mercury redstone… – page 4 page 14 thor’s hammer page 16 ... · event: high power launch....

THOR’s Hammer – March/April 2004 1

THOR’s Hammer The official newsletter of The Heartland Organization of Rocketry!

Contents

March/April Calendar – Page 2

Editor’s Hammer – Page 3

Mercury Redstone… – Page 4

Return to the Moon? – 4

NASA’s Space Place – Page 16

Meeting Minutes – Page 17

March/April 2004 ---FREE--- Volume 11 Number 2

A five year anniversary retrospective of THOR’s 1/3rd scale Mercury Redstone.


Club Officers

PRESIDENT – Bruce Lee Phone Number: (402) 691-8420 E-mail: [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT – Greg Rothman Phone Number: (402) 891-5706 E-mail: [email protected] TREASURER – Larry Drake Phone Number: (402) 895-1583 E-mail: [email protected] SECRETARY – Richard Burney Phone Number: (402) 553-5816 E-mail: [email protected] TRA NEBRASKA PREFECT – Kevin Trojanowski Phone Number: (402) 292-4101 E-mail: [email protected] NAR SECTION #562 LEADER – Bruce Lee

Newsletter Editor - Richard Burney

THOR Rocketry Hotline

Phone Number (Local): (402) 896-2069 Phone Number (Toll Free): 1-888-546-0396

Internet Links of Interest

http://www.nerocketry.org/ THOR’s official web page. Has information on our club, launch dates, and history.

http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/index.shtml

Home page for NASA’s Space Place program of which THOR currently participates in.

http://www.tripoli.org/

Home page for the Tripoli Rocketry Association.

http://www.nar.org/index.html Home page for the National Association of Rocketry.

http://www.rocketryonline.com/index.cgi

An excellent source of model and high power rocketry related news and information.

http://www.giantleaprocketry.com/ Giant Leap Rocketry has been THOR’s main vendor at our high power launches for several years.

http://www.kloudbusters.org/ Home page for the K.L.O.U.D.Busters Tripoli Prefecture of the state of Kansas.

March/April 2004 Calendar

March Event: March Meeting and Auction. When: Tuesday the 2nd, 7:00 to 10:00 PM. Where: La Vista Community Center. Description: Besides being the March meeting, this is also THOR’s annual auction where members can auction off and bid on rocketry related goods… it’s eBay the old fashion way! 10% of the money made from each member’s auction, unless arranged differently, will go to the club. Event: Low Power Launch. When: Sunday the 7th, Noon to ? Where: La Vista Sports Complex. Fee: Free. Description: Low power sport flying. Event: NARCON. When: Saturday the 13th through Monday the 15th. Where: Kenosha, WI. Description: NAR’s annual convention. For More Information: http://www.wooshrocketry.org/ Event: High Power Launch. When: Saturday the 20th, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Where: Pickrell, NE. Ceiling: 15,000’ MSL (13,650’ AGL). Fee: $5. Description: High power and low power sport flying. For More Information: Check the rocketry hotline for any delays or cancellations if weather looks questionable.

April Event: Low Power Launch. When: Sunday the 4th, Noon to ? Where: La Vista Sports Complex. Fee: Free. Description: Low power sport flying. Event: April Meeting. When: Tuesday the 6th, 7:00 to 10:00 PM. Where: La Vista Community Center. Event: Low Power Launch. When: Saturday the 24th Where: Gretna, NE. Fee: Free. Description: We will be doing some low power sport flying with Cub Scout Pack 363. They will be attempting to launch nearly a 100 model rockets at once!!! Event: Fire on the Farm VII. When: Experimental day on Friday the 30th. High power commercial flying on Saturday May the 1st and Sunday the 2nd, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. Where: Pickrell, NE. Ceiling: 15,000’ MSL (13,650’ AGL). Fee: TBA. Description: THOR’s annual three-day, high power, spring launch. For More Information: Final details will be set by the April meeting.


Editor’s Hammer By Richard Burney, Secretary and Newsletter Editor

Redstone Reloaded...

Five years ago, THOR embarked on building an approximately 1/3rd sport scale replica of the Mercury Redstone that took Alan Shepard on his suborbital flight on May 5th, 1961. This rocket was one of the tallest (30+ feet tall), widest (25 inches in diameter), heaviest (600+ pounds), and complex that a private group of hobbyists have taken on… this rocket was BIG!

Though I don’t usually recycle past materials (actually never!), this project has been something I’ve always wanted to revisit and with this being the five year anniversary of this project, I thought that it was the perfect time to do it. Hopefully, this will be inspirational for others to take this hobby to “The Next Level”.

As a bonus, virtually all the pictures provided were NOT used in the High Power Rocketry articles so this should give a different perspective on the project. Oops!... Rick Bosworth recently informed me that North Coast/Estes used the BOMARC on display at Hill AFB as the basis for their mid power kit. Beale

AFB of course has been the home to the U-2 and the SR-71 (when it was still in service). I hope you all enjoy THE BIGGEST issue of THOR’s Hammer to date!

Here I am just a few days ago with one of the surviving fins… no, I haven’t sold it off!

…and here I was back in 1999 working on one of those very fins!


Mercury Redstone: Project Complete

By Richard Burney Photos by Richard Burney

Introduction… (Editor’s note: this article originally appeared in the November/December 1999 issue of this newsletter and appeared, in edited form, in the December 1999 issue of High Power Rocketry magazine). It had been over a year since the flight of our group’s Nebraska Heat rocket at LDRS XVI on August 9, 1997. Bruce Lee and a handful of our THOR (The Heartland Organization of Rocketry) members had just returned from LDRS XVII out in Utah with some great news… LDRS XVIII would be at Argonia, Kansas! Since it had been over a year since the conclusion of the Nebraska Heat project and since the next LDRS would be in such close proximity, the decision was announced at our August meeting that THOR would attempt a large scale replication of the Mercury Redstone flight (Freedom 7) that took Alan Shepard into space. This would be the first group project since Tripoli Nebraska and the former Omaha Rocket Club (NAR Section 562) joined together as THOR. The next few months were used to lay the groundwork for the project. A contribution rate of $20 a month for the next 11 months (October through August) was set for each person interested in joining the team. 25 inch diameter concrete-forming tubes were selected for the airframe tubing, thus setting the scale of our Redstone at approximately 1-to-3. Numerous outside individuals and outfits came on board: Ky “Rocketman” Michaelson – the capsule/escape tower combination, the launch tower, and parachutes; John Johnson – the P motor for its flight; Jim Amos – the remote control recovery system; and PML – additional tubing. The first construction party was held at Bruce Lee’s house in mid December to start initial work on the fins. (The fins seemed to be the most time consuming part of the project… we were still finishing them when the summer rolled around!). Between December and July, many man-hours were put into construction of our Redstone. While we spent the first months of 1999 working on the fins, our Lincoln guys fiberglassed the body tubes. By March, we had the tubes and were able to sand and smooth the glass finish. Work was also underway for the interior of the rocket: the engine mount to house the 6 foot long P13,000, tubing for all the related recovery system components, and the coupler section. By the end of June, construction was nearly complete.

Work on the Redstone started with the fins in December 1998. In this picture, hard foam insulation is used to give the fins’ their aerodynamical shape. From left to right: Arley Davis, Tobe Wood, Doug Deden, and Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee and Kathy McGinnis apply one of the first layers of fiberglass to one of the fins.

Scott Meinhardt and Bruce work on finishing a fin. The Redstone’s fins were one of the most time consuming parts of the whole project.


Larry Drake and Arley Davis work on sanding down the wood putty applied to the surface of one of the body tubes. The fiberglass finish to both tubes was done by some of our Lincoln area members.

The Redstone’s motor mount. Due to the P13,000 being exactly 6 inches in diameter, a motor tube was unneeded. The four fins were designed to mount to the motor mount.

Arley and Bruce test fit the motor mount.

Seen here are the cluster of tubes used to house the altimeters and parachutes (for the bottom half of the Redstone) attached to the piston and coupler that would be mounted in the top section.

Mike Wrobel checks the fins’ alignment.

Lyle Woodrum checks the alignment of the launch lugs. Since we were using a tower with several sections of “C” channel to act as the launch rail, alignment of the three lugs was critical.


Finishing the Redstone… With only a month left until LDRS, we were doing our best to put the final touches on the main assembly. The entire afternoon of Saturday, June 26th was spent checking fit and alignment of the motor mount assembly, fins, coupler and pistons, and the attachment of the launch lugs. Enough was accomplished that day so that it was now ready for paint. Bruce drove the parts over to Rob Skiba’s house latter that week for the preparations. Since we did not have immediate or inexpensive access to an automotive painter, Rob Skiba offered to use his painting equipment that he usually used for his own rockets and RC aircraft. Saturday, July 3rd began by applying the first several coats of primer to the airframe. Since we were painting outside of Rob’s garage, we were at the mercy of the winds and the hot and humid temperatures. A tarp was set up on two long boards and was positioned to act as a windbreak while the painting was going on. After a few coats of primer were put on, a few coats of white were applied. Once the white paint had dried, the rocket was masked for the first part of the roll pattern. The fins were also primed and painted, too. Monday and Thursday were spent painting the remaining details. Application of the pressure sensitive decals began the morning of Saturday the 10th. Since Arley Davis’ well built Estes model was an inspiration and acted as a reference for our project, Arley provided scaled up copies of the decals used on the original Estes kit. At first we thought it would take just a few hours, but as usual, it was well into the afternoon before we were finished. There were quite a few decals and it was a lot of work lining everything up just right. The results, though, were definitely worth all the effort. The entire rocket now looked almost like an actual copy of a Mercury Redstone. Rob applied a few coats of clear coating and the rocket was left to dry. Bruce took all the parts back to his house a few days later. With less than two weeks to LDRS, Bruce Lee and Mike Wrobel made the trek up to Minnesota on Saturday the 17th to get the capsule and the launch tower from Ky. Ky was not sure if he was able at that point to get to LDRS during the first few days, so that was why the transfer was made. When I went over to Bruce’s house to get some help with my altimeter for one of my projects, I was one of the first guys in the group to see Ky’s work for the first time. Though the skin of the outside of the capsule was not a true representation, it was overall a fine recreation; the capsule was made mostly of aluminum and the escape tower out of steel tubing. Too bad we were not able to find a scale astronaut! Sunday the 25th was the final preparation for the trip down to Argonia. Several components were checked for fit and the capsule was fitted to the airframe for the first time. The body tubes were wrapped for protection and put on top of the same

trailer that would carry the launch tower parts. The other parts (such as the capsule and fins) would be carried separately. After many months of work, our Redstone was ready for its big trip!

Rob “Big Scary Guy” Skiba applies the first coats of primer to the body tubes.

Bruce uses a small hair dryer to help accelerate the drying of the black paint used for the roll pattern.

The finished roll pattern.


Rob finishes the black areas.

Dave Pares applies a decal.

John Ritz and Arley work on applying some decals. Arley’s involvement in creating the scaled decals, the layout of the paint job, etc. were an invaluable part in making this such an awesome looking rocket.

That’s a lot of detail!

This is starting to look like the real deal! From left to right: Dave, Richard Burney (the author), John, Larry, Bruce, and Arley.

Just a few days out before LDRS, the tubes were wrapped up and put on the same trailer carrying the parts for Ky Michaelson’s tower launcher. LDRS XVIII, here we go!


LDRS XVIII… Early in the morning on Wednesday the 28th, Bruce Lee and Lyle Woodrum drove the Redstone down to Argonia. (Bruce’s wife was probably happy to be rid of the monstrosity!). Bruce and Lyle spent the entire day securing a spot next to the flight line for the entire Redstone/THOR contingency. Just like LDRS XVI, the turnout by Tripoli Nebraska/THOR membership was quite high. The proximity of Argonia (about a 6-and-a-half to 7 hour drive from Omaha) and heavy participation in the Redstone project helped to guarantee that. The Redstone stood (well, actually was laid out) on display from Thursday to Monday morning for all to see. Sharing our space out in the field were some of the Redstone sponsorship: Ky and Jodi Michaelson (Rocketman Enterprises), Jim Amos (Missile Works), and Darrell Mobley of Rocketry Online. John Johnson did not have a booth or tent, but his massive P13,000 was occasionally out for display. Bruce Kelly and family ran the Tripoli HQ/High Power Rocketry Magazine tent from here, too. Friday morning commenced construction of the launch tower. Just like the other experimental or largest projects we were situated over three quarters of a mile away to the east from the main crowd at the far, far away cell. The launch tower components were driven over at about 9:00 a.m.. Once we decided on the exact spot, Lyle drove his SUV out into the field and flattened out the dirt. The steel tubing was laid out and the entire structure was assembled horizontally. Next the c-rail was attached. Adjustments were made in the assembly to make sure the c-rail was as perfectly lined up as we could. The launch tower was then raised up. To help secure it from winds and the eventual weight of the Redstone itself, multiple steel cables were attached at the top four corners of the top of the tower and 3 more cables were attached to the middle of the tower. The other ends were staked to the ground within about a 50 foot radius from the tower. All of this was completed in just over an hour. Sunday marked the first use of the tower and would act as a test for assembling the Redstone in the tower. Bruce and Ky, along with Mike Wrobel and Tony Cochran, had decided to fly the bottom stage of the CSXT rocket which is a proof-of-concept vehicle for their CATS prize attempt. For this flight, a combination of the new AeroTech M845 hybrid and four J hybrids were used. The bottom c-rail was removed and the CSXT was raised up into the second c-rail. The first rail was reinstalled and the CSXT was lowered. The CSXT was ready for flight. Because the entire cluster of motors were hybrids, ignition was instant and the rocket sailed out of the tower. The flight went flawlessly and the tower had a good test run. We were now ready for Monday!

Our Mercury Redstone was out on display for most of LDRS XVIII for the public to see.

The muscle, and the Achilles’ Heel, of our rocket, John Johnson’s P13,000.

Nozzle end of the P13,000. A phenolic sleeve protected the nozzle from damage and a paper towel was stuffed inside to prevent dirt and other foreign debris from entering the motor’s core.


Three days before launch, the launch site for our Mercury Redstone was chosen off to the east of the main LDRS launch pads.

The tubing for the launch tower is assembled.

The author and the nearly finished launch tower. The “C” channel in my hand would act as the launch rail for the rocket.

Bruce and Lyle secure the stabilizing steel cables to the upper part of the structure.

The launch tower in its nearly complete form. Time to fly some rockets! The bottom stage of the CSXT prototype would fly on Sunday with the Redstone following on Monday.


The Big Day… Most everybody had arrived for the final preparation around 6:00 a.m. on Monday the 2nd. This would be the nicest day of LDRS: partly sunny, a light wind, and the high in the mid 80’s (it was over 20 degrees warmer less than two days earlier). A number of items were taken care of during the last several hours before moving to the launch pad. The pistons were attached and checked for fit. The electronics were tested out. Tony Cochran and myself had to prepare three I357’s that we had donated for use on the escape tower. Everything else was readied for the move. One item that had been planned for installation on the Redstone was a live transmitting TV camera. That item had panned out many months earlier. Throughout the entire weekend, a British crew from the Discovery Channel had been taping various flights. On Sunday, the Discovery Channel crew had mounted a small video camera on the Oklahoma Prefecture’s V-2. The Discovery Channel approached Bruce about mounting TWO video cameras (worth about $1,500 apiece!) to the Redstone. Of course, the answer was yes! One camera was mounted through the side of the tube right below where the Mercury capsule would sit. The other was attached towards the top of the escape tower. Considering the cancellation of the original camera, this was definitely a nice surprise. This was not the only surprise of the day. The founder of the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson , Patty Carey, had passed on to one of Alan Shepard’s daughter’s, Laura Shepard-Churchley, the news of what our group was doing. She and her husband, Fred, happened to be in the state helping their daughter move. Though it was on short notice, Laura along with her husband, Patty Carey, and a friend of the Churchley family (I did not catch her name, but thanks for taking some of my pictures for me!) arrived at the field around 10:00. It was definitely an honor and a privilege for all of us to meet one of the descendants of America’s first man in space. Later in the afternoon, Laura would get to push the launch button. It was too bad that Alan had died a year earlier and was not able to be here with us, but I think that he had a good view from where he is now. It was about 10:30 when everything else was shipped over to the launch pad. The rocket was definitely not going to fly at 11:00! Installation of the motor mount into the bottom tube was first. Before the mount was pushed all the way in, the fins were attached. Because the fit of everything was not perfect, one of the fins was removed and then the mount was able to move all the way in. Then the fourth fin was reinserted and the screws to it were tightened by reaching in and turning by hand. Rocketman parachutes were prepared and attached to all the major sections.

The upper body tube section went into the tower first. The tube was raised by a pulley suspended out of the top of the tower. While the tube was being raised, the pulley assembly started to bend. Fortunately, it held long enough for two come-alongs to secure the 100-plus-pound upper section. The bottom section was set on top of its special stand, the parachutes for the upper section were attached, and then the top section was lowered into place. When the top seated itself firmly into place, there was a definite sigh of relief considering how close the pulley had came to snapping. Next the capsule and the escape tower were hoisted up. With the capsule and the tower in place, this was the first time that our Mercury Redstone was completely assembled AND standing up. The rocket stood now at about 30 feet tall from the bottom of the fins to the top of the escape tower and had a diameter of 25 inches. The rocket weighed around 600 pounds fully loaded… it was a bit tricky trying to weigh each section several weeks earlier. Five parts (both body sections, the capsule, the escape tower, and the top of the escape tower) would be dropped separately by chutes provided by Ky Michaelson. There would be five separate teams of people that would track each one. The main electronic unit was supplied by Jim Amos and would be operated by several remotes; there was also a timer which acted as the backup. The muscle for the Redstone was a P13,000 provided by John Johnson… an average of 13,000 newtons-per-second for about a six second burn for a total 75,000 N/S (the THOR/I-SOAR Fire on the Farm II launch on April 17th through the 18th generated 63,585.75 N/S for the entire event!). Ky Michaelson had an extra package onboard… copies of the same postcards that were carried onboard the real Freedom 7. After many months of sweat and toil and thousands of dollars of contributions, the moment of truth was almost here!

We all arrived early in the morning to begin preparations for the big flight.


Ky Michaelson does some parachute preparations for the escape tower while Tobe Wood, Adam Davis, Kathy McGinnis, and Earl Cagle (Point 39 Productions) watches on.

While Bruce and the others were taking the first set of parts out to the field, Laura Shepard-Churchley arrived. Back row (l to r): Jim Amos (Missile Works), Mark Uhlenkamp, Mike Wrobel, and Mrs. Shepard-Churchley. Front row (l to r): Tobe Wood, Richard Burney, and Justin Hayes.

Tony Cochran and the others work on mating the fin canister/motor mount to the bottom tube.

The forward section is lowered into place.

The first time our rocket was fully assembled!


T-Minus 10, 9, 8… It was now after 3:00… way past the originally planned 11:00 or 1:00! The weather had continued to cooperate for us. The customary group pictures were taken… with Laura Shepard-Churchley included, of course! One of the Discovery Channel crew climbed the launch tower and turned on the cameras. Earl Cagle of Point 39 Productions had filmed assembly throughout the afternoon. He had now positioned his stationary camera about 50 feet away from the rocket. Ky and Jodi (Rocketman) had also been taping. Ky would be the closest person (about 300 feet away) to the rocket. Everyone else moved out to the dirt road about 400 feet away to the north. Two minutes before launch, the Argonia Fire Department fire truck, which was at LDRS the entire weekend, turned on its siren in order to warn everyone in the area of the impending launch. Shortly after the siren had stopped, the traditional 10 second countdown began. At the end of 10 seconds, Laura pushed the launch button. In about a second or two, a white/purplish glow emerged from the bottom of the nozzle. In about another two seconds, the P13,000 sprung to life. A powerful roar could be heard and a jet of white flame ripped into ground creating a two foot deep by three foot wide crater. The Redstone started to move. As the saying goes, even the well best plans always seem to go awry. After moving just a few feet in a split second, one of the worst things that could have happened, well, happened. As discovered later, a metallurgical defect existed in the motor casing. As the motor pressurized to full power, part of the case at the nozzle end ripped right open. The motor was designed so that if anything were to fail it would be the nozzle piece or the top end. When the motor blew open, the whole motor mount section blew apart sending fins, centering rings, body tube chunks, and other parts flying out in about a 50 ft radius from the pad. Everything else continued to sail up into the air for about another 50 ft. Unbelievably, when the entire forward section dropped down, it landed on the other side of the tower and impaling itself on top. The white hot propellant lay on the ground burning for another 10 seconds. By the time the fire truck arrived, the propellant had burned itself out. Fortunately, there was virtually no vegetation around; thus there was little risk of a fire starting. Most importantly, no one was hurt and no damage was incurred beyond what had happened to the Redstone. Even though we had just suffered this agonizing lost, we immediately began cleanup and salvaged what we could. The capsule and escape tower were pretty much intact. Jim Amos got his electronics back without any damage to speak of. All of the parachutes survived. Both Tony and myself got our I357’s back (I have already used

one!). Though the cameras were damaged, the Discovery Channel did get some excellent footage which will air next spring (2000). Parts of the motor mount and fins went home with various team members as souvenirs (I got the best fin, part of the board it was mounted to, and one of the postcards). Virtually everything was cleaned up including the disassembly of the launch tower in about an hour’s time after the launch. Before the end of the day, Earl Cagle had located the spot on the tape from his stationary camera showing the short, brief flight and let a number of us view the tape (thanks Earl!). It was definitely exciting to see all the action up close and to get a sneak preview of what would be on the next Point 39 tape. The next morning, our Redstone project was the lead article on the cover of the Wichita Eagle newspaper. An incredible shot of it blowing up had been taken by one of the newspaper’s photographers. Unfortunately, they did not print a shot of the rocket in its preflight form and they confused the name of the event (Large and Dangerous Rocket Ships) in place of Tripoli Rocketry Association, but it was still great to see us make the cover of a large newspaper. A few days after LDRS our hometown newspaper, the Omaha World Herald, interviewed Bruce about the project and his involvement with the hobby. The article ran in the morning and evening editions of the newspaper exactly one week after the Redstone’s flight.

Several group photos were taken including with Mrs. Shepard-Churchley (see cover page).


“3, 2, 1… oops!” It wouldn’t be until a few years later that we find out what caused the cato; due to an error in John Johnson’s Excel spreadsheet formulas, John ended up using too weak of an aluminum tube for the motor. “Oops……..”

You don’t see that everyday. Somehow, the forward section impaled onto the launch tower.

“Nothing to see here, please disperse!”

Conclusion… Though the final result was not what we wanted, I believe that everybody in the group would agree that the whole experience was rewarding and enjoyable. There have been very few people in this hobby that have tackled a project of this size. It gave a chance for everyone involved to apply all that they have learned from model/high power rocketry. All the lessons learned during this undertaking will be beneficial in all of our future group and individual projects. As for the next big thing to come from state of Nebraska, there are some things to keep an eye out for. The Nebraska Heat rocket will hopefully fly again a year or two from now; the middle body tube has to be finished and money has to be raised for possibly an N2000 powered flight. The Redstone capsule and escape tower might end up flying on a Little Joe replica. There is one more thing, but since I have been sworn to secrecy, the last item will be a surprise! Team Redstone… As a final acknowledgement to all involved with this project, here is the list of all individuals and companies that in some way contributed to the making of this great rocket: Bruce Lee (our grand leader), Kathy McGinnis, Lanie Cross (protective covers for the bottom of the fins), Rob Skiba (painting), Tony Cochran, Mark Uhlenkamp (the stand for the rocket to sit on), Scott Meinhardt, Larry Drake, Dale Miller, Richard Burney (lots of money, hard work, pictures, and this article!), Justin Hayes, Doug Deden, Tobe Wood, John Ritz (left for the East Coast right after LDRS… hope John comes back to visit!), David and Alex Pares, Eugene “Geno” Karnish, Mike Wrobel, Arley and Candy Davis (decals and the Redstone model for reference), Lyle and Alex Woodrum, Jim Amos of Missile Works (the electronics package), David Wilkins (who lives down in Australia and came all the way up here for LDRS!), John Johnson (the P13,000), Rocketry Online, and Public Missiles Limited (the internal tubing). If I have passed anybody over, I apologize for the exclusion.


Bush Vows to Expand 'Human Presence Across Our Solar

System' By Lon Rains (Space News Editor) and Brian Berger and Sam Silverstein (Space News Staff Writers) - Posted: 07:00 pm ET 14 January 2004 at www.space.com

UPDATE: Story first posted 3:48 p.m., EST, January 14, 2004 WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush today set in motion the most dramatic changes in NASA’s priorities since the dawn of the Apollo program more than 40 years ago and declared a new era in the age of space exploration.

“We will set a new course for America’s space program; we will give NASA a new focus. We will build new ships to carry man forward into the universe to gain a new foothold on moon and prepare for new journeys beyond Earth,” Bush told an overflow crowd at NASA headquarters in Washington.

The crowd included several members of Congress including House Majority Leader Tom Delay, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who flew a 1986 mission aboard shuttle Columbia as chairman of the House Science Committee.

Also present were Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), the current Chairman of the House Science Committee, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) the ranking minority member of the Science Committee, Rep. Bud Cramer (D-Ala.) and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.).

Delay said getting the President’s budget plan for the new program through Congress would not be a problem. “The wealth of this nation can sustain a program like this,” Delay said in an interview after Bush left the auditorium. “As the economy continues to grow and expand we will be able to afford an even more ambitious program in the future.”

Sen. Nelson agreed. “The President has given us the vision; now we have to put the juice behind it,” he said. Nelson said he also is eager to see the details of the budget plan, particularly how it will affect other NASA programs.

Bush was introduced by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and Expedition Eight commander Michael Foale, who offered televised greetings from the International Space Station.

Bush said he wished he could shake Foale’s hand and asked O’Keefe to bring him to the White House when he returns from low Earth orbit, an event planned for next April. The president also sought to reassure the other 15 countries involved in the International Space Station program that the United States will meet its obligations to them.

“Our first goal is to complete the international space station by 2010. We will finish what we have started. We will meet our obligations to our 15 international partners on this project. We will focus on future research aboard the station on the long-term effects of space travel on human biology,” Bush said.

“The environment of space is hostile to human beings. Radiation and weightlessness pose dangers to

human health and we have much to learn about their long-term effects before human crews can venture through the vast voids of space for months at a time. Research on board the station and here on Earth will help us better understand and overcome the obstacles that limit exploration.” NASA's New Mandate

Bush said that through such efforts NASA would develop the skills and techniques necessary to sustain further space exploration.

“To meet this goal we will return the space shuttle to flight as soon as possible, consistent with safety concerns and the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board,” Bush said.

The president said the shuttle's chief purpose during the next several years will be to help finish assembly of the International Space Station before it is mothballed. “In 2010, the space shuttle, after nearly 30 years of duty, will be retired from service,” Bush said.

The President announced the appointment of former Air Force Secretary Edward (Pete) Aldrich to head a commission that will report back to the White House in four months to let the President know what it will take for NASA to fulfill its new mandate.

Aldrich recently retired from his last job as the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. He also previously served as president of the Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo, Calif.

When asked by reporters if there are national security implications in the new plan, Aldrich said they would be indirect, such as the value of inspiring a new generation of young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.

Aldrich said he also at this point is not sure of the impact the new program will have on exiting programs or whether any NASA field centers will need to be closed. “I don’t know that yet,” he said.

After listing many of America’s accomplishments in space, Bush declared: “For all these successes, much remains for us to explore and learn.”

“We choose to explore space because doing so improves lives and improves our national spirit. So let us continue our journey,” Bush said.

Noting that it has been more than 30 years since humans set foot on the moon, Bush acknowledged the presence of Eugene Cernan, who as commander of Apollo 17 is the most recent man to walk on the Moon. “Gene Cernan said this as he left: ‘We leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.’ America will make those words come true,” Bush vowed to loud applause. Funding the New Vision

Bush said his new space exploration strategy initially will be paid for with $1 billion in new funding for NASA spread over the next five years, and by shifting $11 billion from other space agency programs.

Congressional sources said they were told that much of that reprogramming will affect science programs, particularly those not related to the new exploration efforts, but they said the NASA briefers declined to be specific about what programs might be affected.

“The rate of growth for the science budget will be slowed down,” one congressional source said.


Talking to reporters after Bush’s speech, Rep. Boehlert, whose committee, authorizes NASA programs, said “Earth Science and Aeronautics programs are not dead at NASA."

Gassem Asrar, NASA’s administrator for Earth Science said he actually sees a revitalized future for Earth science at NASA because of the applications that can be adapted for planetary explorations. A New Enterprise

Following the president's speech, O'Keefe offered reporters a preview of how NASA will be reorganized to handle the new exploration initiative.

The centerpiece of effort will be creation of a new Exploration Systems Enterprise, which will be responsible for the development of the proposed Crew Exploration Vehicle. The enterprise also will be given charge of other major space technology development efforts, such as the nuclear power and propulsion work that is part of Project Prometheus.

The new enterprise will be led by Rear Admiral Craig Steidle, according to NASA sources. Among his more recent jobs, Steidle was program manager for the Joint Strike Fighter Program.

As part of the reorganization, NASA is going to create a separate enterprise for its aeronautics research, which previously was lumped together with aerospace technology development. Ensuring Success

To duplicate former President John F. Kennedy’s success in winning congressional and popular support for his proposals, Bush needs to find a way to ensure that his vision endures even as political conditions shift, said Mike Griffin, a former NASA official who led NASA’s space exploration efforts in the early 1990s.

Kennedy’s dramatic pronouncement — and his call for Congress to support the effort’s “very heavy costs” — came as the United States was heavily engaged in the Cold War and had ample justification to show off its technological prowess, Griffin said. Yet by 1973 when the last Apollo capsule returned from the moon in triumphant fulfillment of Kennedy’s ambitions — the United States had set aside its interest in space in favor of other priorities laid out by President Richard M. Nixon, he said.

“We have repudiated nearly everything else that came out of the Nixon administration, but we are still living with the consequences of the Nixon space program,” said Griffin.

Today, as Bush seeks to restore NASA’s luster in the wake of the painful loss last year of the space shuttle Columbia, he will in a sense pick up where the Apollo program left off more than 25 years ago, said Lewis Peach, chief engineer of the Universities Space Research Association in Columbia, Md. “There was no buy into longer-term goals by NASA once the Apollo program stopped.” Peach said. “It wasn’t sustainable. Once it was done, there was nothing for the future."

Bush’s father, President George H.W. Bush, attempted to turn the United States back in the direction of Mars in a 1989 speech marking the 20th anniversary of the first lunar landing, Apollo 11. But Griffin – who joined NASA to turn the elder Bush’s ideas into reality – said the proposals never took hold because Congress did not see the value in investing heavily in space exploration.

“There’s an old saying that the administration proposes and Congress disposes,” Griffin said. The first President Bush was unable to convince the nation that “the country needs to be the pre-eminent space-faring nation because is it about exploring the frontier and that is what great nations do."

John Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at the George Washington University here, said the scathing report by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) could give Bush and NASA momentum as they seek the support that was lacking in 1989. Back then, said Logsdon, “NASA didn’t have the kind of criticism that came out the CAIB about it having a lack of vision. NASA wasn’t involved in the initiative, and they weren’t very enthusiastic.”

Griffin said it will be essential for Bush’s space vision to resonate deeply enough with the public that future presidents and members of Congress are not tempted to scale back or derail the nation’s space ambitions. Griffin noted that programs with broad public appeal - such as Social Security, established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s – endure indefinitely even as they periodically come up for debate. “While someone must first articulate the vision, succeeding political administrations must continue [to support it],” he said.

Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), whose district comprises much of Florida's Space Coast, thinks such support can be sustained.

"I think this is the best thing that has happened to the space program in decades. When you really look back over the last 30 years we've had a lack of clarity, purpose and direction. George W. Bush laid out a plan that I think is doable from a financial and political side as well."

Senior Producer Jim Banke contributed to this story from the Cape Canaveral Bureau.

Other Stuff

Larry Vetter recently sent me a picture of his FlisKits ACME Spitfire… Larry says it flies quite well!


Deep Space Network 2-for-1 Sale!

By Patrick L. Barry

Call it a "buy one, get one free" sale for

astronomers: Build a network of radio dishes for communicating with solar-system probes, get a world-class radio telescope with a resolution nearly as good as a telescope the size of Earth!

That's the incidental bonus that NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) offers the astronomy community. Designed to maintain contact with distant spacecraft in spite of the Earth's rotation, the large, widely spaced dishes of the DSN are ideal for performing a form of radio astronomy called "very long baseline interferometry" (VLBI).

VLBI produces very high resolution images of the cosmos by combining the output from two or more telescopes. The result is like having a giant "virtual" telescope as large as the distance between the real dishes! Since bigger telescopes can produce higher resolution images than smaller ones, astronomers need to use dishes that are as far apart as possible.

That need dovetails nicely with the DSN's design. To maintain continuous contact with deep space missions, the DSN has tracking stations placed in California, Spain, and Australia. These locations are roughly equally spaced around the Earth, each about 120 degrees of longitude from the others-that way at least one dish can always communicate with a probe regardless of Earth's rotation. That also means, though, that the straight-line distance between any two of the stations is roughly 85 percent of Earth's diameter-or about 6,700 miles. That's almost as far apart as land-based telescopes can be.

"We often collaborate with other VLBI groups around the world, combining our dishes with theirs to produce even better images," says Michael J. Klein, manager of the DSN Science Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Since our 70-meter dish in Canberra, Australia, is the largest dish in the southern hemisphere, adding that dish in particular makes a huge difference in the quality of a VLBI observation."

Even though only about 1 percent of the DSN's schedule is typically spared from probe-tracking duty and scheduled for radio astronomy, it manages to make some important contributions to radio astronomy. For example, the DSN is currently helping image the expanding remnant of supernova 1987A, and Dr. Lincoln Greenhill of the

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is using the DSN dishes to explore a new way to measure the distances and velocities of galaxies.

And all this comes as a "bonus" from the dishes of the DSN.

To introduce kids to multi-wavelength astronomy, NASA's website for kids, The Space Place, has just added the interactive demo, "Cosmic Colors," at spaceplace.nasa.gov/cosmic .

This article was provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.


THOR Meeting Minutes Compiled by Richard Burney, Secretary

THOR Meeting Minutes 1/6/04

Attendance: Richard Burney, Bruce Lee, Jeff Moon, Arley Davis, Harold Ostler, Denis Gilbert, Greg Rothman, Kevin Trojanowski, Rick Bosworth, Sherri Bosworth, Doug Deden, Troy Muller, and Larry Drake. Meeting starts at 19:05.

Greg Rothman shows some of the flights that were featured on Extreme Rocketry’s LDRS XXII DVD. Harold Ostler is introduced. Harold belongs to a local ultra-light club and wants some of us to attend on of their meetings to let us present our hobby. Harold saw our display at the Offutt air show. AeroTech his filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The ATF van fire story is indeed true. Tripoli does have insurance coverage for its members this year. After some hassles, a deal was settled with the company Tripoli currently deals with. Rich Burney talks about the new newsletter design he has completed. Rich also talks about some of his winter projects such as his Mean Machine and Level 3 project. Rick Bosworth talks about his experimental motor testing and shows some pictures of his tests. Kevin Trojanowski is finishing up repairs on his scaled-up Mars Landers from a few years ago. Kevin reports that his wife Deb, along with Sherri Bosworth, will be teaming up to fly an M capable rocket later this year. Greg passes around his X-15 book (by Apogee Books). Greg has been working on the new controller system for the club and will bring it to a future meeting. Troy Muller plans on doing some sort of “artsy” day or night time project using rockets, mylar balloons, LED lights etc. Arley shows us some of his latest acquisitions (decals, etc.). Arley recently finished an authentic Mars Lander, though he does not plan on flying it. Ky Michaelson’s Super Bowl party will be on the weekend of February 1st. Treasurer’s report: $121 left at the end of the year. Members need to pay their dues! Rich Burney suggests that we start doing a raffle again to help generate income. First TV wants to do three sets of Rocket Challenge shows – in consideration for coverage is LDRS, Balls, and a spring launch. Tweaks are made to the 2004 calendar. Watch some more LDRS footage. Meeting adjourned at 21:20.

THOR Meeting Minutes 2/3/04 Attendance: Richard Burney, Bruce Lee, Arley Davis, Jeff Moon, Matt Jones, Bill Richardson, Andrew Wimmer, Ann Wimmer, George Wimmer, Greg Rothman, Rick Bosworth, Kevin Trojanowski, Jon Damme, and Denis Gilbert. Meeting starts at 19:10. Bruce shows some of the footage he recorded at Ky’s house over the weekend. Due to 15 inches of snow falling in the Minneapolis area, Ky’s rocket powered backpack (which Bruce was going to use), tricycle, and other rocket powered stuff couldn’t be put to use, but some test firings were done in Ky’s driveway instead. AeroTech is up for sale due to their bankruptcy. Various rocket companies and private rocketeers are looking into buying AeroTech. According to Kevin Trojanowski, one of the members of the Rocket Babes, Beth Sims(?), died recently from an undetected brain tumor. Beth and the other Rocket Babes were involved in the From the Ground Up contest on Rocket Challenge. Rich Burney shows the work he has done on rebuilding his Mobile Rocket Gundam. Rich recently bought the NASA Archives DVD set covering the Gemini missions. Kevin Trojanowski and Rick Bosworth talk about the results of their motor testing. George and Andrew Wimmer show the remains of Andrew’s modified, two-stage modification of the AeroTech Arcas which he was using as a test rocket for the NAR’s Team America contest. Andrew also shows his customized Team America design which is a two stage rocket. The nose cone and payload section, for the eggs and electronics, is 2” in diameter and it transitions to a smaller diameter tube. The first stage is powered by a G while the second stage is powered by a C which is ignited by a Missile Works PET2 timer. The rocket needs to come as close to 1,250’ as possible. Andrew shows a tape of some of his team America test flights. Bill Richardson is doing a 7.5” diameter upscale of the Estes Fat Boy. The rocket has a central 98mm motor tube with a 6x 29mm cluster. Jeff Moon shows a pyramidesque looking rocket, the Quibit, which is by Art Applewhite Rockets (www.artapplewhite.com). Arley shows the new Estes Outlander kit which has legs similar to the old Mars Lander. Very cool looking kit. Arley has started to rebuild Candy’s Zoom Broom. THOR Auction next month. The launch for the 27th of March has been rescheduled to the 20th. Since the Offutt air show will be on August 21st and 22nd, the August 21st launch will now be on the 28th. Meeting adjourned at 21:30.


What is THOR?

The Heartland Organization of Rocketry (THOR) is both an officially sanctioned Prefecture of the Tripoli Rocketry Association (Tripoli Nebraska #46) and Section (#562) of the National Association of Rocketry. THOR strictly adheres to the safety guidelines established by both rocketry associations. THOR has been actively involved in the hobby of model rocketry (low power, high power, and experimental) in southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa since the early 1990’s. THOR members, along with their projects, have appeared on national television programs such as Rocket Challenge (The Discovery Channel), Extreme Machines (The Learning Channel), Junkyard Wars (TLC), and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not (TBS).

When and where does THOR meet?

Meetings are usually held the first Tuesday of the month at the La Vista Community Center at 8116 Parkview St., La Vista, NE – turn east at the Sinclair Gas Station on 84th St. and go a block east (look for the big US flag). Visitors are welcome to attend.

When and where does THOR fly?

From March through November, THOR conducts one low power launch (1/4A – F class) and one high power launch (1/4A – N class) each month. Low power launches are held at the soccer fields south of 66th and Harrison in La Vista, NE. High power launches are held east of Pickrell, NE which is 30 miles south of Lincoln. THOR conducts two three-day high power rocketry events each year: Fire on the Farm and Nebraska Heat.

THOR’s Hammer…

THOR’s Hammer is the official newsletter of THOR. On average, it is published on a bimonthly basis. THOR’s Hammer is available to THOR members in PDF format (via e-mail) or is mailed to those without Internet access. Members are welcomed to contribute articles and pictures to the newsletter.

For additional information…

For any additional questions or to check on the status of an upcoming launch, call THOR locally at (402) 896-2069 or toll free at 1-888-546-0396 (there is a voice mail option at the end of the message). Interested parties may also write their inquiries to the address at the right and are also welcome to contact any of THOR’s officers.

THOR Membership Application Personal Information

Name:_____________________________ Address:___________________________ City:_______________________________ State:___________ Zip Code:__________ Phone Number:_____________________ E-mail:_____________________________

Hobby Information

How long have you been in model rocketry:____________ Do you belong to a national rocketry organization - enter your membership number to the applicable organization:

NAR#____________ TRA#____________

Are you certified for high power rocketry – check mark your applicable TRA and/or NAR Certification Level: Level 1_______ Level 2_______ Level 3_______

Membership Rates

Half year membership rates will be divided by 2 and will add $1. Write you check payable to “The Heartland Organization of Rocketry” or “THOR”. Mail check and form to the below address or bring to the next meeting. Family Membership - $36 Senior Membership (18 and over) - $24 Junior Membership (18 and under) - $12 Correspondence Membership (members over 50 miles away from Omaha) - $10 I agree to comply with THOR’s policies as pertains to the safety guidelines set forth by Tripoli and the NAR. Failure to do so or conduct deemed unbecoming may result in expulsion from the club. Signature:__________________________ Dated:_____________________________ The Heartland Organization of Rocketry

6211 South 141st St. Omaha, NE 68137

Membership in The Heartland Organization of

Rocketry is open to all interested parties.

mercury redstone… – page 4 page 14 thor’s hammer page 16 ... · event: high power launch....

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