RAZZMATAZZ

Selfie with RAZZMATAZZ before launch

RAZZMATAZZ, named (and painted) after the Crayola crayon color, is my 4 foot tall, 4 inch diameter rocket that I built to obtain my Tripoli Rocketry Association Level 1 certification.

This certification allows me to purchase higher power motors individually, and certifies that I have a base level of knowledge in the field of amateur rocketry.

Validating motor retention

To obtain the certification, the flyer must construct the entire rocket themselves.

I decided to not only construct the rocket myself, but also designed and built it from scratch. The design and simulations were done in OpenRocket, and the rocket was made out of a phenolic airframe, a plastic nose cone, and .25in plywood fins attached using epoxy.

To evaluate and ensure a safe static stability margin of 2.24, I iterated through various fin designs and added weight to the nose cone to ensure a proper relationship between the center of pressure and the center of gravity.

RAZZMATAZZ flew successfully to ~1,100 feet and was recovered in perfect condition.

RAZZMATAZZ after landing

Picture with RAZZMATAZZ after successful recovery