Hey all, I'm new here, so apologies in advance if i do something really silly.
My question is this: I've heard from a teacher of mine (and the adult running our TARC team...almost made it, too....) that you can use a clustered lower stage to light off a single engine upper stage.
Could it work in reverse?
This is one of several projects that I'm working on and will probably present at NARAM.
Thanks!

You would probably need to have an electronics bay with a timer and an ignition source in order to do a single booster to cluster sustainer rocket. It is something more in the realm of high power stuff..Plus, I don't think you would be able to get a powerful enough single motor to be able to generate enough thrust to launch with the weight of a cluster sustainer and necessary equipment to ignite the cluster...I could be wrong, and could have already been done, but I don't think it is very plausible to do.

__________________
Jon
SAM #0396
BAR 02/07
NAR 86940
KF4GUL
Aim high, fly straight!

the idea was a single D or E lighting off multiple Bs.

Possible....How many B's do you intend to cluster? I am thinking max would be 3 to stay within weight concerns..Then again, you will need to consider how you are to ignite the motors on the sustainer(2nd stage)..On typical multi stage rockets the ejection charge from the booster motor throwing burning embers into the sustainer motor is how ignition is accomplished..A single to a cluster would be high on the cool meter, I just don't see how unless there is some sort of electronic ignition source coupled to either a timer or a G-switch..

Good luck!

__________________
Jon
SAM #0396
BAR 02/07
NAR 86940
KF4GUL
Aim high, fly straight!