Model Forum / General / Rockets / September 2004

The Redstone at the gate of KSC was blown over by Frances:
http://hosted.ap.org/photos/F/FLPC15009051726-big.jpg

I do HPR and have not paid any attention to Estes stuff for years.
Today I was in Michael's and happened to walk down the rocket isle.
When I looked at the Estes kits I noticed they all said "Made in
China."  It's pretty bad when we have to have the Chinese make our

I called eHobbies to find out why their website list F12-5's but no
F12-3's.
Was it because they were discontinued? - No
Then, was it because they were just out of stock and therefore they

Just weird...
I saw an ad in Popular Mechanics today for an Estes H2O powered rocket. It
said, "a rocket that makes it's own power."
It's powered by "electrolysis'? I thought that was hair removal.

A Note to you from www.hungates.com .....
As per your request in a previous postings I have updated the navigation
system for one, and after much debate with my boss's they have finally
agreed. All items, of which I first discounted the rockets, are to be

Given the tremendous number of cheap Venus Probes available, and the
fair number of parts in one, has anyone done any kit bashing of the
Venus Probe (other than the D-engine modification) that would be
suitable for groups of kids?

Kids just got into model rockets so I am too. I didnt like the launch system
that came with the field kit. Thought it lacked the approriate ammount of
coolness. Now plug the ignitor wires into the trailer light connection on
the truck and use the remote lock button to launch. ...

Lately my interests have turned to small motor construction. I'm working
through "Amateur Rocket Motor Construction" by David Sleeter (really good
book for anyone interested). At the moment my biggest holdup is constructing
tools. I don't have access to a metal lathe. I've talked to ...

Well, it's time to get a Level I Cert.
I went out and bought a LOC-IV (based on several glowing reviews on
R.M.R).
It appears that the version I got has through the tube fins that go

METRA will no longer post launch info on rec.models.rockets . I don't think I have to tell
any normal-thinking person why after the ridiculous and slanderous thread hijack, a
commonplace occurrence amongst the pathetic, the peripatetic and those who haven't taken
their ...

My girlfriend saw the brochure I got from Mark Palmer about the Jackson club.
She saw a couple of pictures of the larger rockets and asked me about the
construction process.  Basically, she wants a large rocket that a Girl Scout
troop can build over the course of the school year.  ...

I now have SpaceCAD rocket design software for sale for a pre-order
price of $43.97. It will arrive for shipment in about 2 weeks. If
you've priced it before, you know that it retails for $59.90. And it's
not a download floating in cyberspace that disappears when your hard

I have seen some references to shellac scattered in various posts over
the years.  It sounds like it can be used for several purposes like
sealing Kraft paper tubes or an ablative surface for gap staging.  I
believe someone suggested it was comparable to phenolic

I've got a handful of syringes I want to use for making epoxy fillets
(my firsy Level 1 project).
Being the cheapskate I am, I'd like to clean them out and reuse them.
What sort of thinner will work?  I tried acetone but it just globbed

The recent thread about ramjets reminded me that in the late 1980s I had
several long phone conversations with Commander William Benson, the former
RAF test pilot and prolific designer of small jet engines (also of "Benson
Gyrocopter" fame). He lived in Vista, CA at the time, and he ...