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Old 10-15-2011, 02:18 PM
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Tau Zero Tau Zero is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho, USA
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Thumbs up Jay's "behind the scenes" report

Quote:
Originally Posted by Earl
Too bad that chute ejected (for whatever reason....don't know if I ever really remember hearing the exact fault reasoning on that part of the jump) on the way up the launch ramp.
Earl (and everybody),

Scott Truax said that Knievel's steam-powered Skycycle had lots of base drag which generated a low pressure zone at the back of the rocket, which sucked the lid off the parachute compartment.

I find it interesting that the parachute system was the only system on the Skycycle that Bob Truax didn't design and test, which is what Scott Truax told me.

I guess Bob *was* a real engineer.

Scott is also a very down-to-earth, enthusiastic, approachable guy. (Not to mention a really big Rush fan.) He also noticed the "Tau Zero" instructions cover posted on my divider at work. I told him that I also had the Centuri version of the Skycycle "back in the day." After looking at the photo that Greg Gleason posted above, it confirms my suspicions (along with Scott's) that Centuri enlarged the fins to make the model more stable than an official scale model would have been.

Once again, Scott Truax is a *great* guy.

--Oh, and he likes Mexican food, too.


Cheers,
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Jay Goemmer
"Centuri Guy"/"Tau Zero"
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Semroc SAM #0029
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