Another Model Rocket that Lands like SpaceX -- With a Great Description of the Flight Computer, Software, and Design

Wow, I have to give the devil his due:  this is NOT something that could be accomplished with my beloved discrete (not discreet!) transistors. 

As someone who spent a lot of time as a kid shooting Estes model rockets into the sky, this project really caught my attention.   (My simple rockets used parachutes, "streamers,"  or nothing at all to land.)  This guy uses onboard computers, software, and retractable landing gear.  Very cool.  

Thanks to Jenny List and Hack-A-Day for alerting us to this.  

Model Rocket Lands Like a SpaceX Falcon 9

I had a blog post about this in 2018: 

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2018/06/rockets-and-microcontroller-videos.html

He has finally achieved the very difficult goal of landing his model rocket just as SpaceX does with its Falcon 9.  Check out the video above.  

It was also very cool to see him building the rocket, using a very wide range of electronic, software and metalwork skills.  

Hack-A-Day has a good post explaining how he did this: 

https://hackaday.com/2022/08/05/bps-space-succesfully-lands-a-model-rocket/

Congratulations to BPS.space!  

Software, Hardware, and Rockets -- T-Zero Systems (videos)

There is a lot of really cool stuff in these videos.  I am a hardware guy, devoted to HARDWARE Defined Radios.  But these videos are a reminder of the importance of software, of the things we could never do with our older, analog technology.  

Watching him build his rockets, I even get ideas for my comparatively low-tech workshop: that small jig-saw that he used to cut the rocket fins looks like something I really need. 

This fellow is a professional rocket scientist who likes the work enough to take it home as a hobby.  It looks like he is working in Florida.  

Watching the videos and hearing him discuss the joys and frustrations of his endeavors reminds me a lot of what goes on in ham radio homebrewing. He often seems to have the same kind of haunted, obsessed look in his eyes that we are so familiar with.  That is what Jean Shepherd must have looked like when he couldn't get his Heising Modulator to work properly.  Oh, the humanity!   

Here it the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TZeroSystems

Here are some videos and stills of our 2017 rocket launches from Virginia's Shenandoah valley: 

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2017/05/still-photos-and-slow-motion-video-from.html

Go WERRS! 

Summer Solstice -- EITs. Solar Tsunamis. Strange Falcon 9 Spirals Seen in New Zealand

 

Forbes has an interesting article that may help explain the poor Cycle 25 propagation that were talking about in SolderSmoke podcast #238: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2022/03/28/an-increasingly-active-sun-is-now-producing-solar-tsunamis-and-sending-flares-our-way/?sh=613e1dd1fbfd 

And Space Weather website has an interesting piece about some really strange SpaceX Falcon 9-related phenonmenon: 

https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=20&month=06&year=2022

The (Real) Solar Flare of August 1972 in Cixin Liu's Science Fiction

 

A view of McMath Region 11976 from the Paris Observatory early on 4 August 1972. 

I have a vivid memory of seeing -- as a kid -- Aurora from our home near New York City.  Eric Carlsen, my childhood friend and colleague from the Waters Edge Rocket Research Society,  told me his mom had similar memories. A while back I did some Googling and concluded that it had to have been the monster solar flare of  August 1972:

 https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2009/09/carrington-flares-aurora-where-were-you.html    

That blog post got about eight comments, mostly from other folks with similar memories -- they apparently were led to my blog by the same kind of memory-based Googling that I had done. 

This year, on Christmas Eve, Elisa and I were flying home from the Dominican Republic. I was reading (on my phone) "To Hold Up the Sky," an anthology of Cixin Liu's science fiction short-stories.   I'd read his excellent "Three body Problem" in the Dominican Republic back in December 2017.   His work is usually "hard" sic-fi, with a strong connection to real physics.

One of the short stories in the anthology is entitled "Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming." Wow, I thought, that one is really promises to be very interesting for a radio amateur.  I turned out that it was more interesting than I expected. 

I won't spoil the story for you.  Suffice it to say that Cixin Liu makes reference to the same August 1972 solar flare that I remember from my childhood, and discusses its effect on radio propagation.  It was really kind of eerie to be in that plane, flying over the Bahamas, reading Chi-Fi on my I-phone, and seeing the author reference that memorable event from 1972.  TRGHS. 

There were plans to turn this story into a movie: https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/wandering-earth-producer-to-film-another-liu-cixin-novel

Here is an excellent article describing what happened back in 1972: https://room.eu.com/article/lessons-from-the-sun.   The August 1972 flare was so strong that it caused U.S. Navy anti-ship mines to explode in Haiphong harbor in Vietnam. 

NASA Rocket Launch from Virginia to Create Artificial Aurora Saturday Night

 

https://www.news4jax.com/weather/2021/05/06/friday-nights-nasa-rocket-launch-may-produce-high-energy-auroras/?fbclid=IwAR1b3PX3VrT0IzljFiOCYYC1W2HmBMZZqpHqdB7xwNU7MmOeID3BMjHlbwo

Awesome Video of Perseverance's Landing on Mars

When we watched the landing on February 18, Elisa kind of complained that they were using simulations -- like the rest of us, she has come to expect actual video of important events.  Well, now we have it.  Actual video of the parachute deployment, the decent, heat shield separation, dust from the Sky Crane rockets, the whole thing.   Wonderful!   See above. 

The full press conference is worth watching:

Here we learn that the placement of these cameras was inspired by the sports camera that enabled one of the NASA/JPL guys to watch his daughter's gymnastic back flip from her perspective.  As they discussed the images from the spacecraft,  I found myself thinking of my little Astrocam Estes rocket in the Dominican Republic, our kite-camera adventures in the Azores, and the key-chain video camera that Billy and I flew on a rocket in the Shenandoah Valley. 

We also learn that the parachute color pattern contains a hidden message... (see below for the solution, worked out by a fellow in France.) 

One of the JPL guys noted that we've all had a tough year, and he hopes that these images will bring some joy to people.  Indeed. 

And wow, there are microphones!  They show the mic in the press conference video, and they play audio of the sound of Martian wind. 

There was a nice shout out to Sojourner from 1997 (the year my son Billy was born).  

------------------------------

Someone cracked the code in the parachute coloration: 

"DARE MIGHTY THINGS"

and the JPL Coordinates

https://twitter.com/FrenchTech_paf/status/1363992051734478852

A Parachute that Flies Home Autonomously

 

Too often ham radio bloggers and podcasters tend to focus their efforts on the projects of, well, older guys like us.  I think it is a good idea to direct attention toward young innovators, the next generations of people who are working on interesting new projects using new technology.  

Yohan Hadji is definitely one of these young innovators.  He is 16 years-old and is working to develop a system that would guide the parachutes of descending balloon payloads to designated safe landing areas.  Having spent a lot of time chasing the parachutes of Estes rockets, and after having to PERSONALLY guide my own parachute to a safe landing area (sometimes without success),  Yohan's project caught my attention.  

The videos above describe the project.  

A Hack-A-Day article provides good background: 

https://hackaday.com/2021/01/07/gps-guided-parachutes-for-high-altitude-balloons/#more-454705

And finally, if you want to support Yohan's work, he has a GoFundMe site: 

https://gofund.me/c0ae8d1f

Rocket Knack

Truly amazing and impressive work.  Thanks to Hack-A-Day for the heads-up

https://hackaday.com/2020/11/27/so-close-to-landing-a-model-rocket-on-its-tail/#more-449440   

Launch Day! Godspeed Exseed! 1:31 pm Eastern time. Video links here.

Farhan posted this message and the above video to Facebook today (I have the video cued up to around the 5 minute point): 

We are all set for the launch of ExseedSat... There are two tiny switches at the bottom of the satellite that keep the satellite switched off while it stays in it's container. Once the satellite is ejected, the switches are released and the satellite wakes up. 
There are 36 satellites on this launch, some belong to close friends in the satellite fraternity. We wait for all the satellites to drift out and after 45 minutes, the antennas are depolyed and we will start beeping signals home.
Here is a test of that process. You can skip to the fifth minute to watch the antenna depoly .

I really like the tape measure antenna.  This recalls the earliest OSCAR satellites.  And let's not forget that OSCAR 1 also launched from Vandenberg.  So there a lot of good tradition flying with Farhan's bird. 

Press reports indicate a launch time of 1:31 pm Eastern time today.   I think you can watch it live through the video window below.  Or try this link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq8kS6UoOrQ 

Bad Weather Postpones Falcon 9 Rocket Launch

March 30 2018 Falcon 9 Launch from Vandenberg AFB

https://lompocrecord.com/news/local/spacex-launch-from-vandenberg-air-force-base-postponed-again-this/article_6a46fade-20fd-5e3b-8546-409f3d25cb47.html

The Max Valier Satellite Flies Over, Sending CW

I understand the launch of Farhan's CubeSat has been delayed a few days.  That's the way it works in the rocket launch biz --patience is required.  In the meantime, I've been practicing with my receive system.  Today at 1000 local the Max Valier satellite flew to my west.  It rose 78 degrees above my horizon to the W NW.  I left my three element quad pointed in that direction and waited for the satellite (which had been launched from India) to fly through its pattern.  

The CW beacon was quite strong, very visible and audible through my RTL-SDR dongle and HD-SDR software.  You can see it and hear it in the video above.  There is something quite charming about this very personal Morse message coming down from orbit and then passing through all that digital technology.   

More info on the satellite: 

"Max Valier Sat" is an amateur satellite built in cooperation by:

• "Max Valier" High School in Bolzano/Bozen (Italy)
• OHB System AG from Bremen (Germany)
• Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics from Garching (Germany)

Its main payload is an X-Ray telescope devised and made by MPE. Data generated by this detector will be transmitted, together with housekeeping data, over an amateur radio link with frequency 145.860 MHz.

A second payload is an amateur radio beacon transmitting a message in Continuous Wave. The beacon's frequency is 145.960 MHz

"Max Valier Satellite" was launched by the Indian Rocket PSLV-C38 on June 23, 2017 at 9:29 am IST (05:59 am CET) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

More tech details: 

http://spaceflight101.com/pslv-c38/max-valier-sat/

https://www.ohb-system.de/press-releases-details/max-valier-nano-satellite-successfully-launched.html

Regarding the CW beacon: 

Beacon by Holger Eckardt DF2FQ:

• Transmit frequency is 145,960 MHz (IARU and ITU coordinated).
• Modulation is CW:
• Duration of one dot is 114 ms.
• Duration of one dash is 342 ms.
• Interval between words is 1881 ms.
• Interval between repetitions of the message is 6000 ms.
• The beacon transmits Max Valier Sat's call sign and a greeting message.
• Transmitting power is 500 mW.

And who was Max Valier?  Quite an interesting fellow: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Valier

Max Valier in his Rocket Car in 1930

Falcon 9 Launch, Landing and Sat Deployment Video

Very cool video from Space X.  I like how they have the time-line along the bottom and the telemetry in the upper right.  This is the first time they brought a first stage back to Vandenberg AFB.  I hope we get to watch the launch of the Indian Cube-Sat in November. 

Rockets and a Microcontroller -- Videos

https://bps.space/

SolderSmoke Podcast #196 Rockets, Pete's EXPULSION, SDR, DiFX, '602 rigs, T.O.M.

View from rocket. I'm in front of the swing-set, with hat on. Billy to my left.

SolderSmoke Podcast #196 is available.
5 May 2017
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke196.mp3

Shenandoah Rocket Launch -- With video!

Pete and the QRPARCI HOF: We thank you for your support! 

Note the strange seasonality of these kinds of events... Always in the Springtime...

April is the cruelest month. Especially the FIRST DAY!  

Feel Tech Follow-up -- the DC blocking cap issue.

HBTV?  Roku Challenge? 

A tube of Desitin?  Why?

SDR Misadventures. 

SDR on a tablet  Just like WA7HRG

Pi Day   More RaspPi Linux observations  TOO HARD

The problem of Si5351 and updated libraries -- old sketches don't work!

My SDR question: If we go with direct sampling, no need for I and Q at front end  No image problem, right?  But why is there often a digital I and Q in the direct sampling receivers?

BITX MODULE

Getting RF in through the DDS jack.

Electric Radio:  Reading from the history of SSB.  And from the T.O.M. article

Joe Carr K4IPV : Homebrew Hero from Falls Church Va.  Any more info on him?

Pete's newest DifX

Pete's new digital scope.

Bill's NE602 RIG, Epiphyte History.

He put AADE crystal filter impedance match circuits in backward  That's why he needed RF amp. Duh.

The perils of a crowded box 

Building RF amp board (BITX Module design) for the NE602 rig.

NE602s do not put out a lot of power. uW

BITX Module Amp circuits very stable.

Chassis as the heat sink.

Mic amp?  We don't need no stinkin' mic amp!  But yes, we do. 741 on the way.

Parts on e-bay very expensive!  Back to the hamfests. On to Manassas!

Congrats to Tony Fishpool G4WIF, who received the Don Cameron, G4STT, Award for an outstanding contribution to low power amateur radio at the RSGB AGM meeting in Cardiff.

MAILBAG

Rocket Key-Chain Camera Video!

This project started almost 5 years ago when Billy, his friend Ben and I built a nice BIG Estes Model Rocket that Elisa had bought me for my birthday.  Here is the original post about this:
http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2012/09/video-model-rocketry.html

Building the thing was no problem, but finding a place to launch it was.  Model rocket launches are prohibited inside the Washington DC beltway, and when you get outside the beltway it is hard to find a suitable open field. Out rocket camera sat in a box.  We said "someday" for five years.

Yesterday I was going out to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia picking up Billy after the completion of his freshman year in college.  I decided that yesterday would be the day.  I used Google Maps to look for places with a big open field near the highway.  I recharged the key chain camera.

At the first of my possible launch sites we found lots of fields, but also lots of fences, and cows and horses who might not like our noisy rocket.  We were about to give up hope when I spotted a farmer at work.  I explained the situation to Randy.  He agreed to let us launch, but wanted us to do it from his nearby house so that his family could watch.  This was very nice of them.

After one failed attempt, WHOOOSH!  That D12-3 engine really pushed that thing up there!  The family loved it.   It was  great.  The parachute deployed perfectly.  Billy would run across the field to retrieve the rocket (you can see him running up to get it in one of the attached videos).  When we got home I was amazed to find that the little camera had worked perfectly on all three launches. 

The Waters Edge Rocket Research Society would be so proud of us.  VIVA LA WERRS! VIVA!

Amazing Space-X Launch. Then watch the rocket COME BACK TO THE PAD

Rocket Knack in the Congo

This guy clearly has a rocketry version of The Knack.  Busted by the police for a match-stick rocket at age 17,  Jean Patrice stuck with his dreams of a Congolese space program.  Years later, when the rat flying in one of his rockets crashed and burned, he declared that the varmint had "died for science."  Indeed he did.  That is what I said about the lizards and mice killed in the payload chamber of my Astron X-Ray Estes rocket during the late 1960's.  A moment of silence please...

Imagine how difficult it would be to make any progress on something like this in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Godspeed Jean-Patrice! 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/one-africans-personal-space-race-turns-vermin-into-astronauts-1446239060

Kon-Tiki and the Gibson Girl

Back in July we shared a very nice video sent to us by Rupert G6HVY on the radios used by the Kon-Tiki expedition.  Many of us had questions about the device used by the intrepid radio operator to generate hydrogen gas (for the antenna balloon) while on the high seas.   Mike Herr WA6ARA supplied the answer:   1200 grams of Calcium Hydride crystals.  This was part of the WWII rescue  radio set CRT-3 (aka the Gibson Girl). 

Fair Radio Sales occasionally sells this intriguing device: 
https://www.fairradio.com/catalog.php?mode=search&keywords=hydrogen&submit.x=21&submit.y=8

And here is great site with more details on the other antenna supports in the Gibson Girl set, including a ROCKET LAUNCHED KITE! 

https://billboyheritagesurvey.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/war-kite-the-gibson-girl-kites/

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Rocketry with Arduinos -- Update on Carbon Origins

I wrote earlier about these students and their cool Apollo telemetry device.  Here is an update. 

http://makezine.com/2015/07/21/carbon-origins-space-chase/


Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20