MDRA Group Project

  Purpose:
                To establish High Power Rocketry firsts by successfully     and     safely launching
                the largest rocket this side of the Mississippi. This will not be a Tripoli Sanctioned
                Launch. This rocket is an independent, privately sponsored project.

  Requirements:
                Vehicle weight in excess of 600 pounds. This should be a first.

                Launch vehicle from Higgs Farm in Price, Maryland

                Recover vehicle in two-stage recover configuration.
                Drogue at apogee and mains around 2500 feet.
                Nose cone will be recovered under it's own chute. This should be a first

                Include onboard video and possibly ATV, Amateur Television.
                This has been done before, but it should be included in the project.

  Design:
                Due to the size of this project I had originally envisioned looking at and evaluating
                designs from anyone in the group who wanted to submit one.  The more I thought
                about it though the less inclined to I was to go that route.  Because I am providing
                the tube and many of the components that will be  integrated in the rocket  I  made
                my first  command  decision. I  will  design  the  basic  rocket. The  design  will  be
                original and will not be a scale of any existing rockets.The reason I am proceeding
                down this path is that I want to avoid any in fighting concerning the design. I came
                to realize that there were not many safe options to   go  with  on  a  project  of  this
                magnitude. The only thing to argue about is the shape of the fins and I want what
                ever will give the rocket the most stability off the tower. As information concerning
                the motor is becoming available, the rocket and the weight associated with   it  will
                be designed around the motor. My goal is to build  the  rocket  as  tall  as  possible.
                The limitation is the weight of the airframe. The fiberglass tube weighs between 25
                and 30 pounds per foot. I want to  keep  the  lift  off  weight  to  about  600  pounds.
                Presently there is a design that looks like a big Mini Magg. This design will suit our
                purposes of launching a safe, recoverable vehicle. Though it appears that we may
                be able to increase the length of the airframe with little penalty on performance and
                altitude. The rocket will be basically 4 fins and a nose cone.

  Participants:
                This project is open to all members of The Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association.
                However in the interest of consolidating time, money and  effort  I will  be  the Project
                Manager. As the Project Manager I will coordinate all activities related to the project.
                I also have some specific people in mind to head up certain aspects  of  the  project.
                In the next couple of weeks I will be contacting various people to act as team leaders
                to head up the many facets of construction and flight preparation that will need to take
                place. I believe that it will be in our interest to put  Level 3  members  in  some  of  the
                critical aspects of the project, as they already have big rocket experience. Once they
                agree their names and responsibilities will be posted. There are many people in the
                club that possess a great deal of skill and expertise in one or more of the following
                areas. Take a look at the list and see where you would like to help out. Even if you
                do not feel 100% qualified in an area, this may be a good opportunity to gain that
                knowledge.

  Nose Cone Construction:
                Build a 24" diameter X 8' long Nose Cone. Dave Bullis to build the rough
                Nose Cone, Bob Utley to finish, Neil McGilvray to provide Coupler.

 Sanding and Finishing the Air Frame Tubes:
                Jeff Potter to head this up. We will need lots of help
                with this portion of the project. We want it to be a showpiece.

 Painting:
                A project all in it self. The finished rocket will stand about 23' to 25' tall. This is going
                to take lots paint.

 Assembly of the rocket:
                This area may need to broken down into smaller groups. I want Lester Sherman
                to build the fins, centering rings and bulk plates at a minimum. Assembly of these
                components should be a group activity.

 Electronics and recovery:
                Fred Wallace to head this up. This will be a small group, to be determined.

 Written Documentation:
                I will be doing some of this and could use help.

 Photo and Video Documentation:
                Open to all. This project is designed to be on the cover of  Extreme Rocketry
                and High Power, (if they will have us).

 Web Documentation:
                You busy Bob??

 Tower Construction:
                Dave Bullis will be heading this up.

 Transportation:
                Someone has to move this beast.

 Media coverage:
                This should be on television.

 Treasurer:
                Does anyone know how to spell Dave Weber's name? I think that all interested people
                should start by contributing $50.00. This will give us some working capital. I hope that
                among the members we can keep the costs down but I don't want to sacrifice quality
                for cost. We have one chance to show the world that we can make this work. Let's
                do it right!

 Tee Shirts:
                We have to have shirts to commemorate the event and I am sure we can supplement
                the costs by selling them.

 This is the first pass at formal documentation for the project so bear with me. Success will be a function
of many people working in the same direction for the same goal. The real reason that we are doing this is
because it will be cool. Fun is the main objective here after safety. Safety is number one and the rest is details.

  Stay tuned.