Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Dec 1, 2009, 11:34 pm
However, it was also good yard and gutter cleaning weather.  Unlike the forecast for Saturday's NOVAAR launch - 30% chance of precipitation and a high of 38 degrees. Now if the rain would onl...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Dec 1, 2009, 10:04 am
I have four reviews in today's update: The Saucer FleetQuest MLASRaygun Gothic BirdhouseRaygun Gothic HoJoNick also announced a new contest entitled, Roam the Site.  To be consistent with the...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 30, 2009, 8:59 pm
The Nozzle Exit blog describes how the Cp of the actual MLAS was determined, how the Cp of his micro-MLAS model was determined, and why model rocketeers buy sim programs instead of wind tunnels.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 30, 2009, 6:05 pm
It was raining so no additional painting happened.  So, I took a photo.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 30, 2009, 4:00 pm
Iridium's next generation of satellites will increase the available data rate on their system to over 1 Mbps and will utilize IP protocols vs. the current voice-based format.  They will also ...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 29, 2009, 2:56 pm
Well, a little sanding and a re-coat did the trick.  Trying to sand the base of the cone actually lifted all the primer.  I sanded the exposed areas good before the re-priming.  My dile...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 28, 2009, 7:29 pm
After two days of eating and visiting with family, I ventured back down to the Dungeon.  First up was priming my Hostile Projectiles V2.  I chose Rustoleum red-brown primer since it would no...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 27, 2009, 9:05 am
When Black Friday comes I'll stand down by the door And catch the gray men When they dive from the fourteenth floor When Black Friday comes I'll collect everything I'm owed And before my f...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 25, 2009, 6:50 pm
OK, if black hole propulsion wasn't enough, now we have dark matter propulsion - Dark power: Grand designs for interstellar travel, Marcus Chown, New Scientist, 25 November 2009.  (According ...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 25, 2009, 10:56 am
Click, then zoom and check out the mach diamonds on the Long March:
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 24, 2009, 7:26 pm
Here is the V-2, flight ready and waiting for primer.  I ended up laminating the fins with paper since I couldn't get the fin template off the balsa.  The instructions have you attach th...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 24, 2009, 6:59 pm
Maryland Weather has a couple of interesting animated gif's of a solar storm "of hot plasma that is 62,000 miles high, travels at half a million miles per hour and packs the power of 2,400 megaton...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 24, 2009, 10:27 am
Spaceflight Now has some new details on the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle and its pending flight atop an Atlas5/501.  It is scheduled to fly from the Cape Canaveral in April 2010. (via Clark Lindsey...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 23, 2009, 9:50 pm
Earlier today, I lamented the lack of photographic evidence from Red Glare 7.  It looks like I jumped the gun.  I'm sure my post had no role in facilitating the update....or did it... I...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 23, 2009, 4:12 pm
Clark Lindsey reports that Blue Origin has selected four research payloads for their New Shepard suborbital vehicle.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 23, 2009, 2:42 pm
What I mean by that is that the first post today will push my Red Glare 7 flight report off my top page (it is obviously still there, but visitors will have to look for it).  I was hoping to repl...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 22, 2009, 4:33 pm
While I was gone for the weekend, my order from Hostile Projectiles arrived!  I got both the V-2 and the Delta X-15.  Here are my initial impressions.  I'll start with the reason I...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 20, 2009, 10:12 pm
In a comment to an earlier post, Woody notes that he now has a website on his guided monocopter project. I don't know if I previously credited James Houghton as his partner on the project (but I d...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 20, 2009, 11:59 am
Clark Lindsey provides links to two posts on the Daily Kos - Part 1 includes photos and videos of operational rockets and part 2 is dedicated to experimental vehicles.  The split is not 100% cons...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 20, 2009, 11:19 am
Make Magazine, Vol 20 includes plans for a 10-Rail Model Rocket Mega-Launcher.  The link includes a slide show and the schematic. I'm glad someone else noticed this because my subscription e...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 19, 2009, 1:14 pm
Nope, the title isn't a typo.  This post is actually about crocs, not rocs -  National Geographic animates four Strange Crocs of the Sahara.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 18, 2009, 6:34 pm
Quest just announced the new 8" Q2G2 igniters are now shipping.  This past weekend, I received first hand confirmation that the original short lead Q2G2s will ignite smaller AeroTech Hobbyline co...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 18, 2009, 1:13 pm
Here's how the Enerjet Nike Smoke cone worked. --^ I removed the tip of the Quest cone and reamed it so an Estes launch lug will fit.  I will adapt the lug to a slightly larger tube to recre...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 17, 2009, 10:53 pm
Along with my MLAS kits, I picked up a couple of Nike Smoke cones and some T35 tubing.  Rokitflite gave me some fin cans a while back and I finally decided to get some compatible parts. The purp...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 17, 2009, 9:42 pm
Erin with her first rocket - Oh Frabcious Day, originally uploaded by dcrocketeer.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 17, 2009, 1:41 pm
Nick has been up to his ears in alligators but snuck in an update anyway. It includes my review of First Flight Hobbies' Semi-Sonic.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 16, 2009, 3:34 pm
HERE
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 16, 2009, 1:36 pm
1. Watched Atlantis STS-129 launch on NASA TV.   2. As best I could, I recreated the MLAS nose weight that I used on-site and weighed it.  It came up to 0.3 oz..   I found a...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 16, 2009, 9:43 am
Here are a couple of cool video describing the small controllable monocopter developed by Evan Ulrich and a few others at the University of Maryland, Aerospace Engineering Autonomous Vehicle Laborator...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 15, 2009, 7:50 pm
Location: Higgs Farm, Price, MD (Red Glare VII) Weather: mid to high 60's, light breeze, clear Total flights: Today - 7; YTD - 72 Total motors: Today - 10; YTD - 87 The remnants of Hurricane Ike ...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 13, 2009, 3:23 pm
NASA just reported that LCROSS detected a large amount of water in the ejected plume.  The 20m crater ejected yielded ~100kg of water along with other interesting stuff, including organics. Not s...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 13, 2009, 10:26 am
I lifted these links from a post on YORF by an actual NASA rocket scientist: Here are some links for those interested in this kind of thing. Pretty good summary of launch vehicle failure statistics he...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 13, 2009, 9:57 am
Only got home late last night and had no time to stage my rockets and rocket-related accessories.  With the remnants of Ida stalled overhead, the forecast today is 90% chance of rain and winds 15...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 10, 2009, 12:19 pm
The latest post on the Nozzle Exit talks about the airframe for both the model and the real thing: Balsa was used for the core instead of foam in locations where loading dictated (seemed strange to bu...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 10, 2009, 11:01 am
I hear the Mythbusters will be investigating Lagari Hasan Celebi who legend says made the first successful manned rocket flight.  The Chinese Emperor who flew in a rocket chair was probably earli...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 9, 2009, 8:50 pm
As seen on IO9.  The megaplane is based on the Kalinin K-7, which I have previously posted about (note *).  As for the Nazi UFO, I refer you to Google. * Yes, I still realize that this wasn...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 9, 2009, 7:09 pm
This is the NARAM 51 edition and my main feeling after thumbing through it is...I wish I had attended!  The coverage is typical to past NARAMs and includes plenty of photos.  It started well...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 9, 2009, 5:32 pm
Now, this is a purty picture! (should be Verna and Randy's next photo of the month) Photo by kbaird; Title may be incorrect as I thought this was last weekend's launch and the photo data say...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 9, 2009, 3:27 pm
I added two photos of the final product to my OurPlanet album. Not unexpectedly, this is another RTLGF10F (rocket that looks good from 10 ft). The brush-on acrylic paint on the cone looks a tad funky...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 9, 2009, 1:05 pm
Aviation Week reports on Masten's plans for their NGLLC prize money.  These plans include adding an aeroshell (for aerodynamic performance and to support reentry) and a new 2,500 lbF engine (...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 8, 2009, 8:06 pm
Find out more about this totally awesome but ill-fated project on TRF.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 8, 2009, 10:31 am
And, I'm not talking about select members from the rocketry forums :) I see from their Facebook news feed that AeroTech successfully tested a K345LM 'Loudmouth' yesterday at Plaster Blast...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 7, 2009, 1:14 pm
I just received my copy of ARA Press' The Saucer Fleet, which I won for taking 3rd place in EMRR's Rocket family photo contest.  I loved their Spaceship Handbook and I love saucers, so I ...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 1, 2009, 10:48 am
Verna and Randy have posted their November update to their Photo of the Month and Fire and Smoke features. I always like these and Verna is good enough to ding me when they are updated. This week...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Nov 1, 2009, 9:49 am
No word on what's up with Unreasonable Rocket's level-2 attempt, but the web yielded several videos of past lander flights by UR and others. Here is a downward looking video from Unreasonable...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Oct 31, 2009, 10:07 pm
Here's a capture of Unreasonable Rocket's Blue Ball NGLLC Level-1 flight this afternoon. It's wild, it's crazy, and, even though it ran out of fuel, it's awesome.
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Oct 31, 2009, 4:17 pm
Boo! Very simple, before final clean-up: For the record, we only had 15 trick-or-treaters. It was mild but slightly drizzly. Wouldn't have stopped me!
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Oct 31, 2009, 2:52 pm
The Signetics 8X300 (originally made by Scientific Micro Systems) was fast when compared to the other microprocessors of the day.  It was implemented in bipolar Schottky and could execute instruc...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Oct 31, 2009, 11:24 am
This post will hold all my coverage of Unreasonable Rocket's Level-1 attempt.  I'll try to watch the NGLLC Webcast. However, our plans may take me away from the festivities. I still need ...
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Dick S. posted an article on The Original Rocket Dungeon - Oct 31, 2009, 10:57 am
Via Twitter: NGLLC09    final unofficial accuracy was 28cm on the first leg, 10cm on the 2nd. Average: 19cm (via @mastenspace)
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