The design procedure for Ya Gotta Have One was a very expedient process of rough sketches, and quick calculations. A sample trajectory problem was run through Microsoft Excel, and was set up to allow changes in all of the major measurements. As you can see in this screen shot, all variant parameters can be changed, changing the final results. We set most of the measurments according to what would be easy to build and proved sturdy in prior launchers. The plan was to use the results from the Excel simulation to position the latching mechanism such that the balloon could hit the target anywhere within the prescribed range. The reason this design was so rushed is described in Appendix A. But the intense, yet rapid, work put into designing Ya Gotta Have One brought forth one of the simplest yet profound designs on the face of the earth.
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