All Rocketry Blogs

Randy's Rocketry Blog: New Nozzle (2007-06-16)

I recently began working on a new nozzle for the Sugar Shot project. You can read more about the project here . This nozzle is intended to be used for the MiniSShot motor. This Motor is a very ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Static Firing Video (2007-09-13)

I plan to start posting some videos form the past. I'll post them as I find the time, many of them were shot on an analog camcorder and need to be converted to digital. This one is a close up view of ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Early Dual Burn Motor Test (2007-09-20)

This is a video of a static test that I conducted back in 2005 when I first got involved with the Sugar Shot project. The dual burn concept is not new, but I haven't heard of any amateurs ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Weekend Rocket Activities (2008-04-28)

This past weekend was full of rocketry. First off I was able to see the fifth Sugar Shot motor test over at the FAR site. Look for more details and photos on the Sugar Shot site as the post test ... [Read More]

High Power Rocketry: Sugar Shot to Space (2008-05-06)

The goal of this project is to send a sugar motor rocket into space. This will be a fairly large rocket, and will contain two combustion chambers and one nozzle. In effect, it has the longer thrust ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Cutting Metal (2008-10-06)

I cut some propellant segment spacer rings this weekend for the Sugar Shot to Space project. It's been a while and it felt good. We moved a while back and I just recently have had the time to build a ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: MiniSShot Motor Parts (2008-10-19)

I just finished some grain support rings for an upcoming firing of the Sugar Shot to Space ProtoSShot-M Mark II motor. This will be the second firing of what is essentially the full, dual-phase, ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: More machining for Sugar Shot to Space project (2008-11-18)

I recently finished some more light machining for an upcoming static test of SugarShot's ProtoSShot-M Mark II motor. The work included cutting the casting tubes to length and making a new set of ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: How Much Inhibitor? (2008-12-08)

On the Sugar Shot project we've been talking about, among other things, how much inhibitor is actually necessary to inhibit the propellant surface. I suspect that it's less than what most of us ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Great Weekend! (2009-01-25)

I attended the RRS launch this weekend. It was a great launch and I had tons of fun. Rick Maschek and I fired a motor that was part of ongoing testing for the Sugar Shot to Space project. There were ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: RRS report from Randy's Rocketry (2009-01-26)

Randy reports on this past weekend's launch at the RRS, with photo's of a Zn/S rocket ( you gotta love that plume! ), a Sugar Shot to Space test, and a LOX/kerosene static fire (I think). [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Finocyl grain testing (2009-04-07)

The Sugar shot project has begun testing finocyl grain geometries. Rick Maschek is doing a great job of actually casting the segments. Rick has managed to remove the mandrels with ease , something ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Not Rockets (2009-05-01)

Other than offering a tiny bit of support to the ongoing Sugar shot project , I've been way too busy to do any real rocketry work. On top of being busy at work, we've decided to replace the floors ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SStS Success! (2009-07-26)

The Sugar Shot project reached a significant milestone this weekend with the first successful firing of the flight configuration dualphase motor. This is a design concept that many "experts" have ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: FAR, FAR away (2010-03-18)

A while back, Paul Breed tweeted (can't believe I used that term) about this week end's activities at FAR , which will include a flight of his Blue Ball, Masten's Xombie, a solid propellant project, ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: Flight of the (SS2S) Phoenix (2010-03-23)

Richard Nakka reports on the launch of the Sugar Shot to Space Phoenix test rocket last Saturday. It flew nicely to about 3K' on a J420R (:eek: a commercial APCP motor!) but came down hard. I've ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: MiniSShot launch report (2010-04-25)

Sugar Shot to Space reports that they launched their MiniSShot test rocket earlier today. The rocket employed a 2-phase sugar motor with an initial burn, followed by a delay/coast period and then a ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SStS set to start work on next phase (2011-01-25)

Sugar shot to Space is set to begin work on the next phase of motor/rocket development called DoubleShot . With a motor coming in at around 6 1/2 inches in diameter and utilizing approximately 200 ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: Sugar Shot to Space - Mini Shot 2 flight report (2011-05-09)

Richard Nakka distributed the flight report for last Saturday's MSS-2 flight.  The 2-phase motor appears to have worked nominally and the upper stage was recovered in decent shape.  They ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: Sugar Shot 'Q' motor CATO (2011-09-18)

The Sugar Shot to Space "DoubleSShot" test motor went boom.  It was a 115,000 N-sec Q-motor with over 160 pounds of propellant. [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SStS Motor Casing (2011-10-13)

I have purchased a piece of tube to fabricate a new motor casing for the Sugar Shot to Space DSS effort.   The DSS motor and test setup were among the finest I've ever seen, it's a shame ... [Read More]

High Power Rocketry: Interested in making your own rocket motors? (2012-03-17)

Image from Sugar Shot to Space. Experimental rocketry, EX for short, has been around longer than hobby rocketry. Experimental rockets were among the first modern rockets to be built, including ... [Read More]

High Power Rocketry: Sugar Shot to Space motor casing (2012-04-20)

This is a scaled-down test motor for the Sugar Shot to Space project. At each step, this team is testing larger motors, working their way up to the full-scale project. This latest development is ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: TR-1 Rocket (2012-05-16)

With my sons first visit to the desert to view a rocket launch and to help out with the static test of the Sugar Shot to Space's latest motor a few weeks behind us, we've decieded to ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: TR-1 Rocket Motor initial CAD (2012-05-17)

  Here is our initial CAD of the new TR-1 motor.  Pretty much the same layout as my first N-class motor.  Bates grain consisting of six segments, with a half inch spacing ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: Three stages all in one motor! (2012-07-16)

I have been posting for years about the Sugar Shot to Space (SS2S) project, which employs dual-phase motors.  That is, a motor that has two burn phases.  Today, IEEE Spectrum reports on ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: Sugar Shot motor work (2012-11-12)

I've begun work on modifying some existing hardware for a new SStS motor. This design will incorporate a new non-pyrotechnic device to separate the two motor chambers.  In theory ... [Read More]

DTH Rocket Blog: An Eventful Saturday (2/2): Friends of Amateur Rocketry (2013-03-18)

After Plane Crazy, my goal was to find the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) launch. All I knew was that they were at the "East end of Koehn Dry Lake." With a little Googling I was able to find the ... [Read More]

DTH Rocket Blog: P Motor Static Test at FAR (2013-04-27)

Earlier this April I went out the the F.A.R. site for some fun experimental rocketry. Before I got there apparently there had been a hypergolic rocket test of nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SUGAR SHOT TO SPACE SUCCESSFUL FIRING (2013-05-06)

The Sugar shot to Space project had a much needed successful firing this past weekend.  After the spectacular CATO of the impressive DoubleSShot motor nearly one year ago there was a lot ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SStS MOTOR CASING (DSS TM-3) (2013-05-16)

The aluminum tube for the DSS-TM-3 SStS motor arrived yesterday.  I'm just indexing/drilling the screw holes so not much work for me.  DSS TM-3 motor?   OK , it's getting tough to ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: TR-1 MOTOR UPDATE (NOZZLE) (2013-06-09)

    I  made good progress on the TR-1 nozzle this weekend.   The two pieces fit together nicely.  I'm still tempted to take some weight out of ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SUGAR SHOTS TM-3 NOZZLE (2013-06-12)

  I've started refurbishment/modification of the nozzle for the upcoming TM-3 test.  Having seen the force with which this nozzle bounced across the Mojave desert last year, it's in ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SUGAR SHOT'S P-CLASS MOTOR NOZZLE UPDATE (2013-06-13)

I'm making good progress on the nozzle, but it's slow going.  I'm about halfway through the biggest modification which is cutting a relief that the adapter ring will fit into.  The area ... [Read More]

Randy's Rocketry Blog: SUGAR SHOT'S P-CLASS MOTOR NOZZLE UPDATE (2013-06-17)

  I finished the modifications to the Sugar Shot to Space's DSS TM-3 motor this weekend.  It was particularly tough machining through screw holes.  The open spaces created a ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: Sugar Shot to Space's big 12 inch (2016-12-18)

I haven't posted about this project in a while.  This video is worth watching! "2 grains 12x20 260 pounds of propellant Motor by Rick Maschek and Eric Beckner" [Read More]