 And
now for something a little different...
Ted Cochran evidently decided that he wanted something big AND
unusual. No 3FNC for Ted!
Ted's 2X upscale Mars Lander was built from the Tango Papa
kit. It is an upscale of the old Estes kit.
The Lander made its first appearance at a rocket display in
December of 1999. It was very impressive (without paint or
decals yet) as it stood next to a little Estes Mini Marz
Lander. It was only overshadowed by the Minnesota BHR standing
next to it.
This rocket has a 38mm motor mount. The heavily-weighted
nosecone has its own parachute and separates from the body and its
parachute. One of this rocket's coolest features are the four
spring-loaded landing legs.
The Lander rose for its first flight at the Minnesota Tripoli
launch in June of 2000. On an I211-S, it had a picture-perfect
flight.
Unfortunately, on a flight later in 2000, the main chute failed
to deploy and the Lander, well, landed - hard. It crunched
some of the upper structure and body wraps.
After repairing and rebuilding over the winter, the Lander
appeared again at the Minnesota Tripoli launch on May 12, 2001.
Again on an I211-S, the rocket redeemed itself by rising to a
perfect flight. On landing, the Lander almost stayed upright
on its legs, but bounced over onto its side.
A great rocket; cool flights! Nice job, Ted!
Rocket Name: 2X Mars Lander
Builder / Flyer: Ted Cochran
Kit Manufacturer: Tango
Papa (with minor builder modifications)
Diameter: 8 inches
Length: 26 inches
Leg span: 28 inches
Legs travel over 4 inches
Weight: 5 lb 11 oz empty (1 lb 10 oz of that is the nose
cone!), gross take off weight is 7 lb 3 oz with an I211-s.
Components: Based around 7.5" PML phenolic tubing
Electronics: none
Recovery: 44" parachute for the main Lander,
18" parachute for the nose.
Load-Out: typical I211-S
Altitude: 850 to 1050 feet depending upon simulation
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