[ Not displaying correctly? View web version. ] | Apogee Rocketry Workshop #353: | In our last video, we showed the process of reattaching a through-the-wall fin to the rocket by inserting clay epoxy through two holes in the base of the rocket. The rocket is now structurally strong, but the holes on the bottom are ugly. In this video, I'll show you how to fill those holes, and also how to fix the cosmetic damage to the external fin fillets. You will notice in this installment that I still have one fin broken on this rocket. In a future video, I will show you another method of repair. I want to give you different options, so that you can pick the repair method that is most comfortable for your skills and the tools/materials that you have to work with. View this week's Rocketry Workshop Videos (Duration 14 min, 20 sec) | Previous videos are found on our archive page. |
Check out the latest products to hit Apogee's shelves! Semroc Scissor Wing Transport | The Scissor Wing Transport is a novel design that looks much like an ordinary rocket on its upward ascent. But at ejection, the motor pop-pod slides out of the tube to descend on its own streamer. While that happens, the wing on the main part of the rocket pivots to a horizontal position, and allows the rocket to come down to the ground in a glide configuration. So it has an awesome boost, and a nice gentle glide as it returns from its mission. This is a reproduction of the old Estes kit from the 1970s. |
Launch Visualizer | The Launch Visualizer is a new rocket simulator that provides a full 6-degrees of freedom using your RockSim design files. That means you get to see the full range of motion of your rocket from lift-off to touchdown in a 3D environment. Best yet, it's web based, so you don't have to load any software. And you can run it on your smartphone, tablet, Chromebook, or laptop. It's what you've been waiting for. Click to see a simulation of a rocket with strap-on boosters |
Apogee Razzle Dazzle | Want a little excitement at your next launch? The Apogee Razzle Dazzle will help you achieve just that objective. It looks like a single stage rocket where in actuality, it is a two stage rocket. The decals on the fins provide dazzling camouflage to hide the separation line between the stages. So your spectators may not notice anything out of the ordinary while the rocket is sitting on the pad. But when it takes off, they will be astonished to see that the rocket is staged and it boosted higher than they expected. It catches everyone off guard, and makes for a very pleasing experience. | Make Carbon Fiber Tubes | Here is an extensive and detailed video course on how to make Ultra-Lightweight Carbon-Fiber Rocket Tubes. They're so light, they give you an unfair advantage in competition. These are the ones that my daughters, Allison and Ashley used in Romania last September at the 2021 World SpaceModeling Championships. Allison was part of the senior Silver Medal winning USA team, and Ashley took home the Bronze Medal in the Jr. Division. The girls were taught how to make their own tubes, so if they can do it, so can you. The training course consists of 5 hours and 42 minutes of video instruction, covering everything I know about how to make a successful tube with a glass-finish using a 2-piece mold. It even includes all the secret techniques and materials, and where to buy them, including where to get the 2-part mold. This course is on the Udemy website, not at Apogee Components. |
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| Ever see a Lazy-S trajectory? That is what this week's simulation will show you. The lazy-S trajectory is where the rocket is pushed downwind of the launch pad for a short distance after it clears the rod, and then eventually turns upwind and penetrates the wind. The flight path looks like an elongated S. As you interact with this week's simulation in the Launch Visualizer (view it from different observation angles), ask yourself questions like: 1) Is this a safe trajectory? 2) Would using a longer launch rod help straighten it out? 3) What types of rockets exhibit this type of S-shape trajectory? 4) Is this a good launch site for this rocket? | |
“I've been buying parts, kits, and such from Apogee since roughly 2005. Around 17 years. Starting using RockSim when it was still warm from the oven. Apogee has never let me down. Ordering, packing, shipping all first class. Good products, always have what I need, Questions answered usually within a day. Lots of information in the education section, youtube how to for building rockets, youtube how-to's for using RockSim. Over 560 (I think) newsletters in the Archive with ideas, articles, news, et alia. Books for teachers, supplemental material for launches and lots of info about how to start a club. Apogee is in the top rank of rocketry suppliers.” -- Stan Hemphill Raleigh, North Carolina. | |
We're looking for someone to write a definitive guide to selecting igniters, controllers and batteries for rockets. We'd love to have a newsletter article on that topic, because we get lots of inquiries about it. Is that you? Do you know how many e-matches can be set off in a cluster by a 3.7v 400 mAh battery? See our Newsletter Guidelines on how to submit an article on this topic and get paid up to $350 for your time. | |
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I'm now actively seeking writers for articles to appear in this newsletter. And I want unique and cutting-edge articles because that is what you want to read, right? I realize this, so to get articles from outside writers that have the same level of quality, I'm going to have to pay a lot of cash to make it worth it for them. So I've come up with a compensation package where I'll pay up to $350 for good how-to articles. Are you a writer, and does that interest you? That is a lot of cash! Far more than you'll get by writing for other magazines. And with over 23,000 worldwide subscribers, if you write for the Peak-of-Flight Newsletter, you'll gain a lot of notoriety. Writing for the Peak-of-Flight Newsletter is a great way to show off your rocketry projects and your technical expertise, at the same time as helping out other rocketeers. Imagine how great you'll feel knowing that you made a difference to the hobby. If you're interested in writing, see the guidelines on our site. | |
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