Launch Equipment

By Bill Orvis, LUNAR # 309

I took all the launch rods home after the May launch, scrubbed them down with solvent and sanded off the rust. They should be in good condition for several months.

We currently have:

24 - 1/8 x 4' rods
10 - 3/16 x 4' rods
12 - 1/4 x 6' rods
12 - 3/8 x 6' rods
5 - 1/2 x 6' rods
3 - 6' rails

I bought a round wire brush that fits in the 3/8 hole where the launch rod goes on the launch pads. While setting up, if you can run the brush down the hole a couple of times to get the rust and gunk out, the launch rods will go in a lot easier. I will put it in the spare parts box along with the plies and replacement thumb screws.

I replaced the integrated circuit in pad 18 so the continuity tester works again. It appears we got a bad batch of chips when I made the testers for pads 1-12 and a few of 13-18 as several have died already. If you notice any of the testers not working, let me know the pad number so I can fix them. I have a whole tube of new chips from a different manufacturer so I can replace any that go bad.

Does anyone know where we can buy stainless steel thumb screws? All the regular ones I have found are soft steel and they corrode pretty fast. I have had to make stainless steel ones by putting a wing nut on a stainless steel screw and locking it in place with a center punch. These work but are not very pretty. The only stainless steel ones I have been able to find have a fancy knurled knob on the end and cost about $5.00 each. We need something around 50 cents each.

For those of you who park the trailer after a launch, there are two tire covers in the fenced in area. Please stretch these over the tires before you lock things up.

If you notice that a thumb screw is in bad shape, there are replacement screws in the parts box at the LCO table. There are also pliers in that box to loosen up a stuck screw. The thumb screws for the pads and standoffs are all the same threads (10-24). Same for the standoffs, if a screw is frozen and you can't loosen it with the pliers, there are about 10 spare standoffs in the parts box. Bring the bad one to the LCO table and get a replacement out of the box. Also bring broken igniter clips to the LCO table. If I am at the launch, I will pick up all the broken parts so I can fix them. I am going to put a coffee can or bucket in the trailer marked "Broken Stuff" for these parts. Please don't pack this can far into the front of the trailer but put it in the back near the door so I can get it out without having to unload the trailer.

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