Photo Synthesis

Beer Keg Loft

Posted by Steve Jurvetson on June 8, 2009
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And now for something completely different… Pirate flags are the first sign…

Beer Keg Rocket Assembly We are Go Flight

Team Numb comfortably launched a fat rocket on a P7000 motor to loft a full beer keg over a mile high straight up.

• Keg: 175 lbs of beer. Roots. From Oregon.
• Motor: 60 lbs of Alumaflame solid rocket propellant (looks like gray styrofoam, but burns in a violet flame). This home brew P motor is twice as big as what you can buy, and you can buy a cruise missile booster from Cesaroni Aerospace in Canada.
• Altitude: 6,100 ft. Perfect flight.
• Results: Beer shaken, not stirred, and tapped at the landing site.

Beer Keg Blastoff!

The launch donut stayed on the nosecone for a surprisingly long time. The rear-deployed chute shredded under the strain, reducing but not eliminating its effectiveness. So, the keg returneth…. much like the Mars landing bounce:

IMG_6590 IMG_6591 IMG_6592 IMG_6593 IMG_6594 IMG_6595 IMG_6596 IMG_6597 IMG_6598 IMG_6599

Here is the team video, with a hearty roar:

I just love the voices… From the team videographer:


“OMG… it’s out dude. OMG. It worked!”

(such faith in the project. ;-) 

and the event LCO (Launch Control Officer):

“The beer is down safely. Don’t tap it for a while though.”
Tapping the Keg

And there was much rejoicing at the landing site.

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Comments

  1. #1 iRobot
    June 9, 2009

    You should have sent up some chips as well. LOL!
    I shot off the small model kit rockets as a kid and am in awe of your rocket launches.

  2. #2 Spiv
    June 9, 2009

    The potential for disaster was high on this one…

  3. #3 Art
    June 9, 2009

    Alcohol abuse.

    Think of all the sober alcoholics in India and tell me that this isn’t a bad idea. That’s right … hang your head in shame.

  4. #4 Ken Kzak
    June 9, 2009

    Art,
    So your saying the next mission should be a beer keg suborbital flight to India?

    No one should hang thier head in shame if they have a can do attitude and rise to the challenge!

    The biggest problems I see are; reentry heating, and that being below the equator, and previously subject to british tradition, all the taps are south-paw there.

    If a CO2 tank is added, it can provide for guidance control actuation at launch and reentry, active payload cooling, and inflation of Kevlar aerobrake bag, which serves double duty as a landing cushion, and finally, payload pressurization for even distrubution to the thirsty masses.

    Ken

  5. #5 Who Cares
    June 9, 2009

    Ken all you need to do now is get permission from the US, USSR, China, Pakistan, India, GB, France and Israel to launch your ICBBM ;>

  6. #6 Dick Stafford
    June 9, 2009

    Abuse? The only abuse would be if they didn’t put the results to good use. I assume Team Numb became appropriately numb ;)

  7. #7 Brian
    June 9, 2009

    Nice! Roots makes great beer. Any idea of which one it was?

  8. #8 Spiv
    June 10, 2009

    “ICBBM” has got to be the acronym of the day. Thanks HC

  9. #9 Ken Kryszak
    June 12, 2009

    If we had backing from the brewery it would be a commercial flight [In every way]. Recent streamlining in commercial spaceflight regs make it much easier than before. An Indian Customs agent will have to be 1st at the tap though.
    I figure on launching southeast from Texas to come across middle to southern Africa, avoiding the middle east and Pakistan. The rest of those countries can pass the request for us not to, via N.Korea.

    Ken

  10. #10 metin2 hilem
    May 12, 2010

    I figure on launching southeast from Texas to come across middle to southern Africa, avoiding the middle east and Pakistan. The rest of those countries can pass the request for us not to, via N.Korea.