From: Doug Jones (random@qnet.com)
Date: Wed Jul 05 2000 - 19:14:36 MDT
Spike Jones wrote:
>
> Jonathan Reeves wrote:
>
> > Any of our rocket experts heard about this?: Inventor building
> > rocket in back yard
> >
> > BEND, Ore. - Brian Walker, a toy inventor with no college degree and
> > almost no flight experience, plans to blast himself into space next
> > summer in a rocket he is building in his back yard.
>
> The numbers look about right, 7k pounds of H2O2 to get
> 30 miles up, but the forward thruster arrangement looks
> prone to oscillating instability. But perhaps hes worked
> out a tricky way around that problem. If he just wants a
> 30 mile straight up joyride, seems like he might be better off
> buying a spare sounding rocket from one of the
> commercial outfits.
>
> Anyhows, good luck and nobodyspeed, Mr. Walker! spike
I've corresponded with Brian, suggested a few reference books for him to
read, and strongly urged him to do some subscale experiments. He's
laboring under the mistaken impression that a rocket backpack is
inherently stable, while in fact it is continuously guided by small
movements of the pilot, just like a standing person. Remove (or
blindfold) the pilot and it will crash in seconds. His vehicle layout
is definitely aerodynamically unstable, so it would tumble out of
control quickly.
-- Doug Jones Rocket Plumber, XCOR Aerospace http://www.xcor-aerospace.com
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