ULTRA-VIOLENT EXPRESS - TENTH FLIGHT - CATO

Looking forward to launch this rocket, has been sitting in de garage for nearly 3 months, Did not launch because of weather and health problems. Rocket is all prepped and ready to go.

Update 05/17/2023 - Repacked the streamer and the charge in the booster.

Update 05/18/2023 - Checked the stratologgers, and connections. All beeping out correctly. This time there will be no phone in the Av Bay, Weather will be hot and the phone will probably overheat sitting on the pad. I expect a lot of collage kids again. So there will be a wait anyway. To bad NEFAR does not have a private field yet. So stratologgers tested, batteries, wiring, connections, chutes and streamer. Av Bay is closed up and charges are connected. The Av Bay is already in place and connected on the upper bay. So the only thing I have to do is to tape on the GPS RTX and the two camera's. GPS/RTX tested and working properly. Double checked ! Hope on a great launch day and video's.

Update 05/19/2023 - There us a change of rain in the forecast, but cloud cover is only like 30 %, and low winds.

Update 05/19/2023 - Car all loaded up, rocket in the back, did not use the cargo box, did not bring that much, just the important boxes and tools. Camera's/ RTX all charged. Will do a last charge on the RTX units tomorrow morning.

Update 05/20/2023 - LAUNCH DAY - Weather turned out nice, low winds, just a small cool breeze and some clouds. Put the tent up for Florence. She took lots of pictures again. Prepping was a breeze, no phone, just the RTX and the two GoPro camera's and close up. The RTX got signal right-a-way. Ran to the E pads, love those setups. Tim and Bill were there also. Loaded the rocket on E1 pad and activated the Stratologgers and made the ignitor connection. Stratologgers were beeping out fine. Got the Ground GoPro going for recording the launch. Was the first one to launch that day. But Oh No... oops.. rocket took off nicely but like 20 feet up it separated and there was fire coming out of the top of the booster, Everything ejected fine, but when falling down some parts got burned, like the rocket booster and the streamer (like 10 feet) Everything else was fine, but the fin can got damaged real bad, The booster was soft at some parts and the fiberglass part separated from the fins, also the inner motor mouth is gone, completely burned. Will have to investigate it a fit better to see what can be recovered and fixed. Around 1:30 PM it started ton rain heavy at times, Gary was still desperate to launch when the storm passed. We left, there was standing water on the field and road.

Update 05/21/2023 - Started taking the closures apart. All is really tight together, probably because of the heat. Put some grafity oil and then things started to loosen up. Could recover the retainer ring, also the 54 mm casing closure and all the pieces of the adapter 75 mm - 54 mm. So that is great ! All the stratologgers are working fine (yeah) and also the RTX/GPS modules. Also by opening the AvBay I noticed that the batteries were out of their holders, Probably the hard landing in the grass, stratologgers however were fine, beeping out ok and I could retrieve data