Starting in the 1980s, the variety of rocket kits and parts began to go into decline. The more exotic rocket designs were removed from the market and replaced by relatively simple but boring designs. There were also fewer manufacturers of small model rockets. Those that remained began to take advantage of the lack of competition and raised prices of their products several fold. These price increases drove some potential rocketeers out of the hobby and shut down some organized rocket groups.
To cut down on the cost of building a rocket, the building methods and material sources that were used in the late 1950s were reintroduced. Building this new era of recycled parts rockets have dropped the cost of the hobby for many fliers. Using recycled parts is also in keeping with the environmental concerns of the late 20th century.
Download a copy of the plan. This plan details the construction of the world's first practical model rocket. It dates back to the mid-1950s. Hobbyist class of rocket were flown as early as the mid 1920s in Germany and late 1930s in America. However, these rockets used converted firework rocket motors that often did not function properly. Even when the motors worked, the rockets often lacked a reliable recovery system. The Mark 2 was the first vehicle to incorporate both a reliable motor and recovery system to allow the rocket to be reused. G. Harry Stine, founder of the National Association of Rocketry, is credited for popularizing the hobby in the early days.
TUBE DIAMETER--1 INCH
NUMBER OF FINS--3
FIN MATERIAL--3/32" BALSA
Painting Details
There was no real standard paint scheme for the Carlisle Mark II. The nose cone was fashioned from one inch diameter plastic crayon sharpener which came in whatever color the manufacturer decided to use. The rocket body for the Mark II was painted using a variety of colors. The replica of the Mark II rocket that is on display at the Internation Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico was built by Harry Stine in 1987 and sports a red cone with an orange body. When Stine wrote an article debuting model rocketry in the October, 1957 issue of Mechanix Illustrated, he had several models of the Mark II painted with black fins and a white body tube. These colors made the rockets look clear and crisp in black and white photos that appeared in Mechanix Illustrated.
The Japan Association or Rocketry G. Harry Stine Memorial Launch.
The President of the Japan Association of Rocketry, Makoto Yamata, built and flew a full scale replica of the Carlisle Mark II at the opening session of the Japan Association or Rocketry Annual Meet (JARAM). The rocket was flown and recovered successfully in late November 1997 using an A8-5 motor. The rocket was painted the same way Harry Stine painted his Mark 2s for the Mechanix Illustrated article of October 1957--black fins with a white body tube and nose cone.
1. Paper towel/bathroom tissue/x-mas tree wrapping paper core tubing
--this is used to build the basic fusalage of the rocket.
2. Scrap matte board
--this is used for centering rings to hold the rocket motor and for fins or fin parts.
3. Easter eggs/Gumball machine hemisphere capsules/Leggs Sheer Energy Pantyhose capsules (if you can find one).
--these can be used for nose cones.
4. Soda Straws
--this serves as part of the guidance system for launch (the "launch lug").
5. File Folder Labels (such as "Avery" Brand).
--you will need these to stick onto plastic parts where paper has to be glued onto them.
The file folders labels eliminate the need to use some exotic CA or epoxy glue that either requires mixing or putting up with toxic fumes.
6. Balsa sheeting
--this is used for fins and other components like standoffs for the straws so that they are some distance from the wall of the paper tube.
7. paint
--My recommendation would be acrylic. It is usually non-toxic (unless the label notes the presence of heavy metals like cadmium).
Acrylic paint can be brushed on in thin coats.
Spray paint can be used but it is messy and it can smell awful--bad for kids.
8. Thin Cardboard
--a good source of this material is the nearest art supply store. Ask for 2 ply Bristol brand board.
You use this to make transition shrouds for more advance rocket designs. Other cardboard types can also be use as long as they are the
thickness of 2 ply Bristol board.
1. white or yellow glue
2. razor blades
3. ruler
4. compass
5. protractor
6. scissors
7. sharpened pencil
8. "chrome" metal tape for heating-A/C ducts
The Saturn-V rocket kit has always been a favorite rocket for people to build. The kit is no longer available and people are paying obscene amounts of money and mounting major expeditions to try to find the few remaining unbuilt kits that are available for sale. By using recycled parts and some creative construction, one can build a quality Saturn-V for the price of one commercially made 18" nylon parachute ($4-$6) ! The ones that I fly use 2 nylon parachutes. Even those are recycled because they are Vietnam War surplus 18" flare parachutes. Those parachutes can be purchased for as little as $2.50 a piece.
Download a copy of the lower half of the plan.
The picture above shows how to build the lower two stages of a Saturn-V scale model. If you are using a 3" diameter x-mas tree paper core tube to assemble the stage, you will need around 17 inches of tube. Inside the this tube goes a stuffer tube that holds the motor mount and recovery system for the lower section of the rocket. It is best that the lower and upper sections of the rocket be recovered separately from one another. The stuffer tube is made from 1 3/4" paper towel core tubing.
For the purposes of simplicity, I have elected to delete the tail fairings from the assembly of the lower section. For a novice rocketeer, trying to fabricate accurate tail fairings is an ordeal. The fairing are a major source of drag on the rocket. I have also noted the tendancy for the tail fairings to crumple after several flights. Saturns without the tail fairings are easier to maintain and still look realistic to distant spectators. Painting the Saturn fin areas as they would appear on the real rocket will aid in disguising the omission.
Other details on the first stage include the launch lug and the fuel lines. the model need 2 lines that are opposite one another. Launch lug details can be determined from the drawing.
Download a copy of the upper half of the plan.
Shown above is the layout for the construction of the upper section of the Saturn-V model. It consists of a short section of main fusalage tube, a section of the is tube that is cut to form a coupler, a narrower tube that forms the third stage, cardboard couplers to hold the third stage to the main tube, and a paper shroud.
Those people wanting to add an escape tower can build one from an 1/8 " dowel that is 2 inches long and rounded at the top. Glue this dowel to the tip of the Apollo Command Module.
I have decorated the third stage with some of the fuel lines and other external details that exist on the actual vehicle. For those want more information about external structures as well as painting information, just head down to the local library and check out a book on the Apollo program. Saturn-V pictures are very common and the color scheme is quite basic. One can also do a WWW search to find additional images. Refer to the Saturn link below for a set of on-link resources on the Saturn-V. Those wanting actual scale plans can get them from the National Association of Rocketry Technical Service (NARTS). Refer to the NAR link below for more information.
I am somewhat vague about actual measurements because I do not use standard tubes to build my Saturns. Each rocket requires a new set of scale measures to get the proportions right. The measurements listed above give one a general idea of how long certain parts should be in relation to others. The drawings that are shown above do provide important internal layout information.
Most of the artwork for this page was developed on an 68020 LC Macintosh.
Old Macs never die--They just adapt to new eras.
The Man Behind the Astrosaint.
As of the first week of August, 1997, it would appear that all Apple Macintosh users have been assimulated by and their cultual distintiveness has been added to that of a foreign intruder. Spock would probably say "A most unpleasent situation Captain". Perhaps the batteries did need a recharge...
It is a good thing the feds are in the process of showing Microsoft's Legion of Darkness the virtues of individualism.
Photo created by Charie Bonoit--archived by Mac Addict (www.macaddict.com)
The THOR Model Rocket Home Page The National Association of Rocketry Home Page BayNAR of San Francisco, CA--The other rocket club by the bay.
Follow link to the Saturn-V Home Page---This page has to be seen. It is worth a look.
A Compilation of Launch Vehicle Photographs
© 1997 sfkee@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us
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