1. DEEP SPACE PROBE by KEVIN COCOZZOLI

2. Datum Line Technical Specifications: Length:……………………..…16 3/8” Weight:………………..3.5 oz/99.2 g Lift off weight:……..4.5 Oz/113.4 g Datum Line..…………Top of model Calculated CP…..8.2” aft of datum CG (as tested)…..6.2” aft of datum Engines:……………..………….C6-3 Calculated CP 8.2” aft of datum CG (with engine) 6.2” aft of datum

3. M Deep Space Probe Parts List All parts are FlisKits unless noted A. (3) BT-20-18 B. (1) BT-55-18 C. (16) BNC-20A (Balsa Machining Service) D. (1) Ping Pong Ball (Standard) E. (1) NB55-2 Balsa Nose Block (Balsa Machining Service) F. (1) BAF-55 G. (1) 18” long X 1/8” Dia. Hardwood Dowel (Hobby Store) H. Scrap 1/16” and 1/8” Balsa Sheet I. (1) EH-0275 Engine Hook J. (1) CRP-20-50 Centering Ring K. (3) CRF-20-55 Centering Rings L. (1) LL-1-1 Launch Lug M. (2) PCP-16 Parachutes N. (1) SE-M Screw Eye O. (1) SS-M snap swivel (Hobby Store) P. (1.5) Ounces Lead Shot or BBs Q. (1) Template Sheet R. (1) SC-1-36 Shock cord Optional: Light Weight Card Stock A D E F I K L N P C B J G H R O Q

4. 1. Cut one of the BT-20-18s to a length of 6 inches. Using a door frame as a drawing guide, draw a line along the side of this tube (Fig 1). 2. Mark this tube at distances 1 inch and 2 and ½ inches from one end along this line and cut a slit in the tube 1/8” wide at the 2 and ½” mark only (Fig 2). 3. Push one end of the engine hook into the slit and allow the other end to hang over the end of the tube (A: Fig 3) Align the engine hook with the line drawn along the tube and wrap the hook with masking tape approximately halfway between the 1 inch mark and the 2 and ½ inch slit. (B: Fig 3) INSTRUCTIONS FOR BUILDING THE “DEEP SPACE PROBE” Fig. 1. Line 6” BT-20 4. Cut a 1/8 inch by 1/8 inch notch on the inside radius of two of the CRF-20-55 centering rings as shown in Fig 4. 5. Place a thin line of glue around the engine tube at the 1 inch mark from the end. Slide one of the notched centering rings up from the rear end (the end over which the engine hook hangs) keeping the notch over the engine hook until the bottom is even with the 1” mark (Fig 5). Allow the glue to dry, then fillet both sides of the ring with more glue. Fig. 2. 2 ½” 1/8” slit Mark 1” Fig. 4. 1/8 inch by 1/8 inch notches on inside Fig. 5. 1” Mark Push up from end Glue Line Fig. 3. Wrap with masking tape A B 1” Mark

5. 6. Put a line of glue around the end of the engine tube opposite the engine hook. Take the third, un-notched centering ring and push this over the end of the tube into the glue line. Allow this glue to dry, then fillet both sides of this centering ring (Fig 6). 7. Cut the BT-55-18 to a length of 11 inches. Smear glue around the inside of the body tube about 6 and ¼ inches from one end. Push the engine tube assembly into the OPPOSITE end of the BT-55 with the un- notched ring going in first and the engine hook at the rear. Push the tube assembly in about 3 inches, then smear glue on the inside of the BT-55 into which you’re pushing the engine tube assembly, then swiftly push the tube assembly all the way into the BT-55 until the notched ring over the engine hook is 1/16” inside the rear end of the BT-55. (Fig. 7) 8. Assemble the BAF-55 baffle according to the directions included with the unit. Once dry, smear glue around the inside surface of the BT-55 body tube 4 3/8” from the top. Push the baffle assembly into the BT-55 with the Kevlar cord facing out the tube until the top is 3 and ¾” from the top of the body tube. (Fig 8). 9. Carefully cut out the engine shroud pattern. Trace this pattern onto light weight card stock. If you don’t have any card stock, trace the pattern on another sheet of regular paper and glue the two paper shroud patterns together. Using a dowel or other round object, pre-curve the shroud by holding down one end on a flat surface with the dowel and pulling the shroud up from the surface to create a “bend” in the shroud (See Fig 9.) Fig. 9. Push down on dowel Pull up on shroud Fig. 6. Push onto this end Glue Line Fig. 8. Glue Push Down 3 ¾” Fig. 7. Glue: 6 ¼” From Top Glue here after engine tube partially inserted 1/16” inside

6. Fig. 11. 10. Apply glue to the ‘tab’ area of the shroud pattern, curl the shroud around and attach the other end of the shroud pattern to the ‘tab’ area as shown in Fig 10. 11. Slide the engine shroud up onto the engine tube narrow end first while aligning the notch in the shroud over the engine hook (Fig 11). Make sure the narrow part of the engine shroud is up against the bottom of the lower BT-55 centering ring. DO NOT GLUE YET! 12. Take the remaining centering ring with the notch in it and sand the edge to a bevel as shown in Fig. 12. 13. Fit the beveled centering ring on the end of the engine tube with the notch over the engine hook and the narrow end of the bevel up towards the top. You may have to sand the inside radius to get it to fit easily. Carefully fit the large, open end of the engine shroud over the centering ring (Fig 13). The point of a sharp hobby knife inserted between the ring and the shroud can be used to lever the edge of the shroud over the centering ring. 14. Once the centering ring is in place up against the inside of the shroud and the shroud is in place up against the the lower BT-55 centering ring, run a ring of glue around the joint between the centering ring and the shroud and the ring and the engine tube (A: Fig 14). Once this dries run a ring of glue around the top of the shroud where it meets the bottom of the BT-55 (B: Fig 14). Fig. 13. Fig. 12. Bevel Edge of Ring Fig. 10. Tab Fig. 14. A B

7. 17. Mark each pod reference line 13/16 th of an inch up from the bottom of the body tube, and 1 and 1/16 th of an inch down from the top. Mark the launch lug reference line 5 inches up from the bottom (Fig 17). 18. Cut the launch lug to a length of 1 inch. Cut a piece of 1/8” balsa stock 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide. Glue the lug to the balsa piece and, when dry, glue it to the body tube along the launch lug reference line. The 5” mark references the aft end of the lug (Fig 18). 19. Cut the nose block to a length of 3/4”. Cut a piece of 1/16” balsa sheet slightly larger than the BT-50. Shape doesn’t matter at this point; it’s just a rough guide for now. Glue this balsa sheet to the flattest side of the nose block with the nose block approximately in the center of the balsa piece (see Fig. 19). 15. Cut two BT-20-18s into eight, 3 and ½ inch lengths. Glue a BNC-20A into each end of each of these tubes (Fig 15). You may fill and sand all but four of the balsa cones now, but the four that will form the bottom of the lower pods must remain unfilled. 16. Cut out the body tube marking guide and wrap it around the middle of the BT-55 body tube. Tape the ends together so it stays in place. Make a mark at each of the ‘POD’ location marks and one at the ‘LAUNCH LUG’ location mark (A: Fig 16). Take the marking guide off and, using a door frame as a guide, draw lines along the entire length of the body tube at these marks (B: Fig 16). Label the launch lug line for reference. Fig. 15. 3 1/2” BT-20 (Eight Pieces) Fig. 17. Launch Lug Ref. Line: 5” From Bottom Pod Ref. Lines: 1 1/16” from top 13/16” from Bottom Fig. 16. Tube Marking Guide Mark Tube Lines Drawn A B Fig. 18. 5” Line: Aft end of lug 1/8” X 1” Balsa Glue lug to Balsa

8. 20. When the balsa sheet has dried place the nose block in the BT-55 body tube until the balsa sheet meets the end of the tube (A; Fig 20). With the body tube upside down so it’s resting on the balsa sheet and using the body tube as a template, cut the balsa sheet to match the outline of the body tube (B: Fig 20). Turn the body tube upright and sand the balsa sheet to match the contour of the body tube (C: Fig 20.) 21. Cut out the nose marking guide from the plans. Cut out the center, “cross-hatched” square from the marking guide. Set the modified nose block inside the marking guide with the added balsa sheet facing down. Mark the sides of the nose block at the arrows (A: Fig 21). Turn the block so the added balsa sheet is facing up and transfer these marks to the top of the balsa sheet. Connect the marks to form an ‘X’ on the top of the nose block. (B: Fig 21). 22. Measure along the marked lines on top of the nose block 7/32 of an inch out from the center in all four directions and mark these points (A: Fig 22). Using these marks as a centering guide, glue the CRP-2-50 centering ring on top of the modified nose block (B: Fig 22). Fig. 19 Glue nose block to balsa piece Fig. 21. Mark at Arrows Turn over and mark an ‘X’ A B Fig. 22. Marks 7/32” from the center A Glue ring in center B Sand to match body tube A B C Fig. 20

9. 23. To balance the rocket,1.5 ounces of weight must be added to the nose. Cut a ¼” diameter hole in the ping pong ball. (A, Fig 23). Weigh out 1.5 ounces of lead shot, BBs, etc. and pour them into the ping pong ball (B, Fig 23). Now, while supporting the ball with the hole at the top and the weights resting on the bottom inside, fill the ball with glue until the weights are covered entirely (C, Fig 23). Epoxy is the best, but you can use white glue. However, if you use white glue, fill the ball up entirely. This is to prevent the weights coming loose and shifting during lift off. 24. Sand a chamfer on the inside upper edge of the capsule support ring (the centering ring glued on top of the nose block) as shown in Fig. 24. A Dremel® Tool is perfect for this. Apply epoxy to the chamfered area of the capsule support. Place the weighted ping pong ball onto the support with the hole side down and let dry Fig. 23 A 1.4” Dia. B C Fig. 24. Cutaway showing chamfer on inside 25. Screw the screw eye into the bottom of the nose block at the center. Unscrew the eye, squirt some white glue in the hole, then re-insert the screw eye. Fig 25.). Fig. 25. White Glue

10. 26. Take each of the completed pods and using the edge of a door frame as a guide, draw a line down one side of each pod (Fig. 26). Fig. 26. One line down side 27. Each pod will be individually placed against the main body tube using the reference lines marked on the tube. Care must be taken to ensure the upper and lower pods line up with each other and each set of upper and lower pods are even with each other. The easiest way to ensure the pods line up with their reference lines is to place a line of glue along the line drawn on the pod, lay the main body tube on a flat surface, and lay a pod on the surface next to the main body tube with the glue line facing up at the main body at an angle (See Fig. 27). The glue line on the pod is set against one of the reference lines along the main body tube, and the pod and the main body support each other on the flat surface. Another pod set against the opposite end of the main body (without glue) can help to support the main body. IMPORTANT: If you sealed some of the pod cones in step 15, be very sure to place the unsealed cones at the bottom of the lower pods. The landing legs will be glued to these and will not adhere to the sanding sealer. 28. When placing the pods against the main body, the aft pods are placed such that the bottom of the pod body tube is even with the lower mark along the pod reference lines (13/16” up from the bottom) and the forward pods are placed such that the top of the pod body tube is even with the upper marks (1 1/16” from the top). See Fig. 28. Fig. 28. 13/16” 1 1/16” ****************** Unsealed cones at bottom Fig. 27. Ref. Lines meet Glue Unsealed cones at bottom

11. 29. Cut the hardwood dowels into four lengths of 4 and 1/2 inches. Lay a dowel against the dowel shaping guide and mark the angles on each end. Cut or sand the ends of the dowels so the shape of the dowel ends match the dowel shaping guide. See Fig. 29. Label the appropriate end of each dowel as ‘TOP’ according to the shaping guide. Fig. 29. Dowel Shaping guide Shape the ends of the dowel to match the shaping guide TOP 30. Turn the probe upside down and support the rocket in this position. Take one of the dowels and glue it under the lower pod and against the main body tube. The flattened spot at the ‘TOP’ end of the dowel goes against the main body tube and the upper surface of the dowel touches the bottom, inside of the lower pod tail cone. See Fig. 30. I suggest epoxy for this area, but white glue will do. More experienced modelers may want to drill holes in the lower pod tail cones to accommodate these legs. If so, cut the top part of the leg straight across and skip steps 31 and 32 Glue both places Fig. 30 Alternative: Drill hole Fig. 31. 1/16” Balsa Sand Together Landing Leg Gussets 31. Cut out the Landing Leg Gusset template and trace it 8 times on the 1/16” balsa stock. Carefully cut these out and sand to the same shape (Fig 31).

12. 32. Glue one gusset on each side of the landing leg – body tube joint as shown in Fig. 32. Repeat Steps 30 and 32 for all four legs. Apply glue fillets to the gussets where they meet the main body tube and the lower pod nose tail cones. Also, put some glue into the void between the two gussets and the landing leg. 34. Cut out the landing pad template and trace this four times on scrap 1/8” balsa. Carefully cut out the landing pads, hold them together, and sand them all to the same shape (Fig 34). Alternatively, you can use the center punch from any Estes-style BT-20 centering ring. Glue two together for strength. These also make excellent templates for cutting the balsa circles. Fig. 32. Gussets on Both sides Rear View Fillets Fig. 34. 1/8” Balsa Sand Together Landing Pads Centering Ring Alternative Fig. 33. Trim so rocket stands straight 33. When all four legs are dry, stand the probe upright on the dowels and check for level. The rocket should stand straight up- right if all the dowels were evenly placed. If the rocket tilts to one side, trim a little off the bottom of the opposing dowel to make it even. See Fig. 33. You may now fill and sand the aft pod tail cones and landing leg gussets to desired smoothness.

13. 35. Make sure the bottom of each leg of the probe sits flat when placed on a table top. If not, lightly sand to make flat. Put a drop of glue on the bottom of one of the legs and place it in the center of one of the landing pad discs (Fig. 35). Repeat for all four legs. Once dry, fill and sand all sides of the landing discs to desired smoothness. Suggest you also lightly sand the probe legs (dowels) before painting. Fig. 35. Glue 36. Cut out the fin template and trace it on the 1/16” balsa sheet four times. Be sure to note the direction of the grain: it should parallel the leading edge (A, Fig 36). Carefully cut out the fins, hold them together, and sand them to the same shape (B, Fig. 36). Fig. 36. Sand Together Fins Grain A B 37. Glue the root edge of one fin to each of the lower pods making sure they stand straight out from the model, perpendicular to the main body. The bottom of the fin should be even with the bottom of the pod body (Fig. 37). Fig. 37. 90 °

14. 38. Cut the parachutes to 12” diameters and assemble them according to the instructions included with the ‘chutes. Cut the shock cord to a length of 18” and tie the kevlar cord from the baffle to one end. Tie the other end of the shock cord to one of the parachutes. Tie the other parachute to the snap swivel, then connect the snap swivel to the screw eye (Fig. 38). Pack the ‘chutes and shock cord into the body tube and place the ‘crew capsule’ into position. Your rocket is now ready to be painted. Chrome silver is a great color for this, but use your imagination! Fig. 38. Tie shroud lines to snap swivel Tie shock cord to Kevlar cord Tie shroud lines to shock cord

15. Engine Shroud Template Pod Marking Guide Launch Lug POD Landing Pad Template (4) Dowel Shaping Guide Landing Leg Gusset (8) TAB TOP Nose Marking Guide TEMPLATE SHEET ROOT EDGE GRAIN Fin Template (4)

16. CUTAWAY DRAWING