Went back to the launching site yesterday and found the reason for the explosion:
2011.02.1
Sky Observer V2 explodes vigorous on the launch pad...See embedded video!
2011.02.2
Using a video to JPG converter, the explosion looks as following. All this happens in a split of a second:
This is the second version of my sky observer rocket. The payload containes a 3km range rocket locator and a mini DV camcorder. The rocket is propelled by 3 C6-engines.
Since a few months I am also supporting the Sugar Shot to Space team financially and as a volunteer. The underlying goal of the Sugar Shot to Space program is to loft a rocket powered by sugar propellant into space, officially defined as 100 km (62 miles) above the earth's surface. If you want to support this project as well, you can do it here.
Here is a video of the first flight of the MiniSShot rocket in the SS2S project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ4Tl4TCi8M
By your wording “contains” vs. past tense “contained”, I assume that your payload passengers are still hopefully ok?
Is the mixture too vigorous for the venturi? What was the mixture?
Cluster engines would seem to be more difficult. If differences in thrust occur, and depending on how far the engines are from the center axis, steering could get very “goofy”, yes?
Great Stuff MarkusB !
I will be second in line volunteering as guinea pig astronaut, … um right behind you
I guess the grain of the engines got cracks, caused by the high variation in temperature and humidity here in Shanghai. If an engine has these kind of cracks, it can explode vigorous at ignition. I never had this problem before, but now it happened unfortunately on 3 engines.
