The Stonebreaker is a medium-sized, medium powered sport rocket. The design concept is that this rocket is to be used to carry nuclear warheads into space to target large asteroids that are endangering the earth.
My particular rocket has been modified to use a smaller, 19" Nylon parachute. The stock 32" parachute supplied in the kit is much too large. I also added a small altimeter compartment in the base of the hollow plastic nose cone. The other difference is the addition of a spring clip for the motor (not supplied) and I painted it bright silver instead of the suggested white.
| Flight Date: | 2013-08-31 |
| Rocket Name: | Stonebreaker |
| Kit Name: | DynaStar - Stonebreaker {Kit} (05028) [?-] |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | D12-5 |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 498 Feet |
This is only the second flight of the newly minted Stonebreaker. Again I will use a medium power for this flight, but this time I will choose an even smaller parachute. The stock 32 inch 'chute was almost comically to large, and the first flight showed that the 21 inch 'chute was still a bit large. I prepped a 15 inch for this flight, because the winds were a bit high.
When the mighty D12 started burning, the rocket left the rod at 11.1 Gs. The motor burned for 1.8 seconds while sustaining an average of 2.7 Gs. This brought the rocket to 102 mph. It travelled straight up, then coasted for 4.4 seconds. The delay was early at only 4.4 seconds, and the parachute ejected at 491 feet, slowing the rocket in the next 3/10 seconds while gaining an additional 7 feet for an apogee of 498 feet. A full 5 second delay and this would easily have broke 500 feet. Thanks Estes.
Descent was all OK and a thing of beauty. The smaller parachute let it return at a safe 10 mph. Even at that speed, it landed about 350 feet from the launch rod. This second successful flight showed me it is ready for flights with an E9 or E20, or even a C11.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes D12-5 |
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