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For your enjoyment, the images of the Big Ugly on its uglyest flight ever in Monroe, Washington, July 1998.
Dont worry, it will be back!
Thanks to my brother, Brad, for the pics (I dont like to watch through a camera, so I make him do it.) Click on an image for a larger view.
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The only good picture I have of the liftoff. Hope to find someone who caught some better ones. All is well so far... |
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This does not bode well. What you see is the smoke trail from liftoff going up...and the Big Ugly going down. |
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This pretty much speaks for itself. RocketTree anyone? |
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As I approach the oversized lawn dart, I see that the damage may not be all that bad. It appears the payload section took the brunt of the impact, sparing the booster section. |
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Closer look. Hmm... Where is that nosecone?? |
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Well, it looks like the nosecone may be OK! Thanks to those who helped me wrestle the thing free from the ground! Oh, yeah, and thanks, Brad, for cutting off my head! =P |
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Here is what was left of the payload section after the nosecone was extracted. What you dont see is the altimiter that was ripped apart from the negative G's. Even the 9-volt battery came apart! |
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Yes, the Big Ugly will fly again. I only need to trim a few inches from the top of the booster section and its ready to go. I am also planning to modify it with anti-zipper building techniques. See Rocketry Online's Info Central for details on that and other building techniques. |
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Now THATS a nosecone! I still cant believe it came out this well. Even the paint still has its gloss! The nosecone came from US Rockets. |
The chute never deployed because the motor lost power, and the rocket never got high enough to arm the alitmiter. At about 50' off the pad there was a loud BANG, and the motor fizzled out. Post-mortem examination of the motor didnt reveal much. The nozzle did not eject, the motor was built correctly, there wasnt any blowby. The liner was really charred at the aft end, not sure why. The current theory is there were some major voids in the propellant grain, or maybe a really screwed up batch of propellant.
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