Vipers attack in the South!

This month, Verna and Randy are all about Vipers!  Lotsa Vipers!  (Someday, I'll build one.)

Archived Goodness (1) from Dark Roasted Blend

Dark Roasted Blend just posted what promises to be the first installment in a series of looks back into their extensive archives.  From hedgehogs to Ekranoplans and lot more, Archived Goodness 1 features 21 sets of archived awesomeness.

ROCKETS Magazine, April 2011

I'll start with what I think was the most significant news contained within the pages of this issue.  In a short but deep article, David Chance reflects on how "rocketry can teach you lessons about life."  Among the various stories, he relates that just a few days after Red Glare IX, which was set up to raise money for the Maryland affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, his wife was diagnosed.  I was shocked and my thoughts and prayers immediately went out to my rocket compadre, his wife, and the rest of his family.  I first searched in vain for his email addy and decided to say something here.  At the time of writing, things were up in the air and I hope are now headed firmly towards a positive outcome!  This may be oldish news to MDRA'ers who actually attend launches.  At any rate, hopefully I'll be attending them soon and will hear the updates.  Hang in the Skycopp, we're thinking of your here in the Dungeon.

Here's what else is in there:

• Frank Hermes has the 4th installment about his coast optimization system.  At the end of the article there is a brief ad for Rocket Electronic's RockeTiltometer.  I don't know how this relates to Frank's work, but it strives for the same goals: make sure your rocket is pointed up when the upper stage ignites and optimize the coast time for maximum performance.
• John Ritz shows you how to preserve your shock tethers with some strategically placed bungee cord.
• There's a long report on ARG8 and short photo essays on an NCR launch and NARAM 52.
• Build articles on the 5.5" Hanger 11 Harpoon kit and Performance Rocketry 4" Mad Dog.
• A photo how-to on building a Jeff Jakob EX nozzle. I've heard of Jeff but not his nozzle.  EX'ers would be interested.
• There's an analysis of the Estes A10-PT motor.  The upshot is that they have about 75% of the impulse that Estes claims  (1.89 Ns v. 2.5 Ns).  Nothing unxpected here.

F-104 Starfighters to launch nanosats

Parabolic Arc reports on a NASA press relief about their plans to launch  nanosats from F-104 fighter jets based at KSC. The Starfighters (also the name of the company that owns and operates them), would fly to Mach 2 at 60,000 feet and then launch a 19-foot, 900-pound rocket.  More info is available on the source post, above.  If I ever build another F-104, I'll paint it like these.  Haven't seen info about the rocket (but I haven't looked either).

Relativistic Phase Displacement Space Drive

Here's a description of the embedded video. (via)

It is a brief explanation about a relativistic space propulsion system which uses a lattice/matrix of Phase Displacement Space Drives, producing crisscrossing pattern of Phased Standing Waves, to generate a sequence of spinning waves for causing a FTL moving force, in order to warp spacetime, enabling fast interstellar travel in an energy-efficient way.

Epic Cluster Rocket Launch

Love the outboard motors!

Epic Cluster Rocket Launch, originally uploaded by jurvetson.

More minor rocketry in the Dungeon

I painted both of my X-Fires in a camo scheme.  On recovery, these sit low to the ground but luckily they don't stray far from the pad and should be easy to spot on mowed grass.  I also fondled my stash of motors, which made me all the more antsy to fly.  In the last 8 months I've only flown once!  Geesh, I almost feel like a BAR (again). I don't know my availability yet but I am also eyeing NOVAAR the weekend before the next ESL.

Nexus VTOL, circa 1962

R2K's High Power Rocketry features a bunch of images/diagrams of Convair's proposed Nexus.  I linked to one of them.  For me, this gave a better indication of its size than a list of specs. But, here they are anyway (via Astronautix):

Status: Design 1962.
Gross mass: 21,820,000 kg (48,100,000 lb).
LEO Payload: 450,000 kg (990,000 lb).
Height: 122.00 m (400.00 ft).
Diameter: 45.70 m (149.90 ft).
Span: 50.00 m (164.00 ft).

Note that Nexus would have been a reusable VTOL vehicle!

I noticed Astronautix attributes the design to General Dynamics. If anyone can clarify this, please leave a comment. I thought I may have seen this vehicle covered in one of luke skywalker's summaries on YORF, but I have no inclination to research it at the moment.

A gallery celebrating our failures

Via TRF: Well that didn't work... Failure Gallery

Working on rockets...barely

Gave my X-Fire bi-copters a clear coat and finished up the shock system for the Days of Future Passed (my Dyna Soar equipped rocket - see tag).  I'm itching for the Sod Farm in June!

Rocket girls #84

I am looking forward to getting back to the Dungeon for building and the Sod Farm for flying. Meanwhile, there's the Interweb.

No rockets here, but she is posing on a structure that supposedly would protect you from them. While she was posing, I was probably in grade school practicing hiding under my desk.  Excellent protection from nukes. :rolleyes:



Sizing it up!  I've seen numerous photos of people posing this way.  Next time I go to a rocket park, I want to hold a modroc up next the the bigguns.



A reader pointed me to the Rocket Girls anime series.  Not my cup-o-tea, but YMMV. (Hat tip to Ed, aka robot guy.)

Barbie's wild ride:

3-D printed modroc (update)

Sascha Grant from I Build Rockets pointed me to this Thingaverse item - a 3-D printed 'D'-powered model rocket.  I want one! Or three.

Update:  There's more info here.

New non-toxic monopropellant to be tested on ISS

Parabolic Arc reports on a new propellant being developed by Odyssey Space Research, known as NOFBX®.  This new monopropellant  is reportedly made from widely available, inexpensive chemicals; it is safe to handle and has a good Isp and safe byproducts.  More details are in the subject post. The Innovative Space Propulsion Systems (ISPS) team is slated to test the new propellant aboard the ISS in late 2012.

Photoblogs about science and space

Today, I was led to two cool photoblogs.  I like the way Tumblr handles its archives, so that's where I'll point you.  From there, you can get to any post.  To see the entire archive, you can either keep scrolling down, or select a month via the menu..

• F' yeah, space exploration
• Scientific Illustration (hat tip to R2K)

A study on using nuclear weapons for propulsion, even before the idea was popular.

R2K found a link to a pdf-format document from Los Alamos - "On a method of propulsion of projectiles by means of external nuclear explosions."  This 1955 work predates Project Orion and provides an interesting historical reference (along with mostly equations).

SpaceLoft XL-5 flight video

Not more interesting than many high impulse high power flights, but worth a video even if only to spot a glimpse of the desert I love. The SL XL uses a CTI SU S50,000 C-Star motor.

Webextra: Student Spaceport launch: krqe.com

Best-Ever Snapshot of Black Hole Jets [HD Video]

Best-Ever Snapshot of Black Hole Jets [HD Video], originally uploaded by NASA Goddard Photo and Video.

NASA options, and more options

Luke Skywalker has been collecting information on booster options that NASA has considered.  And now he is dumping it over on YORF.  Pondering all of them would likely make your brain explode, so I suggest you scan them quickly and pick the ones that most interest you.  Here's an excerpt, and my pick.

This thread http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=22243 recently popped up on another forum and stimulated an interesting discussion of NASA and its future... and got me started posting some of the concepts and proposals that have been put forth in recent years for vehicles NASA could pursue post-shuttle...

Here's the original proposal for "shuttle Z" from 1989-- powered by four SSME's and the SRB's at liftoff, staging to a new third stage powered by a cluster of "SSME-derived" engines (probably the STME expendable SSME variants in vogue at the time modified for airstart). For reasons mentioned previously the 33 foot payload was a wild daydream...

The SpaceLoft XL-5 flight is on deck (or on the pad)...NOW

Via Clark Lindsey:

Don't forget that the UP Aerospace launch of their SpaceLoft XL rocket at Spaceport America will be webcast on Friday morning. The launch is scheduled for 7:00 am MDT (9:00 EDT).

The UP Aerospace home page says,

The launch crew successfully conducted the mission dress rehearsal. The launch window is from 7:00 AM MST until 9:00 AM MST tomorrow. The webcast will begin at 6:00 AM MST.

The launch webcast can be viewed at www.KRQE.com or www.launchnm.com.

Find updates also at Celestis (a HS advertiser) and their page for The Goddard Memorial Spaceflight. Also, Photos To Space (another HS advertiser) will be posting info on their blog. Both have payloads on the rocket.

Here's a direct link to the webcast. Lots of cool student payloads, including my favorite...New Mexican green chilies.  Yum, I want some zero gravity chilli rellenos!

Radiation in Japan and on airplane flights (updated)

Radiation in Japan, originally uploaded by jurvetson.

Very interesting. A colleague of Steve (he who posted this image) logged his entire trip from San Francisco to the orient and back on a Geiger counter. Click through for more info.

Update:  I changed the 'v.' in the title to 'and on', since the nature of the radiation sources make for a 'apples and oranges' comparison.  See comments, below. Still an interesting graph.

Rocket girls #83 - You never know what you'll find on Flickr

Next time your wife or girlfriend gives you a ration of trash about rocketry...

Works if you are a super-villain too:

I don't know what to say about this one...except that editing was required to maintain some semblance of decorum.

A tribute to Major 'King' Kong...yeehaw

Micromeister has gone nuts

And bolts and washers too.

Endeavour, busting through

These can now be found all over the Interwebs. Check out Stuck in Customs, the original source of the awesome photo on the left.  The photographer of the one on the right, Stefanie Gordon, now has a Flickr album, which even has a short video.

STS-134 Shuttle Endeavour just before sunrise

STS-134 Shuttle Endeavour Just before sunrise, originally uploaded by Chris Hagood Photography.

George Katz double-dog dares all you dihydrogen monoxide-powered rocketeers

 Ten challenges (even with their own individual mission patch).

Endeavour - the end of an era

Launched April 16, 2011 - 8:56am EST

Another big antenna

A reader pointed me to this large 76m radio telescope at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. So why not post it? BTW, there are many photos accessible through web searches.

A tour of MARS

Life at the Frontier reports on an AIAA tour of the the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), which is co-located with NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's eastern shore.  His post includes several nice photos and an overview of what's going on down there (no need to repeat myself, or the subject post). (via Clark Lindsey)

Sport Rocketry Magazine, May/June 2011

Now, THAT'S a Fat Boy! Love the AeroTech J500 Mojave Green.

In this issue:

• Electronics:  MAWD Telemetry and the Garmin Astro GPS.
• A awesome build article on an ASP, complete with launcher!
• How to get 500 modrocs launched in one day. (Well at least 497.)
• A report on the Waimea Aeronautical Space Academy student launch conducted at the Pacific Missile Range Facilities in Mana, Kauai, Hawaii.
• A how-to about those crinkly mylar streamers that fold up like an acordion.
• Plans for the Trifid, a futuristic rocket inspired by the Mars Snooper.  Complete with a FlisKits Tres mount.

Nice issue!

CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope

CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope, originally uploaded by Sascha Grant.

I like antennas. This one is especially cool because of the building that houses its drive. Click through to see other shots.

A psychedelic Saturn

Dream Rocket Various Images , originally uploaded by The Dream Rocket Project.

Big a$$ floating radar station

Check out the Missile Defense Agency's Sea-Based X-band Radar (SBX) vessel as it enters the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Seattle.



(The know the tag doesn't really fit, but I'm using it for a catch-all for antennas.)

Best of the Rocket Girls, Volume 4

Trina's Rocket, originally uploaded by therealdjflux.

BE050615, originally uploaded by webgox.

UMD builds a human-powered helicopter

Maryland Weather posted this video of a coed-powered helicopter built by students at the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering.  I find this pretty awesome.  The video is long, the action is stuck in the middle, and the 'flight' isn't that visually impressive.  Still pretty awesome.

Convair : XFY-1 : Pogo

Convair : XFY-1 : Pogo, originally uploaded by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives.

Click through for 285 photos. Mostly of the XFY-1 with a few of the Lockheed XFV-1(Pogo Stick)

Seminar announcement (MD/DC/NoVA area)

As spotted on MDRA's website:

"Investments in our Future: Exploring Space through Innovation and Technology,"

an Evening with Dr. Bobby Braun, NASA Chief Technologist

Kossiakoff Center, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

6:30 PM - 9:15 PM

Admission to the event is free, but pre-registration is required.

RSVP for the event online at http://psu-jhu-braun.eventbrite.com.

Estes to begin offering composite mid-power motors!

There are two threads on YORF describing the new Estes products that were unveiled at the NRHSA hobby show in Las Vegas - NEW Estes Pro Series 2 kits !!!! and More new Estes stuff from the Las Vegas hobby show.  New kits (some with plywood rings and fins, and an ABS twist-on motor retainer), tube cutting guides, and even composite mid power motors (see above).  These are clearly AeroTech derived (either built by AT and repackaged, or assembled by Estes using AT parts.).  They will be expensive.  BUT, having Estes market them MAY get them into places like Hobby Lobby (or even Walmart?).  If they're in Hobby Lobby, you can use coupons and they probably will have the occasional sale.  In any event, this can't be a bad thing for the hobby!

Ryan : X-13 : Vertijet

Ryan : X-13 : Vertijet, originally uploaded by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives.

Couldn't resist a photo of an airshow in DC.

Ryan : X-13 : Vertijet

Ryan : X-13 : Vertijet, originally uploaded by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives.

Click through for tons of photos of this tail-sitter.

Sugar Shot to Space - Mini Shot 2 flight report

Richard Nakka distributed the flight report for last Saturday's MSS-2 flight.  The 2-phase motor appears to have worked nominally and the upper stage was recovered in decent shape.  They will have to analyze the on-board data to know exactly how it performed. I cross-posted the entire report below the break....

Armadillo Supermod testing has begun

While JSC is tweaking their methane-powered version of the Quad, Armadillo has begun testing their pointy, fin-legged Supermod.  It spat "A bit of fire ... but not as much as we wanted."  Looks cool.  Suitable for modeling.