Nike - Hercules

Took a stab at designing a Nike - Hercules. It ain't to scale... it's Hell-For-Stout... and it sure is cool. 

It's a 2 stage rocket with a single 24mm rear eject sustainer motor and up to (4) 24mm booster motors.

Sustainer is a BT-55

 

 2024-11-22 Cad Model / Outline Drawing

2024-11-23 

Worked on the CAD Model today, added the Spool to the Sustainer and added the Staging Vent, Screw Eyes and Motors to the Booster. Need to add a Launch Lug. Also created Sheet 2 of the drawing package.

 

 2024-11-25

 

Here's the sim and a CAD Drawing of the Nike Hercules with rear eject Booster and Sustainer. Flies on 24mm motors: Booster and Sustainer.

It's got great "off the rail" speed,​

The booster rear eject provides a better chance of deployment before ground hit and places the transition ahead of the fins for durability. Although it remains to be seen if the booster will indeed be stable after staging.​

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There's a lot going on here....​

 

 

 

Astron Sprite Upscale

Here's an Estes Astron Scout upscaled to a BT-80H.

29mm Power

Rear Eject

I used Bruce Levinson's Ring Fin Haack with Open Rocket to check stability.

Looks like a fun build!

 2024-11-10 CAD Model and Drawings, Rev 00

 

2024-11-14: Dog Dish Ring Fin

Spent some time perusing the isles of the local Tractor Supply today and found a dog dish to make the Ring Fin from.​

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Chucked it up in the lathe and parted the side of the bowl.​

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It's a conical shape:​

7-7/16" O.D. Front x 0.128 thick​

6-3/4" O.D. Rear x 0.113 thick​

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Of course that conical shape will be aero draggy... but no worries, it's an exhibition, not a competition.​

 

Also... updated the Open Rocket Model.

 

 

 2024-11-16  Altimeter

 

The altimeter... created a pod and placed it at the base of the rocket. Also rotated the launch lug and hid it in plain sight up against the fin.

2025-09-25 Figured it was about time I got back on this project.

I'm going with an X-Wing version, it's an old school starship modification from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

I turned the Nose Cone from Redwood, sanded the flat X-Wing contours into it, weighed the finished product and updated the Open Rocket Simulation.

 

 

 

2025-09-27 Cutting The Fins Wings

Cut, Sanded, Routered and then cut the opening for the Ring Fin. 

 

Should be able to deflect the Ring Fin.... and slide it right over the Wings.... we'll see.

 

 

Gluing the Wings

The fin alignment fixture made quick work of the Wing attachments to the BT-80H.

 

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The Ring

 

2025-09-28 Re-attaching the Wing Tips

Some small spacers were installed between the Ring Fin and the Wings, then the Wing Tips were re-attached using wood glue.​

 

Fin Reinforcement

Used some 1/4" Poplar Dowels to reinforce the Wings, and (2) Launch Lugs. Using wood glue to attach these.​

 

 

2025-09-29 Wing Gluing at Ring

To fill the gap in the Wings at the Ring, I taped off the underside and applied some Titebond Quick and Thick. Probably will take a couple of applications.​

 

 

 Redrew the drawings to reflect the X-Wing configuration.

 

 2025-10-01 Cockpit and R2-D2

Turned the Cockpit and R2-D2, contour sanded their underside, and installed them on the rocket.​

 

2025-10-05 Spool and Recovery Dowel

Cut and glued the spool components. Used a fly cutter for the retaining rings. Also cut the 7/16" dia. Recovery Dowel.

Once this dries I can do a swing test. I'm leaving the Nose Cone removable at this point so I can swing test it with and without ballast. I doubt that it will need the Ballast with the Conical Ring Fin.. no way to simulate that and it adds a bunch of base drag that's not accounted for.​

 

Swing Test and Nose Cone Gluing

She passed the swing test! Rock solid stability... and it makes a wooshing sound due to the draggy ring fin.​

 

Video of Astron Sprite X-Wing Swing Test 

 

 

I prepped the Nose Cone for wood gluing with some thin strips of masking tape, then glued it to the end of the BT/C-80, an internal fillet was injected down into the rocket using (2) straws taped together.​

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I punched a couple holes through the BT/C-80 for injecting glue between the nose cone and the C-80. I'll attempt to do that after the internal fillet has dried.​