Reverse sweep fins

The CSXT booster didn't have reverse swept fins. I expect you have seen post recovery pictures, such as this one:

The CSTX booster fins were NOT swept forward. They look like that in the recovery photos because the booster impacted terra firma at a velocity sufficient to break all the fin can mounting bolts and allow the fins to move forward. They are on the wrong end of the booster tube.

That's one hell of a displacement!. Well, at least that solves another problem when seeing the post recovery pic, I thought the memory was going (it is, but at least on this occassion I'm ok)

Chuck

Just wondering, but was the bodt tubing also the motor casing?

Good analogy.

It's not the fall that kills you, it's that sudden stop!

I read a bit about forward swept fins here:

I've got one of these on its way to me:

I haven't seen pics of the CSXT booster, but I use forward-sweeps on my fins. The big difference you'll find is that it moves the CP forward more than you'd expect. :-) The tips also tend to need more reinforcement - being at the 'front' of the airflow, they're more subject to flutter than reverse-swept fins. To help stiffen the tips, I've taken to reinforcing with kevlar - as well as multiple layers of fiberglass.

It's probably not something I'd want to take beyond Mach speeds, but I *have* had comments on how cool they look. :-)

We believe the parachute became detached in the lower atmosphere after re-entry.

The forward three feet of the booster were crushed in the impact. The body was definitely damaged. We had to double-check the structural integrity of the remainder of the booster as we put it on my truck at the impact site before driving it out. We had to traverse muddy dirt roads for about 90 minutes in the dark before we reached pavement, so the booster had to be firmly attached!

The folks who built the rocket (CSXT) estimated from the damage that its impact was at a high subsonic speed.

Some people have been posting links to images on the Stratofox site. But you can see the whole story of the recovery for yourself at