2011 Rocketeer Unique Gift Guide

Of course the first thing that comes to mind for Holiday gifts for Rocketeers is more rockets! That is a given but perhaps you are looking for a more unique gift that enpowers the mind of your own rocket scientist or you simply want ideas to put on your wish list.

1. Signs from Retro Signworks
   
   
   
    Here is a video about their signs
   To purchase go here: Retro Signworks Rocketry signs

2. Rocketeer Apparel
   Design 1: Rocketeer apparel 
   Design 2: T-Shirt
   Design 3: T-shirt

   

3.  Movies (DVDs)
   October Sky
   Apollo 13
   NASA: 50 Years…
4.  Books
   High Powered Rocketry 2 : Mark Canepa’s book is a must have for those entering High Powered Rocketry 
   Sieze the Sky: Mario’s book has great tips for the rocketry modeler
5. …and finally. Protect your head and neck from the sun on those long days at the launch field.

   Hat Design 1

   Hat Design 2

   

   Hat Design 3 

   Happy Shopping! … and of course buy a rocket

 

Rocket Software for the rest of us

Over the years I have never invested money in Rocket design and simulation software. I’ve used demo versions of RockSim and SpaceCad.  I usually just settled with the free tools like VCP and WRASP. They were sufficient for me and the price was right.

Well I have a new favorite.

Open Rocket Rocks! I’m really impressed with the version 1.0.0 of Open Rocket. The application is written in Java so it’s cross platform. I’m sitting here running it on my Ubuntu 9.04 laptop and it is snappy and a breeze to work in. It only took me a few minutes to design, simulate and plot my first test rocket. The software is intuative and reminds me of older versions of RockSim but you can’t beat the price of Open Rocket. It’s Free!!!!

Screenshot 1

Screenshot 2

Get Open Rocket here

 

Carlisle-Stine letters now availble online

The Quest Virtual Rocketry Museum now has the entire chain of letters between Orville Carlisle and G. Harry Stine that represent the dawn of model rocketry. It’s easy to hear Carlisle’s enthusiasm over his invention and Stine’s analysis and suggestions from his missile experience. Stine adds spin tabs to an early rocket to increase it’s stability and also records an early CATO event.

The Quest Virtual Rocketry Museum

The Carlisle-Stine Letters

previous post

 

A Short List of Christmas Picks for 2007

It’s that time of year. Rocketeers make their wish lists. My wife and daughter have made a deal with me that they don’t purchase rocketry items for me. They don’t feel like they have the expertise to pick the right items. They leave the rocketry purchases to me. However it’s nice to direct folks in your rocketry purchases. I think that any of these following purchases will be appreciated by a rocketeer.

The two following vendors are for the Low to Mid Power Rocketry Enthusiast. These two companies are absolutely fabulous in customer service, quality, and superior products. Any rocket from these two vendors would be a great purchase.

1. Semroc
2. Fliskits

How about High Power Rocketry? There are 4 vendors that come to mind.

1.Giant Leap Rocketry
2.BSD
3.Public Missiles
4.LOC

How about dressing up a Rocketeer in rocketry garb. The Fliskits rocketry t-shirt is one of my favorites. There are also some great HPR Rocketry t-shirts available from Tim Cherry. Visit his site here. Here are a few more for the well dressed rocketeer.

Rockettshirts.com

Rocketforge

Rocketsaway

Graphixnstuff

Saturn V shirt

Countdown Creations

Pratt Hobbies

…and a great collection at Cafe Press

…and how about for the tree.
I have often wanted to hang rockets from my tree. I came to the conclusion that MMX Rockets are perfect for this. There are some great MMX rockets available from Fliskits and Leading Edge Rocketry.
There are also some great Space enthusiast ornaments available from the Space Store. Check out the Space Store for other Space related items.

Books are great gifts. Here are my picks for this Christmas.
Von Braun:Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War

Mark Canepa’s: Modern High Powered Rocketry 2

…and any rocketeer that doesn’t own a copy of Stine’s Handbook of Model Rocketry should

There are links to paper rockets for all occasions in my Ultimate Paper Rocket Guide.There is even a rocket called Rudolph the Red Nosed Rocket(scroll down link page).

 

Upscale and proud

Here is a website to watch in the near future-Upscale Rocketry. There are only a few active sections currently but some of these upscales are really wonderful. I especially like the 6X upscale of the Fliskits Drake. Here is a video of it’s launch at Plaster Blaster. There have been some great upscales of classics. How about this Fatboy? Who could forget the 10X upscale of the Mars Lander? Or how about an upscale Outlander? Here is it’s flight. Check out some more great upscales on the Plaster Blaster website.

Learn how to upscale here.

 

Kids , Rockets and Dragonfly TV

One of my main purposes here is to enlighten others to the wonders of science and rocketry. I love to see kids getting involved.  The possibilities of seeing a young rocketeer go on to one day developing a new propulsion system or working in the aerospace industry delight me.

I came across this wonderful video of a program that broadcast on Dragonfly TV. It is of young rocketeers trying to build a rocket and solving some basic rocketry questions. This is a great video to help plant the rocketry seed .

Dragonfly TV’s Model Rockets  or the larger Google video link

here’s another where the kids create simple sensors and deploy them on their rockets.

 

Buzz Aldrin, MAX Q, and a lost cosmonaut

I’m back. I have been on a business trip for the past 2 weeks and have been slack with new entries here. I though I would start with a few gems from the web.

• To start we have this great interview with Buzz Aldrin in WIRED blog. He comments on the new movie “In the Shadow of the Moon”(watch the trailer here) and why the US needs a Space Imperative.
• I know you have heard this during launch commentaries at the Cape. You may hear that the Shuttle is approaching MAX Q then after MAX Q the Shuttle is free to throttle up. If you are perplexed by the meaning of MAX Q read this.
• There is a wonderful question and answer section over at Aerospaceweb called “Ask a Rocket Scientist”. You can get an answer to “What is MAX Q?” or learn about rumors that a cosmnaut was once lost because she skipped off the atmosphere during re-entry

 

Make It

One of the few magazines that I subscribe to is Make. It is a wonderful magazine for all of you garage and backyard scientist. It is also friendly to the Rocketry community. It the last issue alone there were articles on:

Rocketman – Ky Michaelson

How to build a high powered water rocket

How to build a Jam jar Pulse jet

Plans for a lightweight portable launcher

…and that's just one issue.

Here are some other rocket MAKES that are online at the MAKE Blog.