Something completely different this time on DSO. Gary
introduces you to the world of high power rocketry. It's not your
typical outdoor activity but it's definitely done in the outdoors and
involves chasing these rockets across the countryside. Here's a write
up about the event:
They came. They camped. They blasted off. They are members of a
small but passionate group of rocketry enthusiasts. About 50 members of
the NB Rocketry Club and other groups from the region, along with a
handful of spectators, spent two days recently under 25,000 feet of
open sky on a hill top in the middle of Base Gagetown. This was the
Rage in the Gage Rocket Launch held annually on the Labour Day Weekend.
Tom Raithby of Willow Grove is one of the organizers of the event. He
says this is the biggest launch of high power rockets they have every
year. To fire off these bigger rockets they need permission to use the
airspace and the operators must be certified. These rockets are not
toys even though these enthusiasts are all amateurs and hobbyists. For
them building and launching rockets is what the hobby is all about.
You may be familiar with the model rockets that kids build and launch,
sometimes in school or Scout programs. These things are impressive and
can go as high as a thousand feet. There were plenty of model rockets
at Rage in the Gage but this was really a vehicle for the big boys to
show off their work. High power rockets come in various sizes and with
different engines but they're capable of reaching altitudes of 10,000
ft. or more and velocities in the supersonic range. Many of these
rockets have complicated electronics in them that transmit the
altitude, speed and location of the rocket. This is essential to find
them because the rockets employ a parachute to gently bring them back
to earth and sometimes the rockets can land far from the launch site.
"I really like that I can send something that high and I can build it
myself and I can get it back without breaking it," says Raithby. "It's
really satisfying to send something up against the elements and bring
it back unbroken."
Of course some times accidents happen and rockets crash but that's all
part of the hobby. With all rocketry you're dealing with explosives and
sharing air space with planes so safety during the launch and decent is
the most important thing. All rockets must be inspected before launch
and the range is tightly controlled by the launch director during any
flight.
Greg Gollan from Windsor, Nova Scotia has one of the largest rockets
this year at Gagetown. His rocket called Dragon Farts is 9 feet long
and weights 37 pounds. It has five motors on it with a combined burn
time of 9.5 seconds that can produce 1,125 pounds of thrust. It can
reach an altitude of 7,000 feet and best of all, the rocket has an
onboard video camera to record the whole flight. Gollan says he built
the rocket for 3 or 4 hundred dollars and he has about $300 of
electronics on it. He says the propellants to launch the rocket cost
about $400 every flight and it takes about five hours to prepare the
rocket for launch. "It's awesome....what a rush," says Gollan after the
successful first launch of Dragon Farts at Rage in the Gage.
We have music on the show this week from Nasty Boy and Art Hodge. Email your comments and story suggestions to us at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca
