Tennis Ball from
-HEAVEN-
by Todd Harrison
Crash photo :-(
This unique rocket is a veteran of many launches. It is constructed of a tennis
ball and utilizes "bounce recovery". It is a great flier in a large
parking lot or field.
The first step in construction was drilling an 18mm hole in the bottom and a
1/8" launch lug hole straight through the ball. The ball was then stuffed
tightly with wadding. The motor mount/airframe is secured in the rear of the
rocket with 5 min epoxy. The launch lug was then slid into place and also
attached with epoxy. The 4 square fins were cut out of 3/32" balsa and
then sanded to an airfoil shape. The corners were rounded and the fins were
attached with 5 minute epoxy.
It has flown on B6-2 and C6-3 motors. After many flights I created a matching
booster for the TBFH. The boost was fine but the second stage failed to ignite
and it crashed to it's demise. Overall, the rocket was a great flier and I plan
to rebuild it along with a mini version and supersize version (out of the huge
signature balls).