Turning the Nuclear Sledgehammer into the “Questionable Investment”

I  have had the rocksimfile for the rocket for quite a while, and made a few modifications

1) a few cosmetic changes to wings and fins to make them look ‘sleaker’
2) remove mid centering ring, drill holes in forward centering ring,
and fill booster section with Mega Foam prior to installing the tube
coupler / baffle plate subassembly.
3) Drill numerous 1/2 inch holes in the foward fin/wing root tabs to
allow foam to flow through
4) fill tail with mega foam to encapsulate rear fin root tabs prior to
installing tailcone
5) Replace included Polystyrene nosecone with a custom fiberglass 5:1
Ogive nosecone. This will increase the overall height by about 12″,
increase the nosecone weight (both reflected in the Rocksim file), and
allow me more flexibility in adding nosecone weight as I get closer to
final build and have actual weights for the booster and sustainer
sections.
6) Tip to tip lamination of both fins and wings using kevlar and
fiberglass. My usual procedure is fiberglass and Carbon Fiber with a
vacuum bag. Thanks to the lower maximum expected speed of this rocket I
don’t need the stiffness of Carbon fiber,which free’s me from using a
vacuum bag process.  I’m very comfortable with the lamination process,
but I have not yet finalized how I am going to accomplish this given
the wing / fin overlap. My initial thought is to mount the fins first,
then laminate the fins. re-cut the airframe wing slots, mount the
wings, then laminate the wings.

Here is a copy of the Rocksim file:

Rocksim file Questionable_investment

For recovery I will be abandoning my electromagnetic ejection
concepts. I am still working on them, but starting at MWP 8, I’ve had
a series of failures where the force of ejection was significantly
stronger than I had calculated, and ripped the electronics or magnets
out of the rocket. I think the high voltages are effecting the
electronics, but I’m still unsure.
I plan on using my Marsa4 altimeter for primary, and my Raven for
backup. Both altimeters have been flown several times, and have been
flawless in their operation. I received an Altus Metrum for the
Holidays, which I will add in the third AV bay. Since I have no
flights, nor any experience with it,  I don’t plan on utilizing it for
any part of recovery – Just a way to get some telemetry data, and test
out it’s transmitting recording capabilities. I already love this little guy because the hardware is ‘open hardware’, and the operating system, and flight software is open source! available here

My primary building epoxy is be Loctite Hysol E-120HP

. This is an Aerospace grade high viscosity epoxy that is just amazing.
Provides a long  pot life (~2 hours), and creates bonds stronger than the materials it’s connected to. It’s expensive, but worth it. I use JB Weld in areas that will be subjected to high temperatures (connecting the motor retainer), and US Composites for lamination. I *MAY* use Pro-Set for fin and wing fillets. I haven’t decided yet.