Gummet

Gummet was my Level 1 high-powered rocketry certification rocket and also my first-ever rocket. It consisted of a plywood fin assembly, a 3D-printed nosecone,  and a cardboard body tube. The design was simulated in OpenRocket to ensure it met the stability threshold and to determine its maximum altitude. A parachute was tied to a cord attached to the nosecone and an eye-bolt on the fin assembly. A Jolly Logic chute release was used to delay parachute deployment until it was 300 ft off the ground.

Gummet was launched in February 2024 in St. Albans, VT. It launched successfully and came down under parachute. However, it was never found. I learned here that you shouldn't paint your rocket the same color as the ground.

As a result, I had to rebuild Gummet from the ground up. This time, I painted it red and orange to make sure I could find it. Gummet launched again in April 2024, again in Vermont. This time, it again launched successfully and was recovered.