Nova 3 water rocket test

Today I successfully performed a pressure test with the two sections that will form the Nova 3 after been finished. It seems that this technique gives better results than the splice used previously.

The performance of this new type of tornado coupling is satisfactory. The weight gained is rewarded with greater performance and mechanical resistance.

Tomorrow I will assemble the new launcher and I hope to launch this new rocket in less than two weeks.

Metal tornado coupling

Since the last explosion, I've chosen to use metal fittings in order to add strength to the coupling. Although this increases the weight, performance should not be affected since it increase the opening from 11 to 15mm. The worst is that is difficult to make, the metal heats and spreads a type of golden dust so you must be carefully.

Right now I'm attaching bottles and working on the launcher to make a launch soon.

Nova 3 water rocket

Hi to everyone! Since study reasons I have not made a lot of progress on my water rockets. Fortunately, now I got free time in order to spend it on my projects. The first I want to do is make a new launcher, this will be portable, light and it will launch rockets of diferent sizes. I am working on a new rocket called Nova 3, its volume is about 6.7 l and its structure is a combination of two 3.35 l sections joined by a tornado coupling. I have made the pressure test today but, one section exploded breaking the torando coupling. I will redisign the rocket and I will buy metal adaptors in order to avoid tornado coupling from breaking.

Aurora water rocket

I have launched with success my Aurora water rocket, wich is the main stage of the rocket that I am working on.


If it doesn´t work press here.

I have launched it without boosters because, I have problems with them. The booster want to go away and the nozzle goes up only few millimeters. So I will find tubes where the boosters could be fit into, with more space (verticaly) for the nozzles.

Booster test

I have tested 2 of the 3 boosters that the new rocket leave and there is no sings of strees or any leaks. Now I must test the last one and make the test for the complete rocket with boosters.

Here we can see the water that is going away



And here you can see the air pulse



I have finished the recovery system and tomorrow I will test it.

I have made a 9mm Robison coupling in one bottle and now I must make one more for complete the main stage body wich will be done tomorrow.

Things that left to do:
1º Finish the main stage body and the boosters.
2º Make the new pins for the boosters.
3º Make the lug and install the fins.
4º Make the test for the whole rocket.

Water rocket rebuilding

This weekenf I have make a pressurization test with the water rocket with boosters. The launcher got some leaks and I spent over 7 hours making tests and resolving the problems. Now the launcher don´t got leaks. But when I was making the tests a booster comes up and it start a leak over the nozzle sit. The cause are the pins that are all diferent, so the retention tubes are not at the same level.



So I have taken a dificult decision I will rebuild the rocket and the boosters,but, this time better. In these days after the weekend I have spent a lot of hours working on it, now I have made better retention tubes, in this image you can see the new tubes, it got 8mm of diameter and 5cm of long. And new fins that are some smaller and better that the anterior fins.

Fortunatly I can use the upper half of the rocket wich got installed the lug.

Cluster launcher

I have finished my own cluster launcher. It takes me a lot of hours to build it, but now it is finished, the Aurora water rocket is almost ready and probably it will be launched this weekend.



This launcher is very similar to the launcher developed by the Air Command Rockets team, but with some changes. In the future, I will put extras on it.

The launcher got two non return valves for abort the launch if we got problems and also got ajustable feet for sloping ground or for point the rocket into the wind.




The nozzle sit for the boosters are made of 3/4" threaded garden conectors without the spring, the locking tabs and the collar. It also got epoxyed 8mm aluminium tubes where the 9mm nozzle of the boosters slides on. These nozzle sits are conected to the tubes that go to the air supply.



This is the the image of the tubes that leave the air supply.