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Musings from a Dirty Workbench - March, 2008 |
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Written by Mario Perdue
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I'm currently working on the Ares models that I mentioned in my last BLOG entry. I'm making pretty good progress but I've noticed that the design keeps changing. It's extraordinarily difficult to build a model of something when the design keeps changing. And if I'm having this much difficulty, what do you think it's like for the poor people who have to build the real article? How can they possibly think they'll get this spacecraft into orbit before the given deadline if they haven't even settled on some the major design elements? But I digress... The design for my models is now set - no more changes for me. I'm sure there are differences between what I am building and the current version of the launch vehicles but if I keep making design changes, I'll never build the rockets. The current plans for my models put the Ares I at about 55" tall and the Ares V at 61". Both models will be able to be flown with mid-power motors but smaller high-power motors would also work. As I had hoped, the models should be sized properly for the Launch Utility Tower that I built in my Saturn V article so expect to see the tower again. Beyond that, I have a big pile of personal projects backing up in my work area: |
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Musings from a Dirty Workbench - February, 2008 |
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Written by Mario Perdue
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This BLOG entry is a random collection of thoughts about the stuff that I do for LAUNCH Magazine. First, I want to take care of a pet peve - I want to define my use of the term model rocket. To me, any model of a rocket is a model rocket – it doesn’t have to fly. I know that there are some people in the model rocket community who will have a problem with that – they’ll just have to deal with it. For the purposes of my BLOG the term model rocket will apply to any kind of rocket model. Since starting to write for LAUNCH I’ve gone to a few launches outside my normal stomping grounds. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of rocketeers from around the country and when they find out that I write for LAUNCH many of them have questions. Some questions get asked a lot… |
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Written by Mario Perdue
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I returned to hobby rocketry in 1996 when I heard about a high power launch at the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ in Muncie, Indiana. This launch was one of the SMURFF launches held there by the Summit City Aerospace Modelers in Ft. Wayne and it was my introduction to High Power. It was a well attended event that started me searching the internet for more information about the current state of the hobby. |
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NAR National Events - Why So Many? |
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Written by Mario Perdue
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I’ve been a member of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) for a number of years and I’d have to say that I’ve supported many of their efforts over those years. I currently edit the NAR Member’s Guidebook and I was the event director for the National Sport Launch (NSL) in 2007. Doing the planning for NSL got me wondering why such a small organization has multiple events – it doesn’t seem to make any sense. |
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Ramblings from the Empire State Building... |
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Written by Mark Mayfield
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 Mark and Deb with George French III of Rocketplane Global. It's almost surreal to be back in Manhattan after spending time in the wide open spaces of New Mexico. Deb Martin, Wil Simon and I ventured to Alamogordo, N.M. on October 26 to attend the annual X PRIZE Cup, which this time was wisely paired with the Holloman Air Force Base's Air and Space Expo. The sprawling base served as an excellent backdrop for what is becoming an outstanding festival of space and rocketry.
For those of us at LAUNCH Magazine, this was a special event since we had agreed to a joint news conference there with Rocketplane Global, an Oklahoma City firm that is heavily involved in the new race for suborbital space tourism. Our partnership with Rocketplane had been in the works for months: They had offered us an exclusive advance look at their highly secret, redesigned XP spaceplane plans, provided that we would hold the story until the announcement could be made at X PRIZE. So I signed a non-disclosure agreement, and we set about working on what became the cover story for our November/December issue. |
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