[UncleVanya]

Now that's an amazing hobby. I saw a video on instagram a while back and had never heard/seen of it before!

I did wonder a few things about it though.. Do they come back down in one piece? Or is this why you have lots of experience with epoxy?
Is there a 'goal', eg- higher, straighter = better, or is it just.. a massive amount of fun?

There are a dozen different motives for different people. Maybe hundreds. There is some interest in some circles for higher for a certain power motor but on the East Coast the FAA puts a low ceiling on most flights - and the lack of open recovery space. The highest field I can think of within 12 hours of where I live is about 25,000 ft max. The field I more often fly on has a 5000' ceiling but more rationally we fly 2-3K max due to the recovery dimensions and prevailing winds.

As for "straighter" - sometimes - but there are some fun rockets that break that mold. Look up whirlybirds and monocopters for some ideas of how that can get wilder. Some of us also love the challenge of using non-dedicated parts - pure DIY - to build our rockets. Some of us like unusually odd rockets. I personally have a penchant for oddrocs but also for Tube Fin rockets.

Getting back to the epoxy question - yes the rockets are recovered (most often with Parachutes, sometimes with passive helicopter blades, sometimes using glider wings, etc.) without damage unless the flight has a problem. The reason for epoxy experience is that the forces involved are sometimes mind boggling. A very typical flight may have a 3lb rocket leap off the pad at 10-15g's or more and hit speeds over 300mph for a paper tube rocket. Some of my hotter flights have had 20-30g's and hit close to Mach 1 or maybe a tiny bit faster. I have friends that break Mach 2 on some of their flights. My largest rocket to date was a 5.5" diameter rocket weighing in at about 11-12 lbs. It flew to about 3500' on large 2" diameter "J" motor and actually thermaled in the sky for a few minutes before coming back down.

I've built rockets that have had K motors (each letter is up to 2x larger in total thrust) and that rocket was built with small L motors in mind. Sometime in the future I plan to build an 8" diameter rocket for an M or N sized motor. To put this into perspective the K motor was a K695 - producing an average thrust of 695 Newtons (roughly 158 pounds-force) over a duration of around 2.2 seconds. Now imagine you are taking a 2 inch diameter tube and inserting it into a 4 or 5 inch outer tube with only thin plywood rings connecting it to the larger tube. Epoxy is the typical adhesive used in this situation to give high strength and durability and the abilty to soak heat without letting go (depending on the epoxy and motor burn duration)

---------- Post added 04-08-17 at 04:21 PM ----------

made a note on the wax paper ring - got it...

Drips happen... that's the only reason. LOL. It's cheap cheap cheap insurance.

[robgski]

I'm back at home after a mixed bag of events both somber and celebratory. The good news is I did get a lot of fisheye shots, but after the 3+ hour drive in terrible traffic, I'm not up for sorting, processing and uploading, that will happen tomorrow.

My night shot hit Explore, and almost 10K views. that's a bit mind-boggling. The Rokinon 8mm is a great lens for night shots, and unless one is going for astro-photography, a fisheye is a great choice becase it usually allows one to get a lot of sky, s well as a horizon line or foreground to give a frame of reference.

For those of you interested in the student HPR rocketry program sponsored by NASA, here's a link. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2017/17-021.html


It has been a lot of fun following the team and taking pictures, it's been a really lesson for me in many ways.

[gifthorse]

I'm back at home after a mixed bag of events both somber and celebratory. The good news is I did get a lot of fisheye shots, but after the 3+ hour drive in terrible traffic, I'm not up for sorting, processing and uploading, that will happen tomorrow.

My night shot hit Explore, and almost 10K views. that's a bit mind-boggling. The Rokinon 8mm is a great lens for night shots, and unless one is going for astro-photography, a fisheye is a great choice becase it usually allows one to get a lot of sky, s well as a horizon line or foreground to give a frame of reference.

For those of you interested in the student HPR rocketry program sponsored by NASA, here's a link. Student Teams to Gather in North Alabama for NASA's Student Launch | NASA


It has been a lot of fun following the team and taking pictures, it's been a really lesson for me in many ways.

Fisheyes were made for night sky photography. On the night of the 22nd/morning of the 23rd (two weeks from tonight), the Lyrids meteor shower peaks. Find a dark place, the darker the better (weather permitting I'll be about 60 miles out in the desert) and make the longest exposures possible.

[robgski]

On the night of the 22nd/morning of the 23rd (two weeks from tonight), the Lyrids meteor shower peaks. Find a dark place, the darker the better (weather permitting I'll be about 60 miles out in the desert) and make the longest exposures possible.

thanks for the tip!

[bobbotron]

Fisheyes were made for night sky photography. On the night of the 22nd/morning of the 23rd (two weeks from tonight), the Lyrids meteor shower peaks. Find a dark place, the darker the better (weather permitting I'll be about 60 miles out in the desert) and make the longest exposures possible.

My favourite star trails are with my Rokinon 8mm!

I reeeeally want to get the 10mm at some point, the fisheye can get a little goofy for some star trails.

[pepperberry farm]

shooting with that survivor-style A35-70 has kindled a bit of LBA in me; currently hunting an odd MF zoom for no other reason that to see if I can make a decent shot with it....

(sick in the head, I am)

[pathdoc]

I'm back at home after a mixed bag of events both somber and celebratory. The good news is I did get a lot of fisheye shots, but after the 3+ hour drive in terrible traffic, I'm not up for sorting, processing and uploading, that will happen tomorrow.

My night shot hit Explore, and almost 10K views. that's a bit mind-boggling. The Rokinon 8mm is a great lens for night shots, and unless one is going for astro-photography, a fisheye is a great choice becase it usually allows one to get a lot of sky, s well as a horizon line or foreground to give a frame of reference.

For those of you interested in the student HPR rocketry program sponsored by NASA, here's a link. Student Teams to Gather in North Alabama for NASA's Student Launch | NASA


It has been a lot of fun following the team and taking pictures, it's been a really lesson for me in many ways.

Out of interest, I thought you might like to see a connection between fisheye photography and (very large scale) rocketry: WRETAR - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia

[severalsnakes]

The train went off the rails this week but I'm finally caught up, except for the 6th; I have nothing for that day. On top of the usual business of work and softball games, someone decided they needed $2000 of my money more than I did. They somehow got my banking credentials and open PayPal accounts which they used to draw money from both my checking account and my savings account. Fortunately my wife caught it before it posted and the money was recovered quickly, but I still had to close all my accounts and open new ones then get my deposits and automatic payments switched. Today I will be working on taxes. Hopefully I can get back on track now.

That's terrifying!! I'm glad your wife noticed it before it cleared! :-o What a hassle. Some people are just evil...

[babywriter]

My night shot hit Explore, and almost 10K views. that's a bit mind-boggling.

Congrats!

[UncleVanya]

I'm unexpected out of state... My Dad is in the hospital with a UTI and other infection related issues. He called me this afternoon sounding panic stricken and disoriented. He didn't want to call 911 - so I called my step sister. She came and called 911 and stayed with him until I could get here (5 hours+ drive). I stayed in the hospital until he fell asleep and came back to his house to clean and clean and clean - UTI's are not dignified. Just about to finally get to try to fall asleep. 1am here... sigh.

On the plus side - he got to the hospital, they have given him a CT and a sonogram looking for blood clots, they have given him a catheter and intravenous antibiotics including Vancomycin(!) so he is no longer running a 102.9 F fever. Hopefully tomorrow he will be bouncing back rapidly - today he was just plain worn out. (as am I)

But after all the cleaning - I did get outside and look and the moon was pretty special and hanging in a good spot for a fisheye shot. So I made myself do it. The shot was taken before midnight but only posted a few minutes ago.

Good night friends.

[Jim P]

I'm unexpected out of state... My Dad is in the hospital with a UTI and other infection related issues. ... I stayed in the hospital until he fell asleep and came back to his house to clean and clean and clean - UTI's are not dignified. Just about to finally get to try to fall asleep. 1am here

Good night friends.

So sorry to hear about your dad. Hope his infection clears up quickly. and that you are able to get some rest.

On really bad days when planning a shot would not happen, just getting a shot of anything somehow feels productive.

Sleep well

[babywriter]

I'm unexpected out of state... My Dad is in the hospital with a UTI and other infection related issues. He called me this afternoon sounding panic stricken and disoriented. He didn't want to call 911 - so I called my step sister. She came and called 911 and stayed with him until I could get here (5 hours+ drive). I stayed in the hospital until he fell asleep and came back to his house to clean and clean and clean - UTI's are not dignified. Just about to finally get to try to fall asleep. 1am here... sigh.

Good night friends.

You're in my thoughts and prayers here. My mom had a UTI a couple years ago - those can be really brutal. Hoping you get the rest you need.

[doroth2]

I'm trying so hard to catch up on posting and commenting from a super hectic weekend. Does anyone else have trouble commenting on other people's photos? I mean, I know when I like something, but I can't always express why. I often just fave shots without comment, though I feel some comment would be nice. But, "I like it" just doesn't say much.

[Sluggo]

I know when I like something, but I can't always express why.

The vibe I've been getting here is that everyone is pretty relaxed about it. Besides praise or constructive criticism or just commenting about the subject matter rather than the photo, it's also okay to say you like something and not elaborate, or say you agree with another user's comment, or "like" without any comment if it's on flickr. Or, smile and move on to the next. I don't always have a reaction to everything.

[severalsnakes]

Does anyone else have trouble commenting on other people's photos? I mean, I know when I like something, but I can't always express why. I often just fave shots without comment, though I feel some comment would be nice. But, "I like it" just doesn't say much.

The vibe I've been getting here is that everyone is pretty relaxed about it. Besides praise or constructive criticism or just commenting about the subject matter rather than the photo, it's also okay to say you like something and not elaborate, or say you agree with another user's comment, or "like" without any comment if it's on flickr. Or, smile and move on to the next. I don't always have a reaction to everything.

Yup. Don't feel pressured to comment on EVERYTHING, but on the other hand, don't feel shy to make a comment that's mundane or has already been said or is just the opposite of the consensus. The good thing about critiques is that they're entirely subjective; no one is going to tell you you're wrong. :-) (Or if they do, let me know and I'll troll them for fun.)