Parachute Ejection Development
We have tried a few different methods for parachute ejection. Here is our progression in order.
Motor Pressure Transfer Tube Ejection
Normal model rockets deploy their parachute with a black powder charge in the back of the motor after a timed delay. We realized we could use this if we transferred the pressure to the parachute ejection piston using a long rubber tube. We used this passive system at our first launch.
Rocket Parachute Ejection
This idea started as a joke, but necessity is the mother of invention, and we had a problem to solve. Our first launch crashed into the ground because of an extra lengthy parachute ejection delay, so we realized controlling when the parachute was ejected would be necessary. Our main option at the time was to use a small black powder charge. This would have worked, but we were too scared to actually make them. Instead, we pointed the smallest rocket motor we could buy at a piston that would push out the parachute. This method worked pretty well, and we used it at our second and third launches.
Black Powder Ejection
After our successful third launch, we wanted to try black powder ejection because it would be lighter. While being a little more dangerous, this method worked the best out of the other two we tried. Because we tried this after finishing the project, we won't use it on Ares, but we will probably use it in future projects.
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