Model Rocketry

[comrade_general]

I know I had made a thread for this a long time ago but I can't seem to find it. But anyway I got back into this little hobby again since I haven't much else going on right now. Oh and I also watched October Sky again last night. One of my all-time favorite movies. If you haven't seen it what's wrong with you?

I can't believe how many rockets I've actually gone through over the many years that I was an enthusiast. Dozens and dozens I sent up never to be seen again. The idea is of course to recover them intact.

This is my current small collection. The Astra is the base model made by Quest Aerospace that I got quite a few years ago actually. It's been flown at least three times. The Alpha is Estes Rockets' base model, and competitor to the Astra, which is obvious by looking at them, but I think Estes has been around longer than Quest. I just recently got and built the Alpha, as part of my resurgence into the hobby, so it has not flown yet. The Gnome is a mini model from Estes that I should probably turn into an actual explosive missile since it's related to my previous relationship.



I've got some cardboard tubes lying around and I'm planning to make a scale model of the Jupiter-C rocket that took the first US satellite into orbit following the Vanguard rocket disaster.

Jupiter-C


So we'll see how that goes

[Jubal]

So how are these all powered, to ask the obvious stupid newb question?

[comrade_general]

Those companies offer convenient, ready-to-go engines that you simply ignite with a battery system.
I usually stick to the two little guys on the left (which are the right sizes for the three rockets I have) mostly because of cost and also ease of recovery.


I guess I should also provide this information for the uninitiated.

[Jubal]

Nice

I wonder how expensive rigging a small camera up to one would be...

[comrade_general]

They have kits available for such things. I had one back in the old school days of film cameras but of course I lost the rocket before I could ever get any film developed.


I don't know if they have any kits specifically for newer digital camera systems but I've seen plenty of tuts by people who make them for GoPro and other such devices.

[Jubal]

Exilian Channel awaits

[comrade_general]

Ha keep waiting. I said I get the small engines because of cost so any sort of rocketry on-flight video isn't going to happen.

Maybe a regular video.

[Jubal]

Yeah, is fair enough

How high do these things go?

[comrade_general]

Anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand feet.

[Jubal]

Is there a height limit beyond which you need to get permission?

[comrade_general]

By that point I'm pretty sure you'd need permits and stuff to get engines that big. Not too familiar with that part.

[comrade_general]

So here you go Jub, a regular short video.

[Jubal]

Nice going

I need to finish sprucing up the YT channel at some point...