LowBudgetSpaceProgram

Yes everything is theoretical right now and we are starting small with the basics before we move on. This is how we can get a lot done while still being safe!

We are currently testing different nozzles and we are getting surprising results. We machine them on a lathe, that way they are as symetrical as we can possibily make them. There is a metal shop close by and they were interested in making nozzles for us. I'll have a video up soon showing what happens if you put the wrong nozzle on a motor!

Well once we got our mixture right, about 5 inches of PVC holding this stuff produced 8 pounds of thrust and broke our scale! Yeah staging this will have to be necessary though. Thanks!

I have seen someone just use it in powder mode. However, cooking it fuses the KNO3 and sugar which creates the best mixture. For igniters now we are just rolling the left over fuel into a small sticks and then shoving them in the motor and using it as a crude fuse. We want something better.

Thank you everyone for the great feedback! Today I was at the Low Budget Space Center and pulverized the mixture before we cooked it and it performed great! I guess the trick is to mix it evenly before cooking it. I thought melting it alone would mix it enough but apperntly not. We are now going down a good road and hope to have some good launches soon. Now we really need to start researching igniters. Does anyone have any ideas on cheap igniters? Thanks guys! I will have more progress videos up soon. So please check back on my channel for future videos if you are interested in our work.

Thanks Upsilon for your input. I think that it is great that more people are getting into the hobby of launching high altitude rockets. It shows that we don't need to rely on NASA and other space agencies to send all the rockets. As long as you stay within the legal parameters of model rocketry, you are allowed to make your own fuels at home. If however you start making large quantities and exceed the maximum amount of fuel a hobby rocket is allowed to have, then you will need to ask permission from the government. I like your idea of the weather balloon + rocket. We had a similar idea of a fan + rocket but the balloon is a lot cheaper and efficient. I'm wondering how you plan on spinning the rocket after you eject it off the balloon? Sugar rockets aren't the magic you are right, but that is why we aren't called the sugar rocket space program. We are the Low Budget Space Program and aim to get to space at the lowest cost possible. Sugar rockets are a good starter for us and hope to build hybrid rockets. Those get even more dangerous but has a lot of potential. And who knows, maybe sugar rockets will stick around with us and we can use them as boosters along side our hybrid motors. They still have that tempting price tag. Thanks !

Thank you for your concern. The rocket was not expected to launch very high. I launched it well away from any houses or windows. There were trees but they were far enough away due to the strength of the motor. I have checked the laws and found that this is completely legal. This "retarded" rocket has enough aerodynamics for what it is. My years in model rocketry has helped me reassure that this rocket would fly straight for its motor. The nonsense around the rocket neither aids or hinders(aside from drag) the rocket and is purely for cosmetics to show the "aesthetic" of our low budget. I am sorry about your brother and thank you for the input. - - - Updated - - - Thank you for the info! I was in a rocket club for 4 years and used this software a lot. I understand the safety concern and I really haven't conveyed it in my videos but I assure you I take all safety precautions. If I am going to launch rockets to higher altitudes I will need help from local communities since my old club only launched rockets to about 2000ft. Thank you for the parachute info!

Yeah that's a good question. Once the rocket is in a thinner part of the atmosphere I cannot rely on fins for stabilization. One alternative we were thinking of was to use a small electric motor to power a small disk to act as a gyroscope and keep it stabilized. As for descent we would deploy a parachute that can maneuver the rocket by pulling on the strings holding the chute. This is similar to the US Army's new high altitude airdrops. Thanks for the comment!

Wow thank you everyone for the great feedback! I think you are right jwenting, it could be our mixture. We mix the fuel in the pan as it is cooking and then we pour it in after it liquifies. I guess we need to try mixing it before we drop it in the pan. Once we get it down I'll post a thorough tutorial if you guys are interested. Yes rocket science is hard haha but it is also fun for me to experiment and launch my own rockets. This stuff is dangerous though, the whole batch could ignite while you are cooking it. Check out the end of my motor tests video to see what happens.

That is really cool! That is a big rocket. So it looks like it can be done then if they are so close. But we are all about trying to be as cheap as possible. These guys are using all metal which looks expensive.

Oh yeah I have seen these guys before! Yeah probably bigger than that if I am using sugar. Thank you for the comment!

Yes that is right, the ISP of sugar rockets are about 130 s whereas NASA rockets are in the 250 range. Sugar still cheaper though.

Thank you for the reply. The FAA will let people launch high altitude rockets with the proper form. Right now we are working well within the legal parameters for rocket motors. We are trying to send up a small camera so the cost will be low. The sugar and KNO3 fuel is less efficient than what NASA uses however it is significantly cheaper. Plus, this is just a suborbital flight so not as much delta-v is needed. As for the body, we are using standard PVC pipe now but that may change if we find a cheaper alternative that is still strong. Thanks!

Hello all! My name is Kevin and I am a part of the Low Budget Space Program. Our goal is to send a home built rocket into space at the cheapest cost. Right now we are using sugar (propellant) and potassium nitrate (oxidizer) since they can easily be bought at a local store and they are CHEAP. I have 4 years in model rocketry experience and building homemade rocket motors is a new challenge for me. We are able to make an E rocket motor equivalent for only $0.90 ! Normally an E would cost around $20! We have tested many batches of fuel and found the best ratio. However our launches have been inconsistent. I was wondering if you guys had any contributing comments that would help us along our path of getting to space. Here is our most recent launch video: And here are our motor tests with surprising results: I know this type of fuel has been known since the dawn of the space race, however nobody is really doing anything with it today. We were fascinated with the idea of this cheap fuel and would love to kick off a space race in our back yards. Any contributing comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!