Quest's Astra III is the counterweight to the Estes starter kits: 15 inches tall on a 30 mm tube, with a molded plastic fin can instead of glued balsa. In a group building session it goes together in about 45 minutes, which is why teachers and scout leaders buy it by the dozen. Recovery is a 14 inch parachute, and on Quest Q-Jet composite motors flights reach up to roughly 1,200 feet.
The fin can removes the most common beginner mistake, crooked fins, and gives a straight boost almost every time. In exchange there is less to build, and the finished rocket looks more like a toy than a hand made model. Quest engines are harder to find in general stores than Estes ones, and the plain kit version comes without a pad or controller, so plan the launch system separately.
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