New Workshop Build Pictures

Oo looky here! Is Daniel about to build something? It sure looks like it. But what?

Hm. What is this?

Aha, it's starting to look like...

A workbench!

 

And a stool from the scrap wood:

My new, cozy little workshop:

Working

This summer is much less "fun" than other summers, because I have a more-than-full-time job working on a sod farm. I worked almost 60 hours last week! In the HEAT!

I have survived so far, but unfortunately my rocketry work hasn't. I have just one week before the next HPR launch to prepare my newest creation, which I hope to certify level 2 on. Photos will be posted soon.

This is rather important, however. I need to pay for school!

Happy Independence Day!

Just Passed 50,000 Hits on YouTube

I think I've been doing pretty well on YouTube. My 27 uploaded videos have been viewed cumulatively over 50,000 times now, and I have attracted 34 subscribers. My highest viewed video has over 15,000 views (and unfortunately isn't even one of the rocketry ones). I hope to continue my work on YouTube to promote aerospace engineering and amateur rocketry.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DTHRocket

Don't Hold Your Breath, But We're Getting Close!

Monday is the day. Tomorrow is our official flight. If we're in the top 100, we go to Nationals in D.C. If not, we just pat each other on the back and say, "Well, it was fun anyway."

So far our best altitude was 810 ft. and our best flight time was 51 seconds. (We had a 36 second flight but more points are taken off for being under 40 seconds than over 45, if that makes any sense at all. That's probably because it's harder to make the rocket descend slower with a streamer than faster). Now if our rocket can just behave itself for the official flight, we'd be in good shape!

About DTH Rocket Endeavors

DTH Rocket Endeavors started with one individual (me) who looked to the skies. Up in that big, blue expanse the Lord's wonders were displayed, which put a fascination for it in me. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." ~Psalm 19:1. I decided that I wanted to fly, and explore the vast firmament that God created.

I began by building model rockets. The first ones I made were pretty bad: I made them out of duct tape mostly, they didn't have a recovery device, and almost all of them were unstable and thus spun loop de loops in the sky when ignited.

It wasn't until I checked out a book at the library called "The Handbook of Model Rocketry" by G. Harry Stine that my rockets began to improve. I learned about static and dynamic stability, how to put a recovery device into a rocket, how to build a good motor mount, about engine selection, and even advanced topics such as multistaging, cluster ignition, and altitude prediction. Then I learned about high-power rocketry (HPR), and that's when I really decided to pursue rocketry.

Currently I am building large model rockets, which are defined as between 16 and 53 ounces in weight, using no more than 4.4 ounces of propellant, creating no more than 320 N-seconds of Total Impulse. The motor classification ranges from size E to G.

The first large model rocket that I built and flew was for my clay animation short film "The Curious Squirrel from Earth," and in it I built a cockpit for a small clay squirrel. At the time it was the most successful rocket I had built, and the flight was observed and greatly cheered by several enthusiastic spectators. Here is a video of that amazing flight:

Already I am taking on ambitious projects, like breaking the sound barrier, and building high-power rockets (although I can't fly them until I am 18 and have a certification).

When I get older I plan to major in aerospace engineering, then start a real aerospace company, or work for the US Air Force, or something along those lines. But in the meantime, I'll keep on learning on my own.

But whatever I do, it's all about God. I strive to honor him in all I do. What better a place than the heavens to marvel at his magnificence?

"...Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." ~1 Corinthians 10:31