Mouser's NARTREK status:
Working towards Silver

NARTREK is a self-paced achievement program sponsored by the NAR, designed to improve one's knowledge and skill with rocketry. By successfully completing a series of tasks, you advance to higher "levels" and are assigned more complex and difficult goals.

But as far as I'm concerned, it's just a great excuse to buy more rocket stuff. "Well I have to buy the glider kit; I need it for NARTREK silver!"

The NARTREK program is made up of three basic achievement levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Beyond the gold level there are a number of advanced achievement areas as well. On this webpage I will document my progress through these levels and try to capture some of the things NARTREK has taught me.

BRONZE:

Parachute Duration Flight - Complete

It took me four tries for this, all with the Quest Astra I on B6-4 motors.For my first attempt on September 11, 2001, I had replaced the plastic Quest parachute with a 12" hexagonal nylon fabric chute from Aerotech. Although the rocket drifted behind a building after 36.5 seconds, it can't have been in the air for more than 45 seconds or so. At the CMASS launch on September 15, 2001, I replaced the 12" chute with a 24" hexagonal nylon Aerotech one. This hardly fit within the body tube, but with some force I was able to stuff the nosecone on. Unfortunately, the chute got tangled for about 10 seconds of free-fall, but then opened up. The flight duration came in frustratingly close at 57.6 seconds (2.4 seconds short!). Restuffing the 24" parachute and trying again led to a separation of the shock cord and the melting of the parachute. Clearly the 24" chute was just too large for the Astra I. So I put the 12" chute back in, retied the shock cord, and gave it another try. It must have hit some thermals or something, because this flight stayed in the air for 72.3 seconds!

Streamer Duration Flight - Complete

I made six attempts at this with my Quest Pip Squeak, at the September 15, 2001 and September 29, 2001 CMASS launches. Of these flights, the closest were the first and third, which clocked in at 24 seconds (short by 6). Two of the flights were unstable and the rest were pitiful. Clearly the Pip Squeak was not going to suffice. So I bought an Estes Viking, which a friend had used for this purpose and succeeded on the first try. On September 21, 2001, I finally succeeded with a flight time of 34.0 s with my Viking, first try.

Two-Stage Rocket Flight - Complete

I bought my Estes Echostar specifically for this purpose, and it worked the first time I tried it with both stages, at the September 29, 2001 CMASS launch.

Large Model Rocket Flight - Complete

I purchased an Estes Phoenix specifically for this. It took me three attempts with this rocket on D12-3 motors at the September 15, 2001 CMASS launch because the exceedingly weak balsa fins kept breaking off. On the third try, I ran after the rocket and caught it, which qualifies as a successful flight in my book. As a side-note, I didn't realize it at the time but my successful Initiator flight on a E15-4W motor earlier that same day would have qualified as well.

SILVER:

Payload Flight

Cluster Flight

Rocket Boost Glider Duration Flight

Scale Model Flight

GOLD:

Design and Construct a Scratch Rocket

Calculate Cp and Cg

Predict Altitude for Different Cd Values

Fly Rocket

Determine Actual Cd from Flight Data

ADVANCED:

Research & Development

Ground Support

Static Display

Super Scale

Plastic Model Conversion

Radio Controlled Boost/Glider

Competition