Weekly Update (Patreon)

Two days ago, I sent my NAR Level 1 cert rocket up to 2200ft and got the certification! I'm now able to purchase more powerful motors, and can go for the Level 2 certification with the same rocket(with minimal mods). The flight was beautiful and I have a better understanding for why people love high power rocketry. You can see video of the launch here: https://youtu.be/0oVulMfica4

I'll upload the full quality photos of the rocket and flight in a day or two for patrons here.

This weekend I also got a working version of the TVC startup calibration code running. This is an important step to making thrust vector control user friendly. The idea behind having this closed loop system, is that in the event of a user error, or damage to the hardware, the Signal flight computer can either correct for the error, or alert the user that it's unsafe to launch. I discuss demonstrate the idea in this video: https://youtu.be/eZ_rzxDcYvU

As of today(Monday), I plan to either perform a TVC firing test Thursday, or in the case Thursday's weather seems unacceptable, tomorrow(Tuesday). The test will involve the rocket attempting to control itself through at least two setpoints. The first setpoint in this case will likely be to first hold the vehicle at 0 degrees, completely upright. The second setpoint would be a pitch to 5 or 10 degrees during the same burn to observe the response time of the vehicle. The rocket will be held in a derivative of the gimbal mount used for Dart's wind tunnel test. Video of the gimbal can be seen here: https://twitter.com/joebarnard/status/866707363893563394

I'll be writing up a test report for the L1 cert flight, and for the TVC test this weekend when I have a bit more time - both reports will be available to patrons here! That's all for now - as always, questions or comments are welcome, and I'll talk to you soon!