Basic Information
Name	Z-24
Launch date:	19 March, 2016
Rocket description	- 63.5mm aluminum airframe - 4 fins, birch plywood, reduced span - birch elliptical nosecone - 3 ft. ellipsoidal parachute
Payload	- Raven altimeter - BRB900 GPS transmitter - Smoke charge (activated by Raven) - Apogee Backup Timer
Liftoff mass	2.343 kg.
Flight objectives	- Test modified parachute deployment method

Motor details
Motor name	Impulser
Propellant	KNSB
Grain mass	303 grams
Nominal impulse	357 N-sec
Class	I

Additional information

To improve reliability of parachute extraction, a disc was installed on the parachute tether. The disc is intended to pull out the parachute directly, rather than extracting chute by pulling out shroud line connection. Also the amount of masking tape retaining the nosecone was increased by 14%. A ground test verified improved operation.

Weather conditions
Temperature	0°C
Wind	WNW 10-15 km/hr
Sky	Clear; clouds approaching from west horizon
Other	-
Ceiling	unlimited

Launch Event Description

When we arrived at the launch location, we noticed quite a lot of water in surrounding fields due to snow melt. Taking the wind speed and direction into account, we chose a launch site to hopefully provide for touchdown on dry (snow covered) ground. There was enough snow remaining on the ground to allow for use of the sled for hauling. Setup of the rocket once again went smoothly. A checklist was used to facilitate setup. Raven confirmed all four pyro charges had continuity. Backup timer was tested and confirmed to be operating nominally. A camcorder was set up on a tripod to capture liftoff. I used the hand-held Sony camcorder (with scope tube) to attempt to film the complete flight. After verifying the sky was clear, the countdown proceeded. Immediately after ignition switch was closed, the rocket soared off the pad, veering slightly into the wind. The motor burned for about 2 seconds. The rocket was visible most of the way to apogee, with the bright sun illuminating the fluorescent orange paint, and reflecting in “flashes” off the chrome bands. About five seconds after disappearing from sight, a white smoke cloud appeared, signaling a successful apogee separation event. The rocket was then sighted tumbling down, visually made clear by occasional flashes of the sun glinting off the rocket. A second smoke cloud then appeared, resulting from the backup pyro charge firing. The rocket continued to tumble, with no sign of a smoke trail, for another 20 seconds or so. A smoke cloud suddenly appeared as the parachute charge fired, accompanied by a ‘pop’ sound a second later. The parachute immediately blossomed and the rocket gently drifted earthward, carried downrange by the wind. A thin wisp of smoke suddenly appeared, trailing the rocket on its final descent. Rocket touched down in a snow-covered field. We then programmed the BRB GPS coordinates into the Garmin hand-held GPS unit, which indicated the landing site was 0.15 miles away.

When we arrived at the touchdown site, the rocket appeared to be in perfect condition. We noticed the smoke charge had burned, as we’d expected.

Before packing up, we used the portable wind vane and anemometer to measure and record the wind direction and speed.

Flight Analysis
Event:	Time (sec)	feet	metres
Apogee	13.2	2776	846
Separation	14.3	2764	842
Main deployment	41.3	831	253
Touchdown	80.9	-	-
Range	-	484	148
Descent rates:	ft./sec.	m/sec.
Free-fall	78.1	23.8
Main parachute	18.1	5.52

Post-flight analysis and comments:

Post-flight examination confirmed that the rocket was in great. The improved chute deployment worked well. The Apogee Backup Timer system apparently worked nominally, as pyro charge had fired.

The reason for the delayed Smoke Charge firing was a result of a setting used for the Raven 4^th channel. As this channel is normally intended as a backup for the main chute pyro, the default condition is “altitude less than 700 feet”. For future flights, this condition will be changed to “any altitude”.

Raven baro and accelerometer graph:

Barometric and axial acceleration data Z-24\Z-24_Raven.jpg

Big Red Bee

Launch and landing locations Z-24\Z-24_BRB.jpg

Photos:

New launch pad Z-24\DSCN0288.JPG

Z-24 Rocket on pad Z-24\DSCN0291.JPG

Liftoff (view from tripod camera) Z-24\nikon_1.jpg

Z-24\nikon_2.jpg

Liftoff and ascent (hand-held camera) Z-24\Z-24_sonycapture1.jpg

Z-24\Z-24_sonycapture2.jpg

Z-24\Z-24_sonycapture3.jpg