Space Derby Racing Rules

Building

• Only basic materials supplied in the Official BSA kit may be used. The hanging devise supplied in the kit must be used.
• The nose cone (propeller assembly) must not be glued in place on the nose of the rocket. A notch or groove should be formed in the tail of the rocket to seat the band holding dowel. The band holding dowel must not be glued in place. (These rules allow band replacement in case of breaks)
• The rocket body may be no longer than 7 inches, not including the propeller and fins. A box that is 7 inches long will be at check in. Rockets that do not fit in this box will have to be modified before racing.
• There are no restrictions on the weight or design of the rocket. Rockets may be detailed in any way as long as it does not exceed length restrictions, is flight worthy, structurally sound and does not interfere with another rocket during the race. Rockets with wet paint will be disqualified
• Scout may use graphite powder between the propeller and the bushing if desired. Other forms of lubrication are prohibited (except the officially lubricated rubber bands).

  Preflight

• Rockets are to be submitted to the registration table without rubber bands installed. Freshly lubricated rubber bands (2) will be exchanged for the three bands included in the kit. (DO NOT LUBRICATE YOUR RUBBER BANDS! LUBRICATED ONES WILL BE PROVIDED AT THE RACE!)
• After installing the lubricated bands, each rocket will be inspected, registered and assigned a sticker with a spacecraft number.
• After registration, rockets will be held by "Space Command" in the designated space hanger until race time.

Racing

1. Prior to each heat, rocket numbers and lane assignments will be announced. Pilots are to take their rocket from the space hanger and give them to the official winder and then take their position at the finish line. Upon completion of the race, "Space Command" will give the rocket back to the pilot to place back in the designated space hanger.
2. Once the rocket is submitted for entry, no further adjustments can be made except in the case of mechanical failure (see 4).
3. The race will be double elimination. A rocket must lose twice before it is eliminated. (This may change to a three race timed event if we can get the timing system in place before the race. Each rocket will run three races and the best time will be used to determine the Pack winner.)
4. Any entry that experiences a mechanical failure will be allowed to re-race if it can be repaired during the same heat. It will count as a heat loss if it cannot be repaired prior to the beginning of the next heat. All repairs of this type must be done with "Space Command" observing and certifying as to its flight worthiness.
   In the event that all rockets don’t reach the end of the track, the one that goes the furthest is declared the winner.

All rulings by "Space Command" are FINAL.

Space Derby Rocket Assembly Tips

1. Glue the two halves of the rocket body together, shape with a potato peeler, then sand. Carefully align and glue the two halves of the rocket body with Elmer's glue, or something similar. After the glue dries for 15 minutes, shape the body with a potato-peeler until it looks roughly like a rocket. Then sand it into its final shape with medium grit sandpaper. Wrap sandpaper around the body, holding it with one hand while you twist the fuselage with your other hand. Designtips: Fast rockets are smooth, aerodynamically shaped, and lightweight. Make the shell of the rocket thin, but thick enough to hold the hanger that will be attached in step 4 and thick enough to support the pressure of a tightly wound rubber band.

2. Cut notches for the plastic dowel. The rubber bands will slip without these notches. Do NOT glue the dowel onto the body! The dowel will be held in the notches by the rubber bands - and must be removeable so that broken rubber bands can be replaced.

3. Hold the body upright on a nail when you paint. Tap a longnail a few millimeters into a block of wood. Set the block on a newspaper-covered floor or table with the nail pointing straight up. Slide the rocket onto the nail, inserting the nail into the rocket’s hollow center. Paint with a couple coats of primer, sanding lightly with fine sandpaper after each coat. Next spray on a topcoat. Don't use too much paint, you want a light rocket.

4. (TAKE SPECIAL CARE WITH THIS STEP!) Attach the hanger, making sure that the rounded end points forward and that the hanger doesn't protrude into the rocket’s hollow center chamber. Glue it on with generous amounts of glue. Cut a grove for the hanger in the top-center of the rocket body. This 1" grove should be centered, 3" from the front and 3" from the rearof the body. Press the hanger into this groove, rounded end forward. The hanger must not protrude into the hollow chamber in the center of the body or it will interfere with the rubber band. The hanger must be firmly glued in place or it may detach during launch with disastrous consequence. Use a generous amount of glue to affix the hanger to the rocket body and allow the glue to dry overnight; a couple hours dry time may not be enough for Elmer's glue. Two other glues you might want to use here are Gorilla Glue or Epoxy. An adult should help with these. Warning: the rocket pictured on the front of the space derby kit box has an incorrectly attached hanger. Don’t use it as a guide. Don't forget.

1. The hanger’s rounded end must point forward.
2. The hanger must not protrude into the rubber-band chamber.
3. The hanger must be very firmly glued on.

5. Cut and attach the fins. Shape the fins with scissors, then cut slits in the rocket and press the fins into the slits. Glue in place. Design tip: some claim that the fins should be angled upward very slightly. In theory this lifts the rocket slightly off the line during flight, reducing friction.

6. Trim and balance the propeller. Sand loose pieces of plasticfrom the propeller. If the propeller is unbalanced, one side will swing to the floor when it is placed in a horizontal position. Sand the edges of the propeller to balance it.

7. Don't tighten the cable tie. The rubber bands have already been attached to the dowel and a loop made from a cable tie has been added. Well use this loop to wind rockets at the races. Don't tighten it. (Don't panic. This pre-assemply and the cable-tie are NOT part of the standard kit. Some packs/troops add this before kits are handed out.)

8. Pull rubber bands through with a wire hook. You can make a hook from coat hanger wire.

9. Fine tune. Test the rocket's balance. Hold it lightly by the hanger with your fingers. If the rocket is nose-heavy, carve or sand a little wood off that end. If it's tail-heavy, remove wood from the tail area or from the fins. You may be able to unobtrusively take wood from the rocket's hollow center chamber. Some advocate lubricating the propeller with a touch of graphite at the point where it touches the bushing. Other lubricants may melt the plastic.

(information gathered from Pat Miller's Home Page)

Sample Rocket Design