A model rocket is a small rocket designed to reach low altitudes (e.g., 100–500 m (330–1,640 ft) for a 30 g (1.1 oz) model) and be recovered by a variety of means.
100-435: The Cluster Munitions Ban Advocates are a group of individuals whose lives have been affected by cluster munitions , a particular type of explosive weapon that has been banned for its indiscriminate area effects and risk from unexploded ordnance . They come from Afghanistan , Albania , Cambodia , Croatia , Ethiopia , Iraq , Laos , Lebanon , Tajikistan , Serbia and Vietnam . The Ban Advocates took an active role in
200-449: A B6 motor will not burn as long as - but will have more initial thrust than - a B4). Motors within the same letter class that have different first numbers are usually for rockets with different weights. For example, a heavier rocket would require an engine with more initial thrust to get it off of the launch pad, whereas a lighter rocket would need less initial thrust and would sustain a longer burn, reaching higher altitudes. The last number
300-574: A Lebanese village, on 19 July which killed 1 civilian and injured 12, including 7 children. The Israeli "army defended ... the use of cluster munitions in its offensive with Lebanon , saying that using such munitions was 'legal under international law ' and the army employed them 'in accordance with international standards ' ". Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev added, "[I]f NATO countries stock these weapons and have used them in recent conflicts – in FR Yugoslavia , Afghanistan and Iraq –
400-405: A Pro29 110G250-14 is a G-motor with 110 Ns of impulse, 250 N of thrust, and a 14-second delay. Model and high-power rockets are designed to be safely recovered and flown repeatedly. The most common recovery methods are parachute and streamer. The parachute is usually blown out by the engine's ejection charge, which pops off the nose cone. The parachute is attached to the nose cone, making it pull
500-422: A closed vehicle exposed to high heat or a storage area with inconsistent temperature control), the propellant charge may develop hairline fractures. These fractures increase the surface area of the propellant, so that when the motor is ignited, the propellant burns much faster and produces greater than normal internal chamber pressure inside the engine. This pressure may exceed the strength of the paper case and cause
600-618: A code (such as A10-3T or B6-4) that indicates several things about the motor. The Quest Micro Maxx engines are the smallest at a diameter of 6mm. The company Apogee Components made 10.5mm micro motors, however, those were discontinued in 2001. Estes manufactures size "T" (Tiny) motors that are 13 mm in diameter by 45 mm long from 1/4A through A class, while standard A, B and C motors are 18 mm in diameter by 70 mm long. C, D, and E class black-powder motors are also available; they are 24 mm in diameter and either 70 (C and D motors) or 95 mm long (E motors). Estes also produces
700-415: A different designation. They first have "Pro" followed by a number representing the diameter of the motor in millimeters, for example, a Pro38 motor is a 38mm diameter motor. After this, there is a new string of characters such that the impulse in newton-seconds is first, followed by the motor classification, the average thrust in newtons , followed by a dash, and the delay time in seconds. For example,
800-562: A hard plastic case. This type of propellant is similar to that used in the solid rocket boosters of the Space Shuttle and is not as fragile as black powder, increasing motor reliability and resistance to fractures in the propellant. These motors range in impulse from size A to O. Composite motors produce more impulse per unit weight ( specific impulse ) than do black-powder motors. Reloadable composite-propellant motors are also available. These are commercially produced motors requiring
900-526: A highly combustible thermobaric aerosol that results in a high pressure explosion when ignited. Anti-personnel cluster bombs use explosive fragmentation to kill troops and destroy soft (unarmored) targets. Along with incendiary cluster bombs, these were among the first types of cluster bombs produced by Nazi Germany during World War II. They were used during the Blitz with delay and booby-trap fusing to hamper firefighting and other damage-control efforts in
1000-455: A large cross-sectional area — is to have the rocket tumble back to Earth. Any rocket that will enter a stable, ballistic trajectory as it falls is not safe to use with tumble recovery. To prevent this, some such rockets use the ejection charge to slide the engine to the rear of the rocket, moving the center of mass behind the center of pressure and thus making the rocket unstable. Another very simple recovery technique, used in very early models in
1100-476: A line of 29mm black powder E and F motors. The 29mm E produces 33.4 Newton-seconds of total impulse over a 2.1 second burn, and the F produces 49.6 Newton-seconds over a 3.45 second burn. Several independent sources have published measurements showing that Estes model rocket engines often fail to meet their published thrust specifications. Model rocket motors produced by companies like Estes Industries , Centuri Engineering and Quest Aerospace are stamped with
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#17327833469171200-460: A line of 29mm diameter by 114mm length E and F class black powder motors. Larger composite propellant motors, such as F and G single-use motors, are also 29mm in diameter. High-power motors (usually reloadable) are available in 29mm, 38mm, 54mm, 75mm, and 98mm diameters. The letter at the beginning of the code indicates the motor's total impulse range (commonly measured in newton -seconds). Each letter in successive alphabetical order has up to twice
1300-626: A misleading picture during the war of the extent to which cluster weapons were being used and of the civilian casualties they were causing." On 26 April, General Richard Myers , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the US had caused only one civilian casualty. During the Israeli-Lebanese conflict in 1982 , Israel used cluster munitions, many of them American-made, on targets in southern Lebanon. Israel also used cluster bombs in
1400-402: A plastic plug or masking tape. On top of the propellant is a tracking delay charge , which produces smoke but in essence no thrust , as the rocket slows down and arcs over. When the delay charge has burned through, it ignites an ejection charge , which is used to deploy the recovery system. Model rocket motors mostly don't offer any sort of thrust vectoring , instead just relying on fins at
1500-562: A range safety officer at White Sands Missile Range , built and flew the models, and then devised a safety handbook for the activity based on his experience at the range. The first American model rocket company was Model Missiles Incorporated (MMI), in Denver, Colorado , opened by Stine and others. Stine had model rocket engines made by a local fireworks company recommended by Carlisle, but reliability and delivery problems forced Stine to approach others. Stine eventually approached Vernon Estes ,
1600-747: A report on incidents in Sri Lanka between January and May 2009 that could constitute violations of international humanitarian law or crimes against humanity. This report documented the use of cluster munitions by Sri Lanka’s government forces. Photos and eyewitness accounts described the use of such weapons in several attacks on civilian areas, including an incident on March 7, 2009, in Valayanmadam , where two cluster bombs exploded, causing significant civilian casualties and injuries. The reports suggest that cluster munitions were used in areas declared as safe zones for civilians. According to Gordon Weiss, who
1700-679: A report prepared by Lionel Beehner for the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States restocked Israel's arsenal of cluster bombs, triggering a State Department investigation to determine whether Israel had violated secret agreements it had signed with the United States on their use. As Haaretz reported in November 2006, the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz wanted to launch an investigation into
1800-834: A section of road near the Jonglei state capital, Bor. The strategic town was the scene of heavy fighting, changing hands several times during the South Sudanese Civil War , which erupted in the capital Juba on 15 December 2013 before spreading to other parts of the country. According to UNMAS, the site was contaminated with the remnants of up to eight cluster bombs and an unknown quantity of bomblets. Human Rights Watch reported that "Ukrainian government forces used cluster munitions in populated areas in Donetsk city in early October 2014." Also "circumstances indicate that anti-government forces might also have been responsible for
1900-636: A span of about five years, the largest regularly made production motors available reached N, which had the equivalent power of over 1,000 D engines combined, and could lift rockets weighing 50 kg (110 lb) with ease. Custom motor builders continue to operate on the periphery of the market today, often creating propellants that produce colored flame (red, blue, and green being common), black smoke and sparking combinations, as well as occasionally building enormous motors of P, Q, and even R class for special projects such as extreme-altitude attempts over 17,000 m (56,000 ft). High-power motor reliability
2000-768: A timer and work backwards from the acceleration to the speed and then to the height and b) to have a barometer on board with a timer and to get the height (from the difference of the pressure on the ground to the pressure in the air) and to work forwards with the time of the measurements to the speed and acceleration. Rocket modelers often experiment with rocket sizes, shapes, payloads, multistage rockets , and recovery methods. Some rocketeers build scale models of larger rockets, space launchers, or missiles. As with low-power model rockets, high-power rockets are also constructed from lightweight materials. Unlike model rockets, high-power rockets often require stronger materials such as fiberglass , composite materials , and aluminum to withstand
2100-460: A total impulse between 4.2 and 4.35 Ns, and a burn time between .85 and 1 second. The C class 18mm motors have a maximum thrust from 14 – 14.15 N, a total impulse between 8.8 and 9 Ns, and a burn time between 1.85 and 2 seconds. There are also 3 classes included in Estes large (24 mm diameter) rocket motors: C, D, and E. The C class 24 mm motors have a maximum thrust between 21.6 and 21.75 N,
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#17327833469172200-437: A total impulse of between 8.8 and 9 Ns, and a burn time between .8 and .85 seconds. The D class 24 mm motors have a maximum thrust between 29.7 and 29.8 N, a total impulse between 16.7 and 16.85 Ns, and a burn time between 1.6 and 1.7 seconds. The E class 24 mm motors have a maximum thrust between 19.4 and 19.5 N, a total impulse between 28.45 and 28.6 Ns, and a burn time between 3 and 3.1 seconds. Estes has also released
2300-400: A total impulse rating of 5.0 N-s. A C6-3 motor from Quest Aerospace has a total impulse of 8.5 N-s. The number that comes after the letter indicates the motor's average thrust, measured in newtons . A higher thrust will result in higher liftoff acceleration, and can be used to launch a heavier model. Within the same letter class, a higher average thrust also implies a shorter burn time (e.g.,
2400-662: A total of 123 states have joined the Convention, as 110 states parties and 13 signatories. The first significantly operationally used cluster bomb was the German SD-2 or Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg , commonly referred to as the Butterfly Bomb . It was used in World War II to attack both civilian and military targets, including on Tokyo and Kyushu . The technology was developed independently by
2500-512: A violation of American law. Carter's administration prepared to notify Congress that American weapons were being used illegally, which would have resulted in military aid to Israel being cut off. The American consul in Jerusalem informed the Israeli government of their plans and, according to Carter, Prime Minister Begin said that the operation was over. During the 16-year-long conflict on
2600-779: A wide area, they pose risks to civilians both during attacks and afterwards. Unexploded bomblets can kill or maim civilians and/or unintended targets long after a conflict has ended, and are costly to locate and remove. This failure rate ranges from 2 percent to 40 percent or more. Cluster munitions are prohibited for those nations that ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions , adopted in Dublin , Ireland, in May 2008. The Convention entered into force and became binding international law upon ratifying states on 1 August 2010, six months after being ratified by 30 states. As of 10 February 2022,
2700-578: Is Joe Barnard's rockets such as "Echo" and the "Scout" series of rockets as part of the BPS.Space project. In 2022, BPS.Space successfully landed the Scout F Model Rocket with plume impingement throttling. In 2023, Teddy Duncker's TTB Aerospace successfully landed the LLL Model Rocket. Cameras and video cameras can be launched on model rockets to take photographs in-flight. Model rockets equipped with
2800-407: Is double the upper limit of the previous class. Model rockets only use motors that are class G and below. Rockets using motors with a greater impulse are considered high power rockets . Figures from tests of Estes rocket motors are used in the following examples of rocket motor performance. For miniature black powder rocket motors (13 mm diameter), the maximum thrust is between 5 and 12 N,
2900-408: Is generally only suitable for very light rockets. The parachute/streamer approach is used most often in small model rockets, but can also be used with larger rockets. It uses the ejective force of the motor to deploy, or push out, the parachute or streamer. The parachute is attached to the body either directly, by means of a ripcord, or indirectly, when it's attached to the nose cone, which attached to
3000-406: Is labor-intensive and difficult to automate; off-loading this task on the consumer results in a cost savings. Reloadable motors are available from D through O class. Motors are electrically ignited with an electric match consisting of a short length of pyrogen -coated nichrome , copper , or aluminum bridgewire pushed into the nozzle and held in place with flameproof wadding, a rubber band,
3100-409: Is no ejection charge, but a cap is in place. A plugged motor is used in rockets that do not need to deploy a standard recovery system such as small rockets that tumble or R/C glider rockets. Plugged motors are also used in larger rockets, where electronic altimeters or timers are used to trigger the deployment of the recovery system. Composite motors usually have a letter or combination of letters after
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3200-469: Is possible to change the thrust profile of solid-propellant motors by selecting different propellant designs. Since thrust is proportional to burning surface area, propellant slugs can be shaped to produce very high thrust for a second or two, or to have a lower thrust that continues for an extended time. Depending on the weight of the rocket and the maximum speed threshold of the airframe and fins, appropriate motor choices can be used to maximize performance and
3300-424: Is the delay in seconds between the end of the thrust phase and ignition of the ejection charge. Black Powder Motors that end in a zero have no delay or ejection charge. Such motors are typically used as first-stage motors in multistage rockets as the lack of delay element and cap permit burning material to burst forward and ignite an upper-stage motor. A "P" indicates that the motor is "plugged". In this case, there
3400-487: Is used with "D" motors. The Oracle has been on the market longer than the Astrovision, and has a better general reputation. However, "keychain cameras" are also widely available and can be used on almost any rocket without significantly increasing drag. There are also experimental homemade rockets that include onboard videocameras, with two methods for shooting the video. One is to radio the signal down to Earth, like in
3500-712: The 2006 Lebanon War . Two types of cluster munitions were transferred to Israel from the U.S. The first was the CBU-58 which uses the BLU-63 bomblet. This cluster bomb is no longer in production. The second was the MK-20 Rockeye, produced by Honeywell Incorporated in Minneapolis. The CBU-58 was used by Israel in Lebanon in both 1978 and 1982. The Israeli Defense company Israel Military Industries also manufactures
3600-632: The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war . The Armenian-populated city of Stepanakert came under bombardment throughout the war, beginning on the first day. Human Rights Watch reported that residential neighborhoods in Stepanakert which lacked any identifiable military targets were hit by the Azerbaijani Army with cluster munitions. Human Rights Watch also identified Azerbaijani usage of cluster munitions in Hadrut . Human Rights Watch also reported
3700-580: The CBU-94/B , was first used by the U.S. in the Kosovo War in 1999. These consist of a TMD (Tactical Munitions Dispenser) filled with 202 submunitions. Each submunition contains a small explosive charge that disperses 147 reels of fine conductive fiber of either carbon or aluminum-coated glass. Their purpose is to disrupt and damage electric power transmission systems by producing short circuits in high-voltage power lines and electrical substations . On
3800-812: The Gulf War , the United States, France, and the United Kingdom dropped 61,000 cluster bombs, containing 20 million submunitions, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The US accounted for 57,000 of these droppings. The US Department of Defense estimated that 1.2 to 1.5 million submunitions did not explode. According to human rights organizations, unexploded submunitions have caused over 4,000 civilian casualties, including 1,600 deaths, in Iraq and Kuwait. 2003–2006 : United States and allies attacked Iraq with 13,000 cluster munitions, containing two million submunitions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to
3900-652: The HRW . The majority were DPICMs, or Dual-purpose improved conventional munitions . At multiple times, coalition forces used cluster munitions in residential areas, and the country remains among the most contaminated to this day, bomblets posing a threat to both US military personnel in the area, and local civilians. When these weapons were fired on Baghdad on 7 April 2003 many of the bomblets failed to explode on impact. Afterward, some of them exploded when touched by civilians. USA Today reported that "the Pentagon presented
4000-787: The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia , in 1999, of which the Royal Air Force dropped 531 RBL755 cluster bombs. Both the Americans and the British utilised cluster bombs. On 7 May 1999, between the time of 11:30 and 11:40, a NATO attack was carried out with two containers of cluster bombs and fell in the central part of the city: Reports claimed that 15 civilians were killed, 8 civilians were seriously injured, 11 civilians had sustained minor injuries, 120 housing units were damaged and 47 were destroyed and that 15 cars were damaged. Overall during
4100-493: The Russian Air Force of using RBK-250 cluster bombs during the conflict. A high-ranking Russian military official denied use of cluster bombs. The Dutch government, after investigating the death of a Dutch citizen, claimed that a cluster munition was propelled by an 9K720 Iskander tactical missile (used by Russia at the time of conflict, and not used by Georgia). In 2009, the U.S. Department of State prepared
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4200-615: The Syrian uprising , a few videos of cluster bombs first appeared in 2011, but escalated in frequency near the end of 2012. As Human Rights Watch reported on 13 October 2012, " Eliot Higgins , who blogs on military hardware and tactics used in Syria under the pseudonym 'Brown Moses', compiled a list of the videos showing cluster munition remnants in Syria's various governorates." The type of bombs have been reported to be RBK-250 cluster bombs with AO-1 SCH bomblets (of Soviet design). Designed by
4300-603: The Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA) or the Canadian Association of Rocketry (CAR). Black-powder motors come in impulse ranges from 1/8A to F. The physically largest black-powder model rocket motors are typically F-class, as black powder is very brittle. If a large black-powder motor is the upper stage motor of a rocket that exceeds the maximum recommended takeoff weight, or is dropped or exposed to many heating/cooling cycles (e.g., in
4400-422: The 1950s and occasionally in modern examples, is nose-blow recovery. This is where the ejection charge of the motor ejects the nose cone of the rocket (usually attached by a shock cord made of rubber, Kevlar string or another type of cord) from the body tube, destroying the rocket's aerodynamic profile, causing highly increased drag, and reducing the rocket's airspeed to a safe rate for landing. Nose-blow recovery
4500-492: The 1990s submunition-based weapons have been designed that deploy smart submunitions, using thermal and visual sensors to locate and attack particular targets, usually armored vehicles. Weapons of this type include the US CBU-97 sensor-fuzed weapon , first used in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom , the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Some munitions specifically intended for anti-tank use can be set to self-destruct if they reach
4600-543: The Astrocam, Snapshot film camera or the Oracle or newer Astrovision digital cameras (all produced by Estes), or with homebuilt equivalents, can be used to take aerial photographs . These aerial photographs can be taken in many ways. Mechanized timers can be used or passive methods may be employed, such as strings that are pulled by flaps that respond to wind resistance. Microprocessor controllers can also be used. However,
4700-630: The BoosterVision series of cameras. The second method for this is to record it on board and be downloaded after recovery, the method employed by the cameras above (some experimenters use the Aiptek PenCam Mega for this, the lowest power usable with this method is a C or D Motor). Model rockets with electronic altimeters can report and or record electronic data such as maximum speed, acceleration, and altitude. Two methods of determining these quantities are to a) have an accelerometer and
4800-399: The Convention on Cluster Munitions. Incendiary cluster bombs are intended to start fires, just like conventional incendiary bombs (firebombs). They contain submunitions of white phosphorus or napalm , and can be combined anti-personnel and anti-tank submunitions to hamper firefighting efforts. In urban areas they have been preceded by the use of conventional explosive bombs to fracture
4900-489: The NAR Model Rocket Safety Codes and by commercially producing safe, professionally designed and manufactured model rocket motors. The safety code is a list of guidelines and is only mandatory for National Association of Rocketry members. A primary motivation for the development of the hobby in the 1950s and 1960s was to enable young people to make flying rocket models without having to construct
5000-649: The Oslo Process on cluster munitions that led to the Convention on Cluster Munitions , a treaty banning cluster munitions and providing innovative provisions to assist the victims of these weapons. The Ban Advocates initiative was launched in October 2007 by Handicap International Belgium, a founding member of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines . The Ban Advocates spoke in front of
5100-681: The Soviet Union for use on tank and troop formations, PTAB-2.5M bomblets were used on civilian targets in Mare' in December 2012 by the Syrian government. According to the seventh annual Cluster Munition Report, there is ″compelling evidence″ that Russia has used cluster munitions during their involvement in Syria. Cluster bombs remnants were discovered by a UN de-mining team in February 2014 on
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#17327833469175200-825: The Soviet-Afghan War, the Soviets dealt harshly with Mujaheddin rebels and those who supported them, including leveling entire villages to deny safe havens to their enemy and the usage of cluster bombs. Sea Harriers of the Royal Navy dropped BL755 cluster bombs on Argentinian positions during the Falklands War of 1982. The United States dropped 21 Rockeye cluster bombs during its invasion of Grenada . The armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh in 1992–1994 led to
5300-643: The United States, Russia and Italy (see Thermos bomb ). The US used the 9-kilogram (20 lb) M41 fragmentation bomb wired together in clusters of 6 or 25 with highly sensitive or proximity fuzes . From the 1970s to the 1990s cluster bombs became standard air-dropped munitions for many nations, in a wide variety of types. They have been produced by 34 countries and used in at least 23. Artillery shells that employ similar principles have existed for decades. They are typically referred to as ICM ( Improved Conventional Munitions ) shells. The US military slang terms for them are "firecracker" or "popcorn" shells, for
5400-691: The Vietnam War era in Vietnam's Quảng Trị province alone. During the South Lebanon conflict in 1978, the IDF used cluster bombs provided by the United States. According to U.S. President Jimmy Carter , this use of the cluster bombs violated the legal agreement between Israel and the U.S. because the weapons had been provided for defensive purposes against an attack on Israel. Israel also transferred American weapons to Saad Haddad's Lebanese militia,
5500-468: The aircraft to escape the blast area in low-altitude attacks). Modern cluster bombs and submunition dispensers can be multiple-purpose weapons containing a combination of anti-armor, anti-personnel, and anti-materiel munitions. The submunitions themselves may also be multi-purpose, such as combining a shaped charge , to attack armour, with a fragmenting case, to attack infantry, material, and light vehicles. They may also have an incendiary function. Since
5600-528: The base to keep the vehicle aerodynamically stable. Some rockets do however have thrust vectoring control (TVC) by gimbaling the motor itself rather than the nozzle. This is done on some rockets built by many model rocket builders, the most notable of which is BPS.space. The impulse (area under the thrust-time curve) of a model motor is used to determine its class. Motors are divided into classes from 1/4A to O and beyond. Black powder rocket motors are typically only manufactured up to Class F. Each class's upper limit
5700-525: The blades out and they provide enough drag to soften the landing. In some rockets, the fins are used as the blades as well. In these, the ejection charge pushes a tube inside that has tabs sticking out of the rocket that hold the fins during launch. Then the tab releases the rubber band-pulled fins than pivot up into helicopter position. A very small number of people have been pursuing propulsive landing to recover their model rockets using active control through thrust vectoring . The most notable example of this
5800-416: The body by a ripcord. Typically, a ball or mass of fireproof paper or material, sometimes referred to as recovery wadding, is inserted into the body before the parachute or streamer. This allows the ejection charge to propel the wadding, parachute, and nose cone without damaging the recovery equipment. Air resistance slows the rocket's fall, ending in a smooth, controlled and gentle landing. In glide recovery,
5900-511: The chance of successful recovery. Aerotech, Cesaroni, Rouse-Tech, Loki and others have standardized around a set of common reload sizes such that customers have great flexibility in their hardware and reload selections, while there continues to be an avid group of custom engine builders who create unique designs and occasionally offer them for sale. Model rocketry is a safe and widespread hobby. Individuals such as G. Harry Stine and Vernon Estes helped to ensure this by developing and publishing
6000-519: The conflict between government forces and rebel forces trying to overthrow Gaddafi's government, during the battle of Misrata These reports were denied by the government, and the Secretary of State of the US, Hillary Clinton said she was "not aware" of the specific use of cluster or other indiscriminate weapons in Misurata even though a New York Times investigation refuted those claims. During
6100-533: The dangerous motor units or directly handle explosive propellants . The NAR and the TRA successfully sued the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) over the classification of Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant (APCP), the most commonly used propellant in high-power rocket motors, as an explosive. The March 13, 2009 decision by DC District court judge Reggie Walton removed APCP from
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#17327833469176200-404: The delay length, indicating which of the manufacturer's different propellant formulations (resulting in colored flames or smoke) is used in that particular motor. Reloadable rocket motors are specified in the same manner as single-use model rocket motors as described above. However, they have an additional designation that specifies both the diameter and maximum total impulse of the motor casing in
6300-609: The early 1960s, a copy of the Model Rocket Safety Code has been provided with most model rocket kits and motors. Despite its inherent association with extremely flammable substances and objects with a pointed tip traveling at high speeds, model rocketry historically has proven to be a very safe hobby and has been credited as a significant source of inspiration for children who have eventually become scientists and engineers . While there were many small and rockets produced after years of research and experimentation,
6400-443: The ejection charge either deploys an airfoil (wing) or separates a glider from the motor. If properly trimmed, the rocket/glider will enter a spiral glide and return safely. BnB Rockets "Boost Glider" Is a perfect example of a gliding recovery system. In some cases, radio-controlled rocket gliders are flown back to the earth by a pilot in much the way as R/C model airplanes are flown. Some rockets (typically long thin rockets) are
6500-537: The energy of the one before), a number of companies have shared the market for larger and more powerful rockets. By the early 1990s, Aerotech Consumer Aerospace, LOC/Precision, and Public Missiles Limited (PML) had taken up leadership positions, while a host of engine manufacturers provided ever larger motors, and at much higher costs. Companies like Aerotech, Vulcan, and Kosdon were widely popular at launches during this time as high-power rockets routinely broke Mach 1 and reached heights over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). In
6600-489: The first modern model rocket, and more importantly, the model rocket motor , was designed in 1954 by Orville Carlisle , a licensed pyrotechnics expert, and his brother Robert, a model airplane enthusiast. They originally designed the motor and rocket for Robert to use in lectures on the principles of rocket-powered flight. But then Orville read articles written in Popular Mechanics by G. Harry Stine about
6700-451: The form of diameter/impulse. After that, there is a series of letters indicating the propellant type. However, not all companies that produce reloadable motors use the same designations for their motors. An Aerotech reload designed for a 29-millimeter-diameter case with a maximum total impulse of 60 newton-seconds carries the designation 29/60 in addition to its impulse specification. However, Cesaroni Technology Incorporated (CTI) motors use
6800-456: The ground without locating a target, theoretically reducing the risk of unintended civilian deaths and injuries. Although smart submunition weapons are much more expensive than standard cluster bombs, fewer smart submunitions are required to defeat dispersed and mobile targets, partly offsetting their cost. Because they are designed to prevent indiscriminate area effects and unexploded ordnance risks, some smart munitions are excluded from coverage by
6900-460: The hobby. In recent years, companies like Quest Aerospace have taken a small portion of the market, but Estes continues to be the main source of rockets, motors, and launch equipment for the low- to medium-power rocketry hobby today. Estes produces and sells black powder rocket motors . Since the advent of high-power rocketry , which began in the mid-1980s with the availability of G- through J-class motors (each letter designation has up to twice
7000-428: The impulse of the letter preceding it. This does not mean that a given "C" motor has twice the total impulse of a given "B" motor, only that C motors are in the 5.01-10.0 N-s range while "B" motors are in the 2.51-5.0 N-s range. The designations "¼A" and "½A" are also used. For a more complete discussion of the letter codes, see Model rocket motor classification . For instance, a B6-4 motor from Estes-Cox Corporation has
7100-499: The initial attack, these knocked out 70% of the electrical power supply in Serbia . During the Vietnam War, the US used cluster bombs in air strikes against targets in Vietnam, Laos , and Cambodia . Of the 260 million cluster bomblets that rained down on Laos between 1964 and 1973, particularly on Xieng Khouang province , 80 million failed to explode. As of 2009 about 7,000 people have been injured or killed by explosives left from
7200-647: The international community on many occasions. This article about an organization in Europe is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cluster munitions A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehicles. Other cluster munitions are designed to destroy runways or electric power transmission lines. Because cluster bombs release many small bomblets over
7300-557: The likelihood of successfully hitting a vehicle. Modern guided submunitions, such as those found in the U.S. CBU-97, can use either a shaped charge or an explosively formed penetrator . Unguided shaped-charge submunitions are designed to be effective against entrenchments that incorporate overhead cover. To simplify supply and increase battlefield effectiveness by allowing a single type of round to be used against nearly any target, submunitions that incorporate both fragmentation and shaped-charge effects are produced. An anti-electrical weapon,
7400-490: The list of regulated explosives, essentially eliminating BATFE regulation of hobby rocketry. Most small model rocket motors are single-use engines, with cardboard bodies and lightweight molded clay nozzles, ranging in impulse class from fractional A to G. Model rockets generally use commercially manufactured black-powder motors . These motors are tested and certified by the National Association of Rocketry ,
7500-414: The many small explosions they cause in the target area. A basic cluster bomb consists of a hollow shell and then two to more than 2,000 submunitions or bomblets contained within it. Some types are dispensers that are designed to be retained by the aircraft after releasing their munitions. The submunitions themselves may be fitted with small parachute retarders or streamers to slow their descent (allowing
7600-502: The market, both produced by Estes: the Astrovision and the Oracle. The Astrocam shoots 4 (advertised as 16, and shown when playing the video, but in real life 4) seconds of video, and can also take three consecutive digital still images in flight, with a higher resolution than the video. It takes from size B6-3 to C6-3 Engines. The Oracle is a more costly alternative, but is able to capture all or most of its flight and recovery. In general, it
7700-567: The market. Estes moved his company to Penrose, Colorado in 1961. Estes Industries was acquired by Damon Industries in 1970. It continues to operate in Penrose today. Competitors like Centuri and Cox came and went in America during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but Estes continued to control the American market, offering discounts to schools and clubs like Boy Scouts of America to help grow
7800-614: The more up-to-date M-85 cluster bomb. Hezbollah fired Chinese-manufactured cluster munitions against Israeli civilian targets, using 122 mm rocket launchers during the 2006 war, hitting Kiryat Motzkin , Nahariya , Karmiel , Maghar , and Safsufa . A total of 113 rockets and 4,407 submunitions were fired into Israel during the war. According to the United Nations Mine Action Service , Israel dropped up to four million submunitions on Lebanese soil, of which one million remain unexploded. According to
7900-407: The motor to burst. A bursting motor can cause damage to the model rocket ranging from a simple ruptured motor tube or body tube to the violent ejection (and occasionally ignition) of the recovery system. Therefore, rocket motors with power ratings higher than D to F customarily use composite propellants made of ammonium perchlorate , aluminium powder, and a rubbery binder substance contained in
8000-522: The operation, at least 23 Serb civilians were killed by cluster munitions. At least six Serbs, including three children were killed by bomblets after the operation ended, and up to 23 square kilometres (8.9 sq mi) in six areas remain "cluster contaminated", according to Serbian government, including on Mt. Kopaonik near the slopes of the ski resort. The UK contributed £86,000 to the Serbian Mine Action Centre. 1991 : During
8100-451: The parachute out and make a soft landing. The simplest approach, which is appropriate only for the tiniest of rockets, is to let the rocket flutter back to the ground after ejecting the motor. This is slightly different from tumble recovery, which relies on some system to destabilize the rocket to prevent it from entering a ballistic trajectory on its way back to Earth. Another simple approach appropriate for small rockets — or rockets with
8200-434: The proper proportions to safely glide to Earth tail-first. These are termed 'backsliders'. The ejection charge, through one of several methods, deploys helicopter -style blades and the rocket autorotates back to earth. The helicopter recovery usually happens when the engine's recoil creates pressure, making the nose cone pop out. There are rubber bands connected to the nosecone and three or more blades. The rubber bands pull
8300-462: The rocket's speed and motion can lead to blurry photographs, and quickly changing lighting conditions as the rocket points from ground to sky can affect video quality. Video frames can also be stitched together to create panoramas. As parachute systems can be prone to failure or malfunction, model rocket cameras need to be protected from impact with the ground. There are also rockets that record short digital videos. There are two widely used ones used on
8400-574: The roofs and walls of buildings to expose their flammable contents. One of the earliest examples is the so-called Molotov bread basket used by the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–40. Incendiary clusters were extensively used by both sides in the strategic bombings of World War II . They caused firestorms and conflagrations in the bombing of Dresden in World War II and the firebombing of Tokyo . Some modern bomb submunitions deliver
8500-509: The safety problems associated with young people trying to make their own rocket engines. With the launch of Sputnik , many young people were trying to build their own rocket motors, often with tragic results. Some of these attempts were dramatized in the fact-based 1999 film October Sky . The Carlisles realized their motor design could be marketed and provide a safe outlet for a new hobby. They sent samples to Mr. Stine in January 1957. Stine,
8600-557: The son of a local fireworks maker. Estes founded Estes Industries in 1958 in Denver, Colorado and developed a high-speed automated machine for manufacturing solid model rocket motors for MMI. The machine, nicknamed "Mabel", made low-cost motors with great reliability, and did so in quantities much greater than Stine needed. Stine's business faltered and this enabled Estes to market the motors separately. Subsequently, he began marketing model rocket kits in 1960, and eventually, Estes dominated
8700-429: The span of a few years. These metal containers needed only to be cleaned and refilled with propellant and a few throw-away components after each launch. The cost of a "reload" was typically half of a comparable single use motor. While catastrophes at take-off (CATOs) still occur occasionally with reloadable motors (mostly due to poor assembly techniques by the user), the reliability of launches has risen significantly. It
8800-460: The target areas. They were also used with a contact fuze when attacking entrenchments. These weapons were widely used during the Vietnam War when many thousands of tons of submunitions were dropped on Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Most anti-armor munitions contain shaped charge warheads to pierce the armor of tanks and armored fighting vehicles . In some cases, guidance is used to increase
8900-630: The territory of Western Sahara , the Royal Moroccan Army (RMA) dropped cluster bombs. The RMA used both artillery-fired and air-dropped cluster munitions. BLU-63, M42 and MK118 submunitions were used at multiple locations in Bir Lahlou, Tifarity, Mehaires, Mijek and Awganit. More than 300 cluster strike areas have been recorded in the MINURSO Mine Action Coordination Center database. During
9000-429: The total impulse is between .5 and 2.2 Ns, and the burn time is between .25 and 1 second. For Estes ‘regular size’ rocket motors (18 mm diameter), there are three classes: A, B, and C. The A class 18 mm motors have a maximum thrust between 9.5 and 9.75 N, a total impulse between 2.1 and 2.3 Ns, and a burn time between .5 and .75 seconds. The B class 18 mm motors have a maximum thrust between 12.15 and 12.75 N,
9100-633: The use of cluster bombs during the Lebanon war. Halutz claimed that some cluster bombs had been fired against his direct order, which stated that cluster bombs should be used with extreme caution and not be fired into populated areas. The IDF apparently disobeyed this order. Human Rights Watch said there was evidence that Israel had used cluster bombs very close to civilian areas and described them as "unacceptably inaccurate and unreliable weapons when used around civilians" and that "they should never be used in populated areas". Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using cluster munitions in an attack on Bilda,
9200-459: The use of cluster munitions against military and civilian targets in the region. As of 2010, 93 km (36 sq mi) remain off-limits due to contamination with unexploded cluster ordnance. HALO Trust has made major contributions to the cleanup effort. During renewed hostilities in April 2016 , HALO Trust reported the use of cluster bombs by Azerbaijan, having found cluster munitions in
9300-535: The use of cluster munitions by the Armenian forces during the months-long bombardment of Tartar , missile attacks on Barda and on Goranboy . Amnesty International also confirmed that the Armenian forces had used cluster munitions in Barda, which resulted in the deaths of 25 Azerbaijani civilians, according to Azerbaijan. About 2,000 cluster bombs containing 380,000 sub-munitions were dropped on Yugoslavia during
9400-890: The use of cluster munitions". British-supplied and U.S.-supplied cluster bombs have been used by Saudi Arabian-led military coalition against Houthi militias in Yemen , according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Saudi Arabia is not signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Model rocket#Parachute According to the United States National Association of Rocketry (NAR) 's Safety Code, model rockets are constructed out of lightweight and non metallic parts. The materials are typically paper , cardboard , balsa wood or plastic . The code also provides guidelines for motor use, launch site selection, launch methods, launcher placement, recovery system design and deployment and more. Since
9500-446: The user to assemble propellant grains, o-rings and washers (to contain the expanding gases), delay grains and ejection charges into special non-shattering aluminum motor casings with screw-on or snap-in ends (closures). The advantage of a reloadable motor is the cost: firstly, because the main casing is reusable, reloads cost significantly less than single-use motors of the same impulse. Secondly, assembly of larger composite engines
9600-531: The villages of Nerkin Horatagh and Kiçik Qarabəy . Azerbaijan reported that the Armenian forces had used cluster munition against Azerbaijani civilians in the given period. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor report in 2010, neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan not acceded to become a member of the Convention on Cluster Munitions . Further use of cluster munition was reported during
9700-491: The world has no reason to point a finger at Israel." Georgia admitted using cluster bombs during the war, according to Human Rights Watch but stressed they were only used against military targets. The Georgian army used LAR-160 multiple rocket launchers to fire MK4 LAR 160 type rockets (with M-85 bomblets) with a range of 45 kilometers the Georgian Minister of Defense (MoD) said. Human Rights Watch accused
9800-438: Was a significant issue in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with catastrophic engine failures occurring relatively frequently (est. 1 in 20) in motors of L class or higher. At costs exceeding $ 300 per motor, the need to find a cheaper and more reliable alternative was apparent. Reloadable motor designs (metal sleeves with screwed-on end caps and filled with cast propellant slugs) were introduced by Aerotech and became very popular over
9900-576: Was the spokesperson for the UN in Colombo , the "largest remaining functioning hospital" in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka was bombed. The Sri Lankan military has been accused of bombing the hospital with cluster munitions, but cluster bombs were not used in the bombing of the hospital. The government has denied using cluster munitions, but in 2012 unexploded cluster bombs were found, according to Allan Poston, who
10000-498: Was the technical advisor for the UN Development Program ’s mine action group in Sri Lanka. An article published by The Guardian in 2016 provided photographic evidence and testimonies from former de-miners and civilians pointing to the use of Russian-made cluster bombs in areas that the government had declared as "no-fire zones." It was reported in April 2011 that Colonel Gaddafi 's forces had used cluster bombs in
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