. One such laminated, formed fillet can be seen bottom left.

Lower photo shows Professor Trubowitz inspecting the provisional placement of the custom-made aluminium rail guide stand-off. The unfinished rocket in the foreground is the 4" aluminium/glass fibre/carbon fibre N-motor vehicle previously detailed on this blog.

N Project: 4" Aluminium/Glass Fibre/Carbon Fibre Rocket, Part 4

Top: the near completed 4" aluminium/glass fibre/carbon fibre N-motor rocket, photographed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, in late September of 2000, the week of the launch. The rocket was then placed and secured in a flight case, together with its 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre sister ship, and flown to Reno, Nevada. After spending a couple of day purchasing additional tools and supplies in Reno, we transferred the rockets and support equipment into cars and, on September 29, 2000, proceeded to Gerlach, Nevada, at the edge of the Black Rock desert/dry lake.

Centre: securing the attachments of the recovery system before installing the BlackSky AltAcc recording accelerometers at one of our rooms at the generously named Bruno's Country Club in Gerlach, September 29, 2000.

Bottom: the Aerotech N2000 motor before installation in the motor case, photographed at our BALLS X launch preparation area out on the dry lake, on Saturday, September 30, 2000.

N Project: 6" Glass Fibre/Carbon Fibre Rocket, Part 4

Final construction activities on the 6" glass fibre/carbon fibre N-motor rocket at what was then the machine shop of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, in September 2000.

Top photo shows the author of this blog (left) and Professor Eugene Trubowitz after the first full assembly of the still unpainted 6" (152 mm) rocket. The length of the rocket was 3000 mm. The design of the rocket provided for the integration of the Dr. Rocket N2000 98 mm aluminium motor case as a load-bearing structure. The release of the Rocketman drogue and main parachutes was to be guided by a BlackSky AltAcc recording accelerometer with dual deployment. The rocket was expected to exceed a speed of Mach 1.

Centre photo: the three rockets of the Balls 2000 N project assembled and displayed together for the first time. They were subsequently transported to an automotive paint shop we had contracted. Far left is the 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre/aluminium rocket, second is the 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket, and far right is 6" glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket.

Bottom photo depicts concluding work on the freshly painted 6" rocket. Only the main body of the rocket was painted, the carbon fibre fins and carbon fibre/steel nose cone were deliberately left unpainted. In order to precisely drill the necessary mounting holes and access ports for the internal altimeter bay (to be installed last), the rocket has been temporarily wrapped with a large-scale, custom printed template.

All three rockets were shipped to the Black Rock Desert in late September of 2000. A number of circumstances during the preparation for the launch resulted in time constraints, however, limiting our team to only launching the two 4" vehicles of the project, while the 6" rocket remained unlaunched at the time.

Black Rock Desert N Project

The three rockets of the N project, photographed at what was then the Leonhardstrasse 21 machine shop of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, in September 2000. From left: 4" aluminium/glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket, 4" glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket, and, behind it, 6" glass fibre/carbon fibre rocket. All three rockets were designed to be powered by Aerotech N2000 composite motors in Dr. Rocket 98 mm aluminium motor cases.

The N project was conceived by Professor of mathematics Eugene Trubowitz, who generously invited me to be a main partner in this extraordinary endeavour. We were supported by a fantastic team of friends as well as Federal Institute of Technology students. Two of the rockets were eventually launched during the BALLS 10 launch at Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA, in September and October of 2000.