When you start talking about amateur or experimental rocketry, you can get any one of many reactions. Some people want to know more, some people don't care and some look at you like you are a terrorist. Most people are generally interested and want to know what is experimental rocketry.
Here are a couple of quick definitions between Amateur and Experimental rocketry:
Amateur Rocketry:
Anything that falls between HPR and professional rocketry. This includes liquid fueled engines, metal structures, building your own motors, and just about anything else you can think of. There are no formal definitions or requirements, other than the laws of physics and your government.
Experimental or Research Rocketry:
Different people have used this term to mean different things, but essentially it's the same as amateur rocketry.
I love to talk about rockets. Sometimes too much or so says my wife. I love building rockets. Why not build the propulsion systems as well. Every kind from solid, liquids or combinations of both called hybrids. These pages provide some information about how I got started in building motors and experimental rocketry.
If you live in Colorado and are interested in building your own motors, check out the Colorado Experimental Research Group or CERG. I have site with information about CERG that contains information about group activities, motor formulas and a calendar of activities. I have included an upload section for the group to share, learn and be safe with experimental rocketry. This allows users to upload files and formulas to share with other members. This site is password protected and has limited access. The Colorado ex newsgroup is up as well. If you live in Colorado and are interested in experimental rocketry, sign up by sending me an email at
mbennett at mbrocketry dot com
Warning: All liability waived! Rocketry is an inherently dangerous undertaking, especially experimental rocketry. Safety and the wellness of others should be your first and most important concern. Please make your choices and take personal responsibility for the outcome of your experiment! Protect your privilege to fly rockets by not making the headlines or becoming a statistic. I will not be responsible for any misuse or misunderstood information use in these pages that results in personal injury or property damage. All Liability Waived.
Note: Before even trying to attempt to build your own motors, I very strongly recommend that you start by reading one of two books. They are "Experimental Composite Propellant" by Terry McCreary and "How to Make Amateur Rockets" by John Wickman.. I have both of these books and through reading both of them several times, I have gained a real respect for the power of chemicals and what they can do. If you can, try to find someone that has built motors before to help. This will save you money, time and frustration. Ask lots of questions. Above all, PLEASE BE SAFE.
I got started with experimental rocketry for two reasons. The first was due to the Aerotech fire that created a severe rocket motor shortage and the cost of rocket motors was going up. The second is because I wanted to take my rocket skills up to the next level. I like to build scratch built rockets, make my own parachutes, machine my own motor cases and make my own propellant. With the Aerotech fire in late 2001, motors became very scarce and the price rose very quickly. With a J350 selling for about $80.00 when I was paying $45.00 (pre-fire) it was just too much. Some people say that making you own motors to more expensive and the initial cost is true. Tooling and tools to make your own motors can be very pricey. But if you are inventive and or creative, you can make most of you tools or find great deals on used items to help keep the cost way down. Once you have the tools, your cost is really time and chemicals. The same J350 motor I was paying $45.00, I can now make for $12.00 in chemicals and paper making my own casting and liner tubes. A lot of my tools come from eBay, or friends that weren't using them anymore and even broken items which I used parts from or fixed.
These pages contain some of my work making my own propellant. Working with Ted Proseus and Darren Wright and their Tiger Tail formula as a base formula, I have been making slight changes to original formula to get higher or lower ISP's and having various colored flames and smoke. I'm still in the testing phases and I am still in the process of building my own cases. I did purchase the small motor case from Jeff Taylor of Loki Research. He has been very good at answering questions I have about the case properties. His web page can be found at: http://www.lokiresearch.com.
The Tiger Tail formula is a great starter propellant. The base formula is 79.1% solids. I have two other variants to increase the output by adding a little ferric oxide and by increasing the aluminum. As I work with more formulas, I will post the results in the static test reports.