ORG Winter 2007 Rocket Competitions
The Ottawa Rocketry Group is holding two competitions this winter/spring. These competitions are designed to allow maximum participation from all members by keeping the rockets simple and affordable.
Please see Perry Mangione, competition coordinator, to enter.
1) Alpha Accuracy (also called spot landing)
Goal:
Launch a small "Alpha" rocket and land as close as possible to a target.
Rules:
Rocket:
- an "Alpha" rocket is any-vintage Estes Alpha kit or scratch built rocket that is very similar to an Alpha
- 24mm body tube and nose cone, 3 fins
- single stage, stable
- A, B or C impulse black powder motor (no composites)
- must have parachute or streamer recovery
Launch:
- rockets will be launched during regular ORG launch dates by the launch coordinator for the day
- contestants must announce to the coordinator that this launch is a competition flight
- the club will provide launch equipment with 1/8” rod allowing the contestant to control the angle of launch (within safe limits as determined by the coordinator)
- the club will provide a marker (construction safety cone or similar visible marker) located in the recovery area approximately 150 ft downwind from the launch pad
- after a flight, the competition coordinator will measure the distance between the marker and the landing location of the competition rocket.
Duration and number of attempts:
- the contest will run from Feb 18, 2007 to the last club launch in April (approximately 3 months or 6 launch dates)
- contestants can enter as often as they want during that time, depending on availability of launch dates and use of equipment
Winner:
- the winner will be the person or team that lands a rocket closest to the target over the duration of the competition
Prizes:
- the winner will get an all expenses paid trip to visit the NASA space center in time for the next Shuttle launch scheduled after the competition closes. (Competition director reserves the right to substitute a more affordable prize, but there will be a prize)
2) Alpha Altitude (also called drag race)
Goal:
Launch a small "Alpha" rocket as high as possible on a small motor. Launch in pairs (drag races) to see which rocket goes higher in each heat.
Rules:
Rocket:
- an "Alpha" rocket is any-vintage Estes Alpha kit or scratch built rocket that is very similar to an Alpha
- 24mm body tube and nose cone, 3 fins
- single stage, stable
- an “A” impulse black powder motor (no composites)
- must have parachute or streamer recovery
Launch:
- rockets will be launched during regular ORG launch dates by the launch coordinator for the day
- contestants must announce to the coordinator that this launch is a competition flight
- the club will provide launch equipment with 1/8” rods allowing two contestants to launch simultaneously
- after a flight, the competition coordinator judge which rocket went highest based on visual observation. The coordinator may ask for assistance from another member of the club for this.
Duration and number of attempts:
- the contest will run from Feb 18, 2007 to the last club launch in April (approximately 3 months or 6 launch dates)
- contestants can enter as often as they want during that time, depending on availability of launch dates and use of equipment
Winner:
- a single point will be awarded to the winner of each heat
- any contestant may challenge any other contestant exactly once
- the winner will be the person or team that has won the most heats when the competition ends
Prizes:
- the winner will get an all expenses paid trip to visit the NASA space center in time for the next Shuttle launch, scheduled after the competition closes. (Competition director reserves the right to substitute a more affordable prize, but there will be a prize)