Under what condition can an FAA-recognized Amateur rocket reach a maximum technical altitude of 150 kilometers?
Answer
If the total impulse is less than 889,600 Newton-seconds
The Federal Aviation Administration sets a technical upper bound for what qualifies as an 'Amateur rocket' under its rules, which is 150 kilometers. However, reaching this altitude is conditional upon meeting specific propulsion parameters rather than altitude alone. The critical requirement accompanying this altitude allowance is that the total impulse generated by the rocket must be less than 889,600 Newton-seconds. The *Aftershock II* flight, while achieving 143 km, demonstrates how close current student efforts are to this regulatory ceiling defining the category of amateur flight.
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