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Sport Rocketry / Scale Models / Saturn V
Launch Report 2009-2 - Red Glare VI (2009-04-18)
Location: Higgs Farm, Price, MD ( Red Glare VI ) Weather: mid 70's, light breeze Total flights: Today - 6; YTD - 16 Total motors: Today - 11; YTD - 21 The day started well with light traffic and one ... [Read More]
The Estes Saturn V is the numero uno rocket of all time (2009-04-18)At least in the TRF Rocketry Mach Madness contest , which just closed yesterday. The Saturn V edged out the Estes Interceptor for top honors. It was interesting to see how the contest played out. If ... [Read More]
The definitive Estes Saturn V build review (2011-04-28)Chris Michielssen has started a series of posts on the Estes Saturn V. Based on his prior review series', if you plan to build one, this will be a must-read. [Read More]
3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 1 (2016-07-19)I started by dry fitting all the parts. The fit of all the ABS-on-ABS joints is a bit rough due to the surface finish but are not too snug. I may sand the nose cone shoulder to make it smoother. The ... [Read More]
3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 2 (2016-07-19)This is the "well, crap, that ain't supposed to happen" edition. I proceeded to dry stack the parts, put in a motor, and fill the nose section with 0.8 ounces of lead. I checked the CG ... [Read More]
3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 3 (2016-07-20)Well, it is all together but still naked: The final weight went up as I didn't account for the epoxy in the nose, the shock tether, or the screw that holds the motor retainer/launch lug. I'm not used ... [Read More]
3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 4 (2016-07-26)I decided to at least partially finish the Saturn V. Scale buffs and skilled painters need not comment. I started by outlining the black areas with a Sharpie (hat tip to David 'Daddyisabar' Bauer). I ... [Read More]
Rockets Mag V3 I5 Dec 2008 - the 'Black Rock Edition' (updated) (2008-12-20)I call it the Black Rock Edition because most of the enclosed material originated there: one article on the Rocket Mavericks July launch and three on Balls 17. Where else other than Black Rock will ... [Read More]
Rockets Magazine V3 I6 Feb 2009 - including FAA analysis (2009-02-13)I found this to be one of the better issues of Rockets . It features two solid tech articles - one on chain-stitching 'chute lines and one on molding fiberglass parts. I doubt if I'll use either, ... [Read More]
Steve Eves' Saturn V launch date (2009-02-23)I just saw the article on Rocketry Planet regarding Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V and suddenly it struck me that I've been remiss in announcing the launch date has been set. The big Saturn V will ... [Read More]
Saturn Orion project idea (2009-03-07)I think I have the motivation for my next build. I downloaded the .pdfs from my previous post and they include a lot of info on the Saturn V Orion booster. More than I need...I only looked at the ... [Read More]
Tower construction at Cape Higgs (2009-03-24)I see the launch tower at Higgs Farm is going up in preparation for the April 25th flight of Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V. [Read More]
Steve Eves' 1:10 Saturn V: T - 11 days and counting (2009-04-13)I've posted about this huge project fairly often so the regulars have no excuse for not knowing all about it. For the rest of you, you can see the official pages on ROCKETS Magazine's website or the ... [Read More]
Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V is burning up the Internet (2009-04-19)Scheduled for launch next Saturday, April 25th at MDRA's Price, MD launch site, Steve's ginormous Saturn V has been covered my many local (to Steve's home) TV channels and many more web sites. ... [Read More]
Steve Eves' Saturn V has been Dugg (2009-04-20)Run for the hills, your bomb shelter, or wherever, the Rocketry Planet is at risk of exploding after their article on Steve's Saturn V hit Digg . [Read More]
ROCKETS Magazine - April 2009 (2009-04-20)This issue features several articles about, or at least motivated by, the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. Besides the fact that we sport rocketeers are also space program fans, the tie-in to sport ... [Read More]
Steve Eves' Saturn V hits Fox News (2009-04-21)The word is spreading . If Tommy is grilling, maybe he better stock up. On Saturday, April 25, the Saturn V, the rocket that sent men to the moon 40 years ago, will once again lift off from U.S. ... [Read More]
Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V - my photos (2009-04-24)I decided to create an OurPlanet album for Steve Eves' Saturn V . I hope to add to this album this weekend! [Read More]
Steve Eves' Saturn V ROCKED Maryland's Eastern Shore (2009-04-25)After testing the winds with a 'tiny' Nike Smoke on a J350, Steve Eves' Saturn was launched into the beautiful Maryland skies at around 1PM local. The central 'P' and eight 'N' motors (that's 'R' ... [Read More]
Details on the Saturn V flight (2009-04-26)I decided to go ahead and make a new post and relay some details I've seen about the flight. This thread on TQC#39 has some really good up close and personal shots and so does this TRF thread . TRF ... [Read More]
ROCKETS Magazine's photos of Steve Eves' Saturn V launch (2009-04-27)ROCKETS Magazine's photos of Steve Eves' Saturn V launch [Read More]
Updates to the Steve Eves Saturn V links list (2009-04-27)FYI, although I've made a few follow-on posts, I have also been adding to the links list on my main launch report . [Read More]
On-board video from Steve Eves' Saturn V (2009-05-01)ROCKETS Magazine has updated their Saturn V news coverage with the Fox news story , which includes some on-board footage. They also have posted some flight data from several ARTS flight computers. ... [Read More]
ROCKETS Magazine, June 2009 (Saturn V issue) (2009-06-15)The lead story in this issue is Steve Eves' 1:10 Scale Saturn V. Having attended the record-setting launch, I'll be setting this one in my 'short stack' of favorite rocket magazines. The two ... [Read More]
Nuclear DC-X (2009-06-23)I posted links to the source article earlier today, but thought I'd capture the diagram of the proposed Nuclear DC-X/LANTR SSTO Heavy Cargo Lifter. Another diagram shows this vehicle in scale next ... [Read More]
Saturn V, Lunar Module and Command Module cutaway drawings (2009-07-15)Via Flightglobal: Saturn V Lunar Module Command Module Includes links to .pdf files. [Read More]
The top 10 Saturn V models (2009-07-17)OObject presents their Top 10 Moon Rocket Models . The link goes directly to the undisputed (by my criteria at least) #1 entry - Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V . You can navigate forward and ... [Read More]
Really good Saturn V article (2009-07-19)Via Jerry Irvine on Rocketry Planet: 'One small step for man,' one massive rocket project for engineers, LA Times, July 18, 2009 . The young scientists who created the Saturn V rocket that ... [Read More]
Moonfest at Moffett Field (2009-07-19)Steve Jurvetson reports from Moonfest with a photo of one of his flights. He says 1,500 spectators attended. There was, of course, a lot more than rocketry going on. But, nothing better. Flickr user ... [Read More]
Popular Mechanics, September 2009 (2009-08-17)I went ahead and picked up a copy just to see Steve Eves' Saturn V in a mainstream magazine :) I was a little disappointed to find Steve was only given a one page blurb. Still, it was great to see ... [Read More]
Steve Eves' 1:10 Scale Saturn V is too big for a single DVD (2009-09-16)Liberty Launch Systems (aka Rockets Magazine) just announced the release of their 3-disk DVD set chronicling the project from conception through launch and on to its final home at the U.S. Space and ... [Read More]
Steve Eves' 1:10 Scale Saturn V BeFunky (2009-12-27)[Read More]
Steve Eves is out to beat his record (2009-12-30)The CantonRep.com reports on Steve Eves' latest project, a 2-stage Saturn 1B. No details on the scale or motors, but it does say that he hopes to fly the new beast to 2 miles in the Spring of ... [Read More]
The race to be the biggest (amateur rocketry) (2010-03-02)Gizmodo is featuring the work of Copenhagen Suborbitals (C-S) and their HEAT-1X project. (Yesterday, I posted an embedded video of one of their hybrid motor tests. Cool stuff!) The blogger points ... [Read More]
When rocket designers didn't think small - the ROMBUS Family (2010-04-21)Scott Lowther presents a cool diagram (to the right) showing the relative scale of the ICARUS, Ithacus, ROMBUS, ROMBUS F, ROMBUS III, Pegasus, Icarus Jr. to subjects such as the Space Sh ... [Read More]
ROCKETS Magazine, June 2010 (2010-06-15)What's inside: Review of an Estes Saturn V complete with scale gantry; Pt. 5 of Black Magic Missile Work's electronics series; Rocket girl Haley Allen; Launch report from the Phoenix Missile Works ... [Read More]
Sport Rocketry, July/August 2010 (2010-07-04)This issues is mostly dedicated to NARCON 2010, which was held at Clark University. Clark was where Dr. Goddard earned his PhD in 1911 so, naturally, Goddard played a big role in this year's ... [Read More]
Saturn V groupies (2010-07-08)One rocket girl for each of the F-1 engines. Under the Saturn V , originally uploaded by drjellis . [Read More]
Rocketry in the Inbox (2010-07-15)EMRR is back after a month hiatus with a respectable number of new reviews. The winners of the Kitbash Virtual Contest have been announced. Which mostly reminds me that I need to tale a ... [Read More]
With luck, Semroc will survive! (update) (2010-08-12)I couldn't even read all the posts about the Hobbico/Estes legal notice that Semroc received. However, it appears Rick Piester, Vice President of Proprietary Products, Hobbico, Inc. and ... [Read More]
The jury is in, and the verdict is...Semroc lives! (2010-08-13)The jury here is a jury of two, Carl and Rick. It looks like the legal unpleasantness of late will indeed work out . So, all the disgruntled rocket geeks can re-establish their orders ... [Read More]
A pair of 1:9 scale Saturn 1B's (2010-10-19)I see that Steve Eves' and Vern Hoag's Saturn 1B's are slated to be on display at Red Glare IX this coming weekend. Attached is a shot of Steve's from Red Glare VIII last spring. I hope to get ... [Read More]
Virtual and physical status reports (2010-10-20)Since I didn't immediately see any actual rocket news this AM and I'm not actively building anything at the moment, I thought I'd do my part to raise the noise level on the Internet. So, here's ... [Read More]
MAKE: DIY Space (2010-10-21)Yesterday, I mentioned that MAKE had posted about Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V . Today (barely today, EST) and at my suggestion, they have a follow-on post about Steve and Vern Hoag's ... [Read More]
Rocket quote of the day (2010-12-06)(Building rockets is) "super-frickin'-damn-hard."- Elon Musk (quoted part) I got this from Alan Boyle's latest article on SpaceX. Mr. Musk estimates the probability of full COTS-1 mission ... [Read More]
Rocket Videos: Tape v. DVD (2011-01-26)This post describes the Point 39 Productions LDRS XIX (on VHS tape) and the ROCKETS Magazine/Liberty Launch Systems Red Glare IV (on DVD) videos. Point 39 Productions - LDRS XIX Ever since ... [Read More]
Fear the rocket (2011-03-21)This week's episode of House began with two kids launching what could have been an Estes or Apogee or equivalent Saturn V. It flies up, stages (?), and bursts into flame. Plenty of ... [Read More]
Reactor In-Flight Test (RIFT) (2011-03-27)Scott Lowther is on "Nukes-R-Awesome" roll. He presents the RIFT vehicle, a concept for a nuclear rocket that would have been launched atop a Saturn V and ignited sub-orbitally. It would ... [Read More]
Big a$$$$$ rocket of the day - JPL Solid Propellant NOVA vehicle (2011-03-31)The NOVA was a series of conceptual vehicles which would have competed with the Saturn V using all solid propulsion. YORF user luke skywalker has provided a flood of info on the NOVA , starting ... [Read More]
Saturn V (NERVA SRBs) (updated) (2011-04-03)luke skywalker 's latest NASA report summary is of the "Modified Launch Vehicle (MLV) Saturn V Improvement Study Composite Summary Report" from July 1965. Here are figures showing con ... [Read More]
Saturn V with Orion (2011-04-03)With all the summaries of old heavy lift launcher concepts floating around, I thought I'd re-post a couple of diagrams of the Saturn V with Orion nuclear pulse propulsion modules. Detailed ... [Read More]
Massive rocket indecision (2011-04-03)OK, so I now have my still un-named rocket primed. Progress! Well, not so fast! As I was pondering my recent posts about 'what-if' Saturn variants, I noticed the similarity my SRBs have to the ... [Read More]
SRB-Boosted Ground-Launched Saturn V upper stage (2011-04-05)The latest document summary from YORF's luke skywalker discusses "Selected Methods for Uprating Saturn Vehicles" (circa 1966). He points out that the coolest thing in this report is the ... [Read More]
More Saturn V derivatives (2011-04-08)No time to read... check out this post . Makes you wish NASA had practiced their Saturn-calculus even more...(silly pun of the word 'derivative') [Read More]
Saturn I Block II, Saturn IB, and Saturn V, in "EXCRUCIATING detail" (2011-04-21)luke skywalker provides a summary of "Apollo Systems Description Vol. 2 Saturn Launch Vehicles" . To gauge what 'excruciating' means, check out the following diagram of the Saturn V S-IC. [Read More]
Days of Future Passed (2011-04-24)OK, that's the new name for my Dyna-Soar based build. I rejected all my ideas for names that that resembled real rockets (Titan and Saturn variants, etc.). My thanks to Justin, John and Graeme! [Read More]
Going to fly a Saturn V? Better read the manual! (2011-04-25)The Saturn V Flight Manual SA-503 , that is. Not the actual manual, just another nice summary by luke skywalker. The following provides a nice overview, including all the motors/engines. [Read More]
Project Icarus - 10 articles from Discovery News (2011-04-26)Here's the intro to the list of articles presented in Project Icarus: Reaching for Interstellar Space : Project Icarus is an ambitious five-year study into launching an unmanned spacecraft to an ... [Read More]
Chris completes his Saturn V (2011-06-13)...and sets a record for the longest series of blog build posts... 71 . Check out #71 for his lessons learned. What I learned is that this is too complicated a build for my ... [Read More]
3-D printed parts are coming to a rocket near you (2011-07-24)I have made several posts about flying 3-D printed rockets (see post tag). There is now an interesting thread on TRF about printed parts . One poster has a link to another thread where he ... [Read More]
Saturn V attack! (2011-08-05)Coming to a hobby shop near you (as close as your keyboard). Via Quest Aerospace . [Read More]
Saturn V business end, up close and personal (2012-01-16)Found via Hobby Works on Facebook. [Read More]
Saturn V in flight (2012-03-15)NASA photo of the Saturn V carrying Apollo 6. Found (again) on FYSE . [Read More]
Feed reader stars, tweets and other interesting links (2012-04-02)April Fool's Day Launch, 4/1/2012 - Rockets and Catfish - Modell Rakate Buildink - While I mowed my grass, finished my taxes and blogged off-topic, Chris flew rockets and played with a live ... [Read More]
The moon landing +25 years: Can we go back? (2012-04-03)The latest item that I dug out of my small stash of old technical magazines is the July 1994 Issue of IEEE Spectrum, which was dedicated to The Moon Landing: A 25th Anniversary Perspective . This ... [Read More]
The moon landing +25 years: Some of the players. (2012-04-03)T The IEEE Spectrum Moon Landing issue highlighted several people who made significant contributions, many of which I had never heard of (or at least whose names I'd forgotten). So, here ... [Read More]
Your TGIF installment of missile-aneous photos (2012-04-06)Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! Flying semi trucks, courtesy of one of April 3rd's twisters near Dallas! ... [Read More]
Neil Armstrong tribute at the Freedom Launch (2012-08-26)Jim Scarpine is planning an inpromptu tribute to Neil at the Freedom Launch, which is being held over the Labor Day weekend at Orangeburg, SC.: If anyone and any version of a Saturn V for a tribute ... [Read More]
Rocket status including a new, smaller air Honest John (2012-09-04)The weather and my personal schedule have continued to delay the launch of my air-powered Saturn V. So, this is what I've been up to instead. I wanted to build one of the Honest Johns ... [Read More]
Launch Report 2012-13 (2012-09-05)Location: Mattie Stepanek Park Weather: 78 degrees and HUMID, wind 0++ mph, partly cloudy Total flights: Today - (6); YTD - 80 Total motors: Today - 0; YTD - 95 Motors by class YTD: (Air -12); ... [Read More]
Big a$$ rocket of the day: Mike Bauer's 1:32 scale Saturn V stomp rocket (2012-09-09)Mike has gone big with his 1:32 scale Saturn V. This rocket required 1 4 sheets of 2ft x 3ft cardstock, 2/3 bottle of Aleene's Tacky glue, 3.5 hours of printing and 1 8-hours of ... [Read More]
Saturn V F-1 Engine Gas Generator Hot Fire Tests at MSFC (2013-01-24)[Read More]
Tuesday off-topic (mostly) eye candy (2013-04-02)I can't believe I missed the chance for an April Fools Day post. Oh well, it would likely have been another 'I'm quitting blogging' post or some lame claim that someone is building a new Saturn V. ... [Read More]
Finally, some activity in the Rocket Dungeon! (2013-07-17)The physical one, that is. First off, the main components of the This Is Not the Rocket You Are Looking For are all together. I still need a streamer, launch lug and a tube to route air to the ... [Read More]
How to get to Mars in 1964, according to TRW (2013-09-22)The Aerospace Projects Review Blog continues to feed us cool retro rockets/spaceships with the TRW Mars Ship . With an ICBM-like capsule, it would be assembled in-orbit, requiring 6 Saturn V ... [Read More]
My flyable fleet (2013-10-10)After seeing ~1/10 of Dave Bucher's huge fleet on Facebook, I thought I'd snapshot mine, which consists of a paltry 233 birds. First sort criteria is a column that's not showing, breaking the list ... [Read More]
New sci-fi/rocket novel, by a rocketeer...for rocketeers everyone (2014-01-02)I am excited to post about a new sci-fi book written by fellow rocket blogger Stephen R. DeArman (Randy from Verna and Randy's Rockets ): Rocket Babe-Dust Storm . Their January 2014 blog update is ... [Read More]
Converting my Saturn V from air power to 'pyro' (2014-01-23)A couple of flying seasons ago, I built a bunch of air powered rockets, including a many from AlaskaPaperModelWorks . I also converted one of their large paper Honest Johns to fly on 24mm motors. ... [Read More]
Book Review: Rocket Babe - Dust Storm (2014-01-24)Rocket Babe - Dust Storm , by Stephen 'Randy' DeArman, is an 1950's style space opera. It portrays an alternate history of post-Apollo space exploration, which the children of the 60's would have ... [Read More]
I've searched high and I've searched low... (2014-01-25)...and I can't find suitable clear fin stock for the paper Saturn V conversion. What I found is either too thick, too thin, too small, too brittle or is in use. I could have sworn that I had stashed ... [Read More]
Paper Saturn V conversion complete (mostly) (2014-01-26)I found some acceptable plastic for the fins. The material isn't crystal clear but is good enough for this rocket. I first roughed out the pattern in cardstock and found, because the base of the ... [Read More]
Launch Report 2014-2 (2014-03-15)Location: Higgs Farm, Price, MD ( ESL-190 ) Weather: 61 degrees, sunny, wind 10-20mph Total flights: Today - 6; YTD - 9 Total motors: Today - 6; YTD - 9 Motors by class YTD: MMX-1, A-2, C-1, E-1, ... [Read More]
Launch Report 2014-4 (2014-04-19)Location: NARHAMS, Mt. Airy Weather: max temp. in high 50's, a few high clouds, gusty winds to 15mph Total flights: Today - 13; YTD - 28 Total motors: Today - 14; YTD - 33 Motors by class YTD: ... [Read More]
Massive Saturn V video mashup (2014-05-27)Spotted via The Rocketry Blog , here's a video montage of all the Saturn V missions. Wayne calculates that this event would generate 99,424,000 pounds-force or 442,260,000 newtons! [Read More]
Rocket recovery rig (2015-08-18)After losing a rocket to the trees last weekend, I decided to build one of US Water Rocket's tree rescue system. They described their tool in a video: Tree Rescue System . Mine is basically the same ... [Read More]
Elephants as rocket fuel (2016-04-26)To demonstrate how much rocket fuel it takes to get to orbit, YouTube user Maxim Sachs creat ed an animation that replaces standard fuel components such as RP-1, LH2 ... [Read More]
Next build: Boyce 1:312 Saturn V (2016-07-18)For quite a while I've been wanting a 3-D printed rocket. I have generally thought they are too expensive and a couple of attempts to get economical parts fell through. Last week, however, I learned ... [Read More]
Guest bombshell (2016-08-17)[Read More]
Saturn V fin replacement (2016-09-18)After one use, I highly recommend getting some Bondic liquid plastic glue. It's a bit pricey, but I can see it will be very useful. I attached this fin in about 15 seconds. But that took an ... [Read More]
The Best of 2016 (2016-12-27)Time again to post my favorite rocket stuff from the past year. For the first time since I've been compiling this list, I didn't come up with 10 items. I was on track to do so, but the weather and ... [Read More]
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