There is a big difference between guidance of the rocket and guidance of a
parafoil recovery device. The word I heard around Tripoli launches is that
the only guidance of the rocket that is acceptable is some system to keep
it vertical. Anything else turns a rocket into a missile, and we do not
want to go there. I've never heard it was illegal, per se, just not a good
idea for Tripoli or for hobbyists.
Guided recovery is different, has been done several times, and I believe a
low-cost, off-the-shelf option would be a boon to people flying rockets to
high altitudes.
On Sat, Jan 29, 2022 at 2:50 PM George Herbert <george.herbert@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Paging Paul Breed, Dave Masten, and John Carmack…
-George
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 29, 2022, at 7:52 AM, Terry McCreary <prfesser@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I don't know of a regulation prohibiting active guidance. However, some
years ago when I was on the Tripoli BoD, a telling point in discussions
with regulatory agencies esp. FAA was that our rockets were unguided.
Trying to hit a specific point on the ground or in the air with an unguided
rocket was well-nigh impossible. A guidance system, or possibly even an
active-stabilization system, could have raised some unpleasant questions
with regulatory agencies.
I might be wrong, but since NAR/TRA spent close to three-fourths of a
million dollars over a ten-year battle with BATFE on ammonium perchlorate
composite propellant, I'm reluctant to take action that might jeapordize
the result of that expensive litigation.
So every time an amateur/hobby flier has asked about active guidance or
stabilization, my response has been "You may be able to get someone to
permit that flight...but it won't be me."
Best -- Terry
------------------------------
*From:* arocket-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <arocket-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on
behalf of Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Sent:* Friday, January 28, 2022 10:57 PM
*To:* arocket <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [AR] Re: Autonomous recovery: A poll.
On Fri, 28 Jan 2022, Paul Breed wrote:
beBTW: Unit will never be able to have the landing spot “programmed” in.
That would be targeting and is illegal
I built hovering rockets with a definite target landing position...
Can you quote/reference the relevant law here? I've heard much "it must
so", but never a specific statute.
This seems to be one of those superstitions -- a related one is "guidance
systems are illegal" -- that spread by word of mouth. Nobody seems to be
able to point to a specific law or regulation justifying it.
I conjecture that it arises from progressive exaggeration of the "I will
not launch my rocket at targets" rule found in the standard model-rocketry
safety code -- which is a *custom* of the model-rocketry community, meant
to steer ignorant or thoughtless model rocketeers away from doing stupid
things that might bring the hobby into disrepute. (The full wording, as
of the latest safety code, is "I will not launch my rocket at targets,
into clouds, or near airplanes, and will not put any flammable or
explosive payload in my rocket.") As far as I know, this has always been
just cautious self-protection of that community, not anything imposed from
outside.
Henry
