The Rocketry Blog

Inside the Dragon

rocketry — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:37:31 +0000

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

Seems quite roomy!

Apollo Lunar Landing Mission Poster

rocketry — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:11:14 +0000

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

rocketry — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:20:18 +0000

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

rocketry — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:59:48 +0000

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

rocketry — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:24:16 +0000

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

RIP Lowell Randall

rocketry — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:15:04 +0000

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

rocketry — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:56:50 +0000

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

rocketry — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:01:59 +0000

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

rocketry — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:15:28 +0000

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)