LAUNCH REPORT 1999-010

30th Anniversary Apollo 11 Moon Landing Commemorative Launch

Date:    July 20, 1999
Time:    8:00 - 9:00 pm
Place:   My backyard, Stow, OH
Weather: Sunny - "Moony", 85 Degrees F
Winds:   Calm, becoming East 5 mph

With less than ideal weather on the 30th Anniversary of the launch of
Apollo 11 on July 16, we decided to commemorate the moon landing date itself.

My boys and numerous neighborhood kids were present. My wife and next-door neighbor
watched too.

Mini Marz Lander
A10-3T
Straight boost
Altitude ~150' AGL
Ejected just past apogee and fell to ~30' AGL before the chute opened. A neighbor boy
caught it ~20' South of the launch pad.

Estes Mach-12 (youngest son's)
A8-3
Straight boost
Altitude ~150' AGL
Youngest son caught it ~50' West of the launch pad.
This one has three sets of four interchangeable fins. For this launch, my son wanted
two long downward-swept fins and two upward-swept fins. It worked OK. After recovery,
he climbed up in the tower of our backyard play set and threw it out to watch the
chute unfold again!

Estes SM-3 Seahawk
C5-3
Poor arcing boost
Altitude ~100' AGL
I was looking for something a little lower and slower than what this rocket does
on a D12-5. The Estes catalog says a C5-3 will lift an 8-ounce rocket. This one's
only 6 ounces. It must have been a bad engine. WRASP says 185 feet with a higher
rod velocity than the Shadow on a single D12-3.
Both pieces of this one landed about 75' NE of the launch pad and nearly missed
landing on my neighbor's roof. It didn't matter this time, but the 18" chute on
the upper section was replaced with a 12".

Nothing like saving the best for last! After failing to punch anything past 200',
we cue up my Saturn V which will easily get over 400'. With the neighborhood kids in
full salute (my oldest son's idea) we launch!

Saturn V (1:154 scale)
D12-3
Straight boost
Altitude ~500' AGL
Ejection seemed a bit quiet, but the 24" chute deployed a moment later. The wind was
a just bit more up there and we had to jog about 300' west where I caught it in the
middle of the street. After pulling the engine we see more than 75% of the clay cap
left intact with only two small holes where the ejection charge blew through. I noticed
later that the nozzle was somewhat plugged with carbon. That probably saved us from a
disappointing finish.

After that beautiful launch and recovery, we just had to do it again! By now the sun
had set and the moon was really bright in the sky. I grabbed the camera for a shot
of the Saturn on the pad with the first quarter moon up above. I positioned myself
about 50' from the launch pad, with the pad and the moon in my frame and surrendered
control to my oldest son.

Saturn V (1:154 scale)
D12-3
Wind picked up so we aimed into the wind and it arced a bit NE during boost.
Altitude ~450' AGL
Woo-hoo! What a flight. I caught it less than 50' west of the pad.

We'll have to commemorate the landing on Saturday, weather permitting!