Alain JUGE : Contribution on water rockets
Every year, Planète - Sciences organizes, in collaboration with CNES, a pyrotechnic rocket launch campaign where all the clubs meet to launch their achievement of the year.
This is the "great mass" French amateur rockets, but which is not limited to only French clubs.
In addition to this National campaign, called C'Space since 2010, there are many regional campaigns, but which are limited to mini-Rockets.
For my part, I had the opportunity to participate in quite a few campaigns since the very first one in November 1963 in Sissonne, then La Courtine in April 1964. In 1965, at La Courtine, I launched with my ex-club l 'OSCRAS, from Promethee 2 (April 19), as a result of which this club disbanded. It is therefore with a brand new club: the FACIL, that I would find the Larzac launch campaign at the end of July 1967 with Iphigénie 1, its next Iphigénie 2 will not be launched in 1968, but in 1969, on July 27 from the Courtine .
Of all these campaigns, I unfortunately have few photos or films.
For me there will be a long hiatus, for family and professional reasons, which will end in 2002 with the Larzac campaign. It was on this occasion that I had the idea of ??making a mini rocket with an aerodynamic shutter recovery system. It was Mecanix in 2003, then its little sisters REVA (2006) and REVA2 (2008). To stay in the field of the pyrotechnic rocket, I also made a mini-rocket with double parachute, a first to just slow down and a second open a few meters from the ground to land smoothly. This rocket, EYBUS, was launched at Eyguieres near Salon de Provence as part of the Provence-cote d'azur regional campaign in 2013.
In addition to these achievements of pyrotechnic rockets, I have systematically promotes water rockets, by launching, between 2 launches of pyrotechnic rockets, a few models a little more efficient than the basic water rocket.
I cannot say that I have been very successful in this field, although I have often observed the astonishment of spectators at the performance of my rockets. I still have not succeeded in convincing Planète-Sciences that this activity was full of potential, especially with the youngest (I would say between 8 and 14 years old) and of a much lower cost than micro or mini-rockets. /
But I would continue to preach the good word, as long as I could.
I offer you a summary in pictures of the campaigns I have done since 2002