Inside the Dragon

Take a look of this great inside 360 panoramic tour of the Dragon Spacecraft.

Seems quite roomy!

Take a look

 

Apollo Lunar Landing Mission Poster

Here is a classic poster from 1967 of the Apollo Lunar Landing mission.  Image is available at Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

click to enlarge (image redirect to NASM)

 

Operation Rocket and the beginning of the Gambian Space Program

This is a great inspiring video. A shout out to Destin for this great video. ( Destin graduated from the University of Alabama’s Mechanical Engineering Department. He’s currently working on a Master’s degree in propulsion so he can officially say he’s a rocket scientist.) visit artisticballistics.com

FYI: Gambia is the smallest country on the African Mainland.

 

The Rocket Chronicles 1964 – 1978

A delightful collection of vintage model rocketry by the Rocket Boys of Southern California. This was part of their program The Rocket Parade. This is a fun video. Enjoy!

The Rocket Boys are Greg Carpenter, Steve Grimm, Bill Hersey, and Jim Steffen

 

10 years later -Rocket Parade 1988

 

SpaceX: Going Solar

Solar Array deployed - image:SpaceX

“For its first mission to the International Space Station, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will use deployable solar arrays as its primary power source for running sensors, driving heating and cooling systems, and communicating with SpaceX’s Mission Control Center and the Space Station. Dragon’s solar arrays generate up to 5,000 watts of power — enough to power over 80 standard light bulbs. The solar arrays, shielded by protective covers during launch, deploy just minutes after Dragon separates from the Falcon 9 second stage, as it heads towards its rendezvous with the Space Station.

While many commercial satellites and NASA missions such as the Hubble Space telescope use solar arrays, Dragon will be the first commercial American transport vehicle to do so.”

-Spacex Press Release

Read more here

 

RIP Lowell Randall

Lowell Randall-photo: Las Cruces Sun News

The last surviving member of Robert Goddard’s ace rocket team and rocket scientist for the US Space program died at the age 96. He retired from White Sands Missile range in 1978 but continued to assist part-time as an engineer until 1990.
In September of 1941 Goddard hired Lowell Randall as an assistant. The main project at that time was developing RATOs for the Navy.

Full story here

 

Boris Chertok’s Rockets and People

After the recent death of one of the icons of the Soviet Space Program, Boris Chertok(Learn more from previous post), I thought readers may enjoy this.

The NASA History Program now has Boris Chertok’s Rockets and People available online.

“This memoir by a towering figure in Soviet/Russian space history was originally published in Russian and has now been specially translated and edited for publication in the NASA History Series.”

“Much has been written in the West on the history of the Soviet space program, but few Westerners have read direct first-hand accounts of the men and women who were behind the many Russian accomplishments in exploring space. The memoir of academician Boris Chertok, translated from the original Russian, fills that gap.” -NASA History Program

Vol-1      Part 1    Part 2    Part 3

Vol-2   Creating a Rocket Industry

Vol-3   Hot Days of the Cold War

Vol-4 (to be released soon)

 

China releases space plans through 2016

Long March II - photo credit:China News

“BEIJING (AP) —China plans to launch space labs and manned ships and prepare to build space stations over the next five years, according to a plan released Thursday that shows the country’s space program is gathering momentum.

China has already said its eventual goals are to have a space station and put an astronaut on the moon. It has made methodical progress with its ambitious lunar and human spaceflight programs, but its latest five-year plan beginning next year signals an acceleration.

By the end of 2016, China will launch space laboratories, manned spaceship and ship freighters, and make technological preparations for the construction of space stations, according to the white paper setting out China’s space progress and future missions.

China’s space program has already made major breakthroughs in a relatively short time, although it lags far behind the United States and Russia in space technology and experience.”  -Associated Press

Read Full Story Here

More info about the Long March Rocket on Wikipedia

Long March rocket model available

Paper Model is available(U-don’s Factory site) and link listed in my Ultimate Paper Rocket Guide

 

Rocketry Blog 2011: A Year in Review

As 2011 comes to a close and I begin a 6th year of blogging on Rocketry I thought I would take a look at the top 10 most popular items I blogged on in 2011.

10. STS 135 Launch picture – The last shuttle majestically rises into the sky.

Blog entry from July 8, 2011

Space shuttle Atlantis is seen through the window of a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) as it launches from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on the STS-135 mission, Friday, July 8, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Atlantis launched on the final flight of the shuttle program on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. The STS-135 crew will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module containing supplies and spare parts for the space station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Dick Clark)

9.  Lockheed Martin unveils first Orion Spacecraft and Simulation Center – Will it ever fly?

Link to March 21, 2011 post

8. Sagan Series – this wonderful video series is beautiful and timely.

Link to Youtube channel

7. Twilight of the Shuttle – My tribute to the Shuttle program

Part 1, Part 2(very popular), and Part 3

My Atlantis Paper Model

6. Qu8k at Balls 20 -

Derek Deville launches his Qu8k rocket to an altitude of 121,000 feet.

Derek Deville holds camera unit from the Qu8k rocket

5. Steampunk Rocketry – The Steampunk movement continued with furvor and two post I did continued to pull in mega views.

Part 1 and Part 2

4.  NASA giving away Shuttle heat tiles

Classrooms scrambled to get one of these this year

3. Anything to do with the X-37B

As usual the interweb was abuzz with X-37B news
 

2. Paper Rockets, Paper Rockets, and more Paper Rockets

The Ultimate Paper Rocket Guide continued to be the post popular area of the site.

Chris Michielssen’s downscale rockets continued to be very popular.

MMX Piglet-sus

1. The Rocketry Blog received close to a quarter of a million views in one day on Feb. 8th 2011.

Google ran a Jules Verne Doodle and and one of the search results linked to the Rocketry Blog

 

Decorations at Masten

The folks over at Masten know how to decorate for the Holidays.

click to enlarge

 

Happy Holidays 2011

 

Paul Allen’s Stratolaunch System

With a wingspan greater than a football field and powered by six 747 engines the Statolaunch Systems’s carrier aircraft creates a giant rocket launching platform in the sky. The carrier aircraft designed by Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites looks like the White Knight aircraft on steroids. This is an ultimate merging of Commercial ventures. Carrier craft by Scaled Composites – Multi-stage booster by SpaceX -Technical Integration by Dynetics.

Visit STRATOLAUNCH’s website here

Watch VIDEO of concept

 

New Rocketry Vendor 3D Rocketry Launches

3D Rocketry has just launched  its online store. 3D Rocketry is owned and operated by Bill Carpenter. These are some beautiful rockets with a really unique fin design. The store has launched with two cool 29mm models but coming soon are 24mm and 38mm designs for both low and high power flyers.

Here is a little background on Bill and his business:

“In the mid 60′s as a kid my buddies and I would build and fly Estes rockets at the local park and small fields in north east Illinois. Back then you ordered by mail and waited 2-3 weeks to get your kits. We would turn in empty pop bottles for the deposit and buy kits and engines. As I got older I got more involved into school activities and not rocketry. I got back into rockets in the 90′s when my two boys were about 10 years old and they built rockets in school science class in Antioch Illinois. We would launch at a school field and with a group out in Harvard Illinois at a sod farm. Great fun and a great group of people. The group moved their launches to west of Chicago and we lost interest in rockets as my boys grew older and found other interests. Around 2009 while I was unemployed I started playing around with Rocksim and really enjoy designing scratch scale rockets and new scratch designs. I have posted many of my designs on a number of forums. In 2011 the Wildman Tim Lehr had a design contest to expand his product line and I entered about 5 designs. Well to my surprise 3 of the 5 were chosen as winners. The Wildman was giving gift certs to the winners so I picked parts to start my own online store and showcase a new fin design that I really enjoy creating. Tim’s contest really got my creative juices working and I wanted to come up with something new and unique, so begins 3D Rocketry. As the business grows I want to offer my designs in different sizes to appeal to low power fliers up to high power.” -Bill Carpenter

3D Rocketry Website

 

Will SpaceX be selling model rockets?

SpaceX's Falcon 9 kit

Will SpaceX will enter the world of model rockets pretty soon? A 18mm model version of its Falcon9 with Dragon spacecraft is listed at Amazon.com and is listed as by SpaceX but doesn’t show a release date. I have found no official confirmation other than the Amazon listing that verifies this is actually being produced for SpaceX.

UPDATE: SpaceX has confirmed they are producing this kit in a recent Tweet. – Thanks Tom!

Here is the Amazon Description followed by the Link to the listing:

“On December 8, 2010, SpaceX became the first commercial company in history to launch, fly, and recover a spacecraft from Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket delivered the Dragon spacecraft to orbit where it circled the Earth at speeds greater than 7,600 meters per second (17,000 miles per hour). After nearly two orbits, Dragon fired its thrusters to begin reentry and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 3 hours, 19 minutes and 52 seconds after liftoff. Now you can build and fly your own 1:88 scale model of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon spacecraft. With molded nose and tail, and full color stickers for body and nose, the impressive finished model stands a big 58 cm (22.8 in) tall. No painting required! The kit includes molded transparent fins for flight, which can be removed for display. Dual parachutes return the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft separately to Earth. REQUIRED FOR ASSEMBLY (not included): Scissors, adhesive tape, white glue, epoxy glue (5-minute type), coffee stirrers or similar to mix and apply epoxy, sheet of printer paper (either A4 or 8.5 x 11 in). REQUIRED FOR FLIGHT (not included): Model rocket engines (recommended A8-3, B6-4, C6-5), engine igniters, flame proof recovery wadding, launch system. Designed by SpaceX, and tooled and manufactured in California. Build and fly your own model of America’s newest private space transportation system – from SpaceX!”

Amazon LINK

 

Fused launch photos show details of rocket flame

Louise Walker and J.T. Heineck Fused launch Photos - click to enlarge

These wonderfully detailed images of the last shuttle launch were taken using a process of combining different camera images withe different filters into one high definition image. The pictures and subsequent video show wonderful details of the exhaust plume. These were done by Louise Walker and J.T. Heineck of the Experimental Aero-Physics Branch at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Read the entire story here. There is also a nice video of the images on the page