Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association's Mercury Redstone Launch hobby rocket flight. Please see www.mdrocketry.org for more information. Come and join us at the field.
Yes, we know that John Glenn flew the Mercury Atlas 6 mission and never flew on the Mercury Redstone. This error was caused by the excitement of a world record breaking amateur scale rocket flight rumbling into the clear blue skies. Awesome flight!!!
It's been a page (dossier?) in the FBI's since about 1989 or so when IRA terrorists tried to get Chuck Rogers to provide a modified version of his ALT-4 flight and altitude estimation software, one that could use any launch angle other than straight up, and at the same time tried to get a number (I heard six or seven) N-3050 motors from Aerotech via Canada; Aerotech reported it as suspicious to the FBI; the FBI then thwarted what was a plan to -- as I heard it, shoot down British helicopters flying in Ireland.
Where are the after-landing photos? I’m not sure that booster section was in perfect shape after touchdown. 😄. Everything else conveniently hid behind a tree.
This was a very impressive flight...but frankly TRA needs to set out guidelines on what is and is not a "largest rocket record" flight. The announcer repeatedly said this would have failed an L3 cert. Why then does it deserve a world record? C'mon TRA. Lay out the ground rules of what is and is not a "world's Largest" attempt. Right now, even if it CATO's it can be considered a world's largest.
You can beat the land speed record then destroy the vehicle going faster. You still beat the record. He launched the largest model rocket even if it only went 50ft if he used only 40960 total impulse that is a record. The landing is not part of the record. Only a launch that took the entire rocket to the expected altitude. The you would not get your cert is for a cert flight to be successful you must be able to stick another motor in and launch it safely. A world record scale launch obviously doesn't hold that criteria.
