Summary update on BAAH-1, the L-1 cert bird. Okay, more than simply update: more of a recent history, since it’s now been quite some time since my last BAAH-1 posting. In fact, I started this update back in November 2014! Construction at that time was mostly complete. The only things remaining were the avionics bay […]

It was a great day at the ranch!  (Many thanks, again, to Bill Orvis and his family for allowing us to fly on their ranch!) The temperatures were moderate: not hot, certainly not cold.  In the sun, it was pleasantly warm.  The winds were very light.  The sky was clear.  It had rained lightly—just enough—a […]

Most of the recent work has been on BAAH-1’s paint prep. Not quite all, but most. The balsa nose cone takes an enormous amount of work to get it as smooth as I want it.  I don’t need a polished hardwood furniture-grade finish on it, but I don’t want all the lathe pits and typical […]

Much progress of late on Die Fledermaus (even though all the parts for BAAH-1, my L1 cert bird, have arrived—though I have not yet ordered the parachute and heat shield). The rocket’s built, and now primed. As I type, the primer is drying. The rocket has very much become a prototype vehicle for the build […]

Continuing on the interlude build project, even though all the parts for BAAH-1 have arrived. The picture shows the rocket as things are taking shape. The MMT is installed, except for the aft centering ring. There are two centering rings now in place: forward and mid; the mid will serve as the forward structural element […]

The mission parameters included the site and the build: Build a rocket for 24mm motors, so I can play with the new 24mm reload kits I got. Build something that’s fun to fly at Snow Ranch and at NASA Ames. Because of the NASA Ames requirement, keep the maximum altitude under 300 meters. Be capable […]

I finally did more than remove the bulk of the damage on Bed Knobs and a Broomstick, damaged (very bad zipper, and a gussetted centering ring partially torn) at last month’s NASA Ames launch (see the posting). The zipper on the forward portion of the lower part of the rocket went right down into the […]

Fie on burned-through delays. A pox on them and their progeny! It was an absolutely beautiful day out at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field for the monthly LUNAR launch. Cloudless, light winds (almost no wind until about 11!), pleasantly warm but not hot, fun people, a good crowd. Paul Pittenger started us off […]

When last we visited Bed Knobs and a Broomstick, the nose cone had just been finished. I am very please to say that the first flights were very successful! It was a simply gorgeous day at Snow Ranch in Farmington for LUNAR’s May 1st launch. We were treated to lots of wonderful flights: Steve Jurvetson’s […]

Freedom. A fitting name for the second small step. Freedom 7. The second small step for the inhabitants of this planet to leave this planet. On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard climbed aboard Freedom 7, atop a Redstone booster, admonished his support team to “light this candle” (after they had given him the go to […]