DTH Rocket Endeavors Website

This is a relatively new blog, and I am still forming ideas as to what it is all about.

I have always had a dream of starting a hobby shop. I used to be very interested in model railroading, and still am, but have set that hobby on the shelf for a while. I still want to start a hobby shop someday, perhaps specializing more in rockets and aerospace.

That dream might not be far off.

I recently purchased the domain name "www.DTHRocketEndeavors.com," and have been teaching myself HTML the past few months. This site would be a conglomeration of this blog, rocketry articles, and maybe even an online hobby shop! The learning curve is steep for me, but it seems possible.

The website is not up yet, but might be within a month to a year. When it is first up I'm guessing that I won't have any inventory yet, because I don't have any capital. Any investors out there reading this?

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to

A. Show people how cool God is

B. Inspire others to pursue there own passions for God's glory, and

C. Give other rocketeers ideas.

Here's a video of a recent launch. I made this video to show how a typical launch goes, and gave a simple tour of my ground support equipment.

Video From the Ground

I managed to post the video from my perspective. I'm still kicking myself that the onboard video didn't work. Anyway, here's the flight:

No Video

My video editing software is acting up. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to be posting videos for the foreseeable future, until I can get it working again, or until I get new editing software.

High-Power Rocket Launch 8/9/08

Success!! I would say my biggest success! Exporter 2000 flew flawlessly.

As you can probably see from the picture one motor came up to pressure a little before the other. Cluster ignition is tricky, but I managed to pull it off.


No camera man actually stood this close. This is the frame from a pad camera.

There was only one problem: the video camera came back empty. 8(

My plan is to launch it again in a few days at my own field. Right now I'm attaching a mirror to the side of the rocket at a 45 degree angle so the video is looking down.

My altimeter indicated that the rocket went to 1,650 feet, reaching speeds of 220 mph.

I'll post the video from the launch soon!

Name

I was determined to name it, so I borrowed a name from my sister's Nanooks in Pajamas.

Exporter 2000

Launch Tomorrow

Well, it's going to be a great launch tomorrow, and a perfect day for onboard video: partly cloudy. I like this because the cloud shadows are an awesome sight from above. No wind, no rain or foul weather... And I have a feeling there are going to be some great rockets there. Watch for my post tomorrow.

By the way, I'm not going to manage naming it before tomorrow. I'm going to watch with discomfiture as "untitled" takes to the sky. How embarrassing!

"Current Project" Needs a Name

I have to quickly think of a name for this awesome rocket before I launch it on Saturday. Have any bright ideas?

I hope to talk to some experienced rocket people at the launch to see what kind of igniter I should use. I don't want to crash this one!!

View from the top.
I took my cousin's advice and went with flip.
My logo.
There's a deep satisfaction that comes to you when you build a rocket that's nearly as tall as you.

The business end.

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky
And you know them by name,
You are Amazing God!

Current Project Update

I've been working hard on my second practice high-power rocket, for my MN State Fair exhibit. It hasn't been named yet, naming rockets has never been one of my best areas in rocketry. But it is similar to my last one in that it has a cluster of 2 "G" motors, the same payloads, and similar weight, but a different airframe shape.

It's almost done, I just have to wait for the nosecone to come in the mail. I ordered it on the 15th of July and it's still not here. I'll have to call.

So excited! There's a good chance it'll fly on Saturday the 9th!

Success! (Sorta)

The good news is that the rocket (I always forget to name them) didn't shred in flight! The bad news is that it wasn't recovered successfully. I think that the ejection charge severed the shock cord and the rocket fell from 4000 feet. The streamer was still in the sky for a very long time, and eventually drifted out of sight.

Did we hear a sonic boom? Well, when it was first launched I was so surprised by the high acceleration that I forgot to listen for one. But when I played the video back, I thought I heard it--two muffled "POP's"--but I'm not sure. If what I'm hearing is the sonic boom, it didn't come exactly .3 seconds after ignition, so I don't think the acceleration was quite as high as the simulation on my computer indicated. The quality of the sound is not very good on YouTube videos. What do you think? Do you hear the sonic boom?

Edit: The sound I am hearing is at about 1:32 in the video.

Supersonic Countdown

I've started the countdown clock for my Supersonic Project. If everything goes well, it will be flown later this morning.

T -2:00
Take a good, long look. It may never be seen again.