Apollo Moon Booster Still Flies as Detailed Model Rocket

space.com ^ | October 29, 2003 | Jim Banke

[Cincinatus' Wife]

built in repeat business!

It kept you mowing the lawn!

[narby]

I was even a member of a "rocket club". We had meetings and everything.

Had the most fun building an Estes radio transmitter that flew, and a movie camera that got pictures of a "D" engine that blew up on launch. Cool.

But that was kid stuff. Check this web site out> www.tripoli.org (don't know how to post links):

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Tripoli

[ccmay]

Darn shame it was before my time

I was only four. It's one of my earliest memories. I was sitting on my grandfather's lap, watching a black-and-white TV, and he told me never to forget this moment as long as I lived. I haven't, and won't.

-ccm

[adx]

Stick around we're going back.

Good. Better than letting the Chicoms get their grubby paws on such an excellent bombardment (via mass driver) platform.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

No we don't want to do that!

Bush May Announce Return To Moon At Kitty Hawk *** Washington - Oct 29, 2003 A report by Space Lift Washington and published by NASA Watch suggests a major new space policy initiative is under consideration and may be announced by US President George Bush at celebrations planned for the centenary of flight at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina December 17th.

As the full implications sinks in of funding three decades of a space program with no serious long term policy planning, Congress has become increasingly hesitant to offer NASA a blank check anymore.

From a variety of backgrounds and constituencies, pressure is being placed on Congress and the Bush Administration to get serious about space.

Arguing that the problem is not so much any perceived threats from China, many seasoned industry professionals are pointing to the public fiscal responsibilities of Congress to oversee NASA's spending, and the mounting pressure from the commercial sector that wants a new deal for space vendors that sees the cosy big aerospace dominance of the industry - and funding - broken up.

In among all this is the assumption that the US cannot end its human spaceflight program. And if the money is to be spent, then it should be spent with specific national technology and industry goals in place - including measures to encourage new suppliers to offer services at what is hoped will be lower prices.

According to Space Lift Washington, President Bush may announce at Kitty Hawk a return to manned lunar exploration but without any specific massive new funding, forcing NASA to get serious about what it wants to do with it considerable human spaceflight assets and decades of experience.

The idea of exploring space again has a glimmer of hope.

The initiative by Bush follows a year-long review of the future directions of the American space program in the immediate decades ahead.

Space Lift's Frank Sietzen quoting Washington sources writes that a central recommendation maybe the "resumption of manned lunar flights to develop advanced technologies that can support U.S. astronauts working beyond Earth orbit to not only the Moon, but eventually to near-Earth asteroids and Mars."

The Space Lift report further added that: "in an early phase of the meetings, manned Mars expeditions were considered too expensive and risky to adopt as a central goal for the civil space program"

However, Bush was said to being "urged to factor in future interplanetary manned flight capabilities as part of the justification for a return to the moon."***

[Orangedog]

I stood next to the Saturn 5 in Florida. You almost have to do that in order to appriciate just how huge that monster really is.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It's massive.

The Earth as seen across the lunar north pole by the UVVIS camera, the large crater in the foreground is Plaskett. The Earth actually appeared about twice as far above the lunar horizon as shown. 1994 Clementine Lunar Orbiter Mission

[Squawk 8888]

Thanks for posting this- I have met Van Milligan, he's one of the best model kit designers in the business- the Estes Cato was a classic.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[chimera]

Good stuff. My brother and I built the Estes Industries Saturn V kit. We flew it successfully the first time using a three-engine cluster. That was impressive. We tried a second flight with a three-engine cluster and only one of the three engines ignited. It went about 50 feet up and crashed back down nose-first. I repaired the crumpled stage as best I could and then tried another flight using a 'D' series engine in an adapter (sold by Estes) mounted in the original cluster engine mount. For some reason, that engine assembly just blew through the rocket body when ignited. After that, the model was retired to shelf display. Alas...

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I never built any but one of my brothers and my husband were big time rocket builders. My brother would fly gecko lizards and Cincinatus flew cameras and eggs (to see if they'd come down unbroken).

[quietolong]

That was a big rocket!
Was there for the Apollo 17 launch. Wow! The night turned to sunset orange. And after about a minute could feel the heat blast as a warm 20mph wind. And we were 9 miles away!

What do you use to launch that baby? A “Z” engine.

Aaa the good old NASA days.

Not like now!

NASA gets away with blatant age discrimination AND Some reader feedback.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1007763/posts