Sep 21, 2021
SoAR’s September launch at the pasture between Ball Ground and Dawsonville will be this Saturday, from 9 AM to 2 PM.
This is our mid-power field, where rockets up to G power can be flown. It is very hilly, and cow-patties abound, hidden in the tall grass in the recovery area, so pick your shoes accordingly. Spectators are always welcome. If you’ve got a rocket, come fly it with us.
Looks like we’ll have a perfect sunny day for the launch. Temps will start a little chilly in the morning in the 50’s but warm to the low 70’s by noon. The wind will also stay calm until noon when it will rise to a very manageable 5 MPH from the south west.
Sep 19, 2021
Maps to SoAR event locations are back on the website. A few weeks ago, Google made a subtle and unneeded change (in your webmaster’s humble opinion) in the way that URLs were interpreted that blocked access to maps. All the rules seemed to be followed correctly, but Google continued blocking access. The magic words have been found and used and the problem is now solved… until the next time Google decides to redefine how the web has worked since 1994.
Sep 8, 2021
The Twentieth Annual American Rocketry Challenge, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) in partnership with the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), has begun accepting registrations for teams of middle and high school students, fielded by schools and youth groups, for this year’s contest. TARC was created in the fall of 2002 as a one-time celebration of the Centennial of Flight, but by popular demand became an annual program.
The rules this year are slightly complex, requiring an airframe with at least two sections of two distinct diameters and each section at least 6″ long. Two raw hen’s eggs mast be carried in one of the sections, oriented on their side (which eliminates some commercially available egg capsules!), and must be returned from flight without damage. The qualification altitude target is 835 feet, and the flight duration range (liftoff to touchdown) is 41 to 44 seconds. Any deviation from those goals determines the score, so a perfect score would be zero. The total power of the rocket may not exceed 80 newton-seconds (the top of the “F” motor range). Other limits are 650 mm total length, and 650 grams total mass. Teams that make it to the finals in May will have to contend with two other sets of targets different from the qualification targets!
More information on this year’s contest can be found at the TARC website: https://rocketcontest.org .
Sep 12, 2021
Possibly owing to people observing the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks on the USA, turnout was low at the September Mill Springs launch despite nearly perfect weather. But there were still some new faces that were making their first attempts at model rocketry. There were twenty-two enthusiastic participants launching eighty-nine rockets, Gabe Perry and his family were a perfect example. Gabe made six flights with his Estes Journey (which seems to be a new popular beginners rocket) all successful, and the Perry’s left more enthusiastic than they came.
Joseph Barrett entertained us with a drag race between an Estes Snitch and a Quest UFO, an exciting Whirl & Hurl 3D printed rocket on an E20, and a flight from an Estes SLS 1/200 scale model.
And as always Kevin Scholberg kept the skies full of interesting rockets.
(the featured photo is of the Perrys. Gabe is in the middle)
Motor ignition counts:
A – 29
B – 24
C – 17
D – 11
E – 8
Sep 7, 2021
Come on out to SoAR’s launch from Mill Springs Academy on Saturday from 9 AM – 2 PM. Weather should be sunny. Temperatures should be in the mid 80’s. Winds will be about 6 mph coming mainly from the southeast.
Mill Springs is our low-power field, suitable for rockets that fly no more than 1000 feet or so. We recommend a maximum of “D” impulse, but experienced rocketeers can and have flown big rockets with up to “G” power on this field. You never know!
As always, the public is welcome to watch or join in.
