The Rocketry Show Podcast
The Rocketry Show is hosted by three rocket geeks, CG, Gheem, and Daniel The Rocket n00b. As a team, we strive to entertain as well as inform you on the topics of Model and High Power rocketry as well as STEM relates activities built around amateur rocketry. We will occasionally delve a little into the world of
S11 E133 · Mon, March 31, 2025
Ep133: It's a Rocket Party!
CG and Andrew visit Steve Eves' workshop where many local High Power rocketry enthusiasts had a party. We talk to Steve, Chris Pearson and a few fellow rocketry folks with a few fun conversations. Enjoy! Mentioned in this episode: eRockets The Rocketry Forum
S11 E132 · Mon, November 11, 2024
Rocket friends talking Rockets with Andrew Kleinhenz
Welcome to another Rocket Friends episode (Formerly called Workshop Talk) In today's episode it's a Rocket Friends general rocketry discussion. We're joined by our good friend Andrew Kleinhenz and we cover a broad range of topics including: -Becoming a Prefect of a Tripoli chapter for the first time -The full story of "The Fainter of Goats" - The resolution to the AP supply issue from Aerotech - Speaking of...the right way to get into motor making - First time @ Airfest thoughts And more! Patrons, stay around after the closing theme for a cute short story at the end! "The Fainter of Goats " rocket...which has an amazing story that we share in this episode! Mentioned in this episode: eRockets eRockets The Rocketry Forum
S11 E131 · Mon, October 21, 2024
131: Why do our rockets turn into the wind?
Welcome to the Season 11 premiere of The Rocketry Show! In this episode, we talk to Tom Fetter on a deep dive on why do our rockets turn into the wind?Tom's done a lot of research, and was excited to join us to share! Mentioned in this episode: eRockets eRockets The Rocketry Forum
S10 E130 · Sun, September 29, 2024
Pre-Season Test 2 - Is this antenna the correct one to track my rocket?
CG and Gheem gather for another test episode drop. We're making sure everything is good to go for the new season. We got a question from a listener that CG thought would make a good topic for this test drop episode... Mentioned in this episode: The Rocketry Forum
Trailer · Thu, September 26, 2024
Bonus Pre-Season Episode: Our first drop on the new system
CG and Gheeem get together to test our new podcast distribution setup before we start the new season by mid October. We talk about what we've been up to the past couple of months as well! Mentioned in this episode: The Rocketry Forum North Coast Rocketry
Trailer · Sun, September 22, 2024
TRS Update
As we prepare for a new season of The Rocketry Show, we have some technical work to do... This MIGHT cause a glitch in our feed that you might notice when we flip the switch, so to speak. Hopefully not! CG explains in this short drop...
S10 E130 · Mon, July 22, 2024
Remembering Gleda Estes (Ep 130)
We remember one of the key founding members of Estes Rockets. Gleda Estes passed away earlier this year while we were out of production. We chose to dedicate an episode to her memory by listening to a re-enacting of the early years of Estes Rockets that she and husband Vern performed at NSL 2018.
S10 E129 · Mon, July 08, 2024
Rocket Friends (ep #129)
Welcome to our first "Rocket Friends episode of the new show format. This type of show was formerly called "Workshop Talk". In this episode we are joined with Bill and Rachel Daigle and they catch us up on their hobby adventures. Also in this episode: CG's flight computer project ticks along, and he talks about how that is shaping up. Gheem is grilled by all of us on what it's like to have his High School rocket team accepted into the NASA Student Launch competition this year. Enjoy!
S10 E128 · Mon, June 24, 2024
Flying rockets to the edge of space! (Ep 128)
What's it like to send your hobby rocket to near space? Our guest, Kip Daugirdas explains. Kip is a Level 3 rocketeer, and he'll share his experiences and share some inside tips on the topic. He can be found on Twitter: @kipdaugirdas If you wish to follow Kip's Youtube channel, you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@kdaugi
S10 E127 · Thu, June 06, 2024
The Spaceport Americas Cup with Steve Taylor (ep127)
Steve Taylor, President of ESRA the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) joins us to talk all things Spaceport America Cup . The IREC event has been going on for over 20 years now, and there is a lot to learn about it!
S10 E126 · Mon, May 20, 2024
NARCON 2024 quick review...and...why the long silence?
A bit delayed, but here we are! In this episode, we do a quick review of NARCON 2024, and we give a look behind the curtain to tell you what has been going on...
S10 E125 · Sun, December 10, 2023
The Radio Rocket Project
On this episode, our guest is Vance Martin, an amateur radio operator who goes under the callsign N3VEM. Martin became involved in rocketry as a kid in the typical way; seeing model rockets at the local hobby shop, and discovering the hobby with a friend. As he moved into middle and high school, he discovered mid and high power rocketry through online rocketry communities. While in college he built a PML 1/4 Scale Patriot rocket to use for his Level One, but was unable to find a nearby club to certify, so his L1 rocket sat collecting dust over the years. After college, Vance discovered ham radio, and earned his amateur radio callsign N3VEM, and built a portable station in his vehicle so that he could play radio while being out and on the road for work. As seems to be a pre-requisite for Ham Radio, Vance also became a software and hardware 'tinkerer', so for him, building radio-related projects turned out to be a lot of fun, and is still what he calls his 'primary hobby.' Vance became a Born-Again-Rocketeer about a year ago, when his two older kids found the Patriot rocket stashed in the corner of the family storage room. They asked 'What is this!?!' "...and just like that" says Vance " we started building up a fleet of little Estes kits." Vance decided that it would be fun to combine the two hobbies, and start tinkering with radio and electronic payloads for their rockets. "I knew that 'off the shelf' stuff was available, but being a tinkerer, I wanted to build my own." he recalls. He continues. "I wanted to target mid-power sized rockets with my projects, since I still live in the same town, and still don't have easy access to a club with a high-power launch site." Vance enjoys his hobbies, and is having fun, saying "I'm still very much a rocketry noob, but I'm having a blast dabbling around with building the rockets, and hacking around at hardware and software for the rockets' payloads." Vance's website is : https://n3vem.com/blog/RadioRocketV2/
S9 E124 · Wed, July 12, 2023
Are you REALLY 'GO' to use your full FAA waiver?
Are you really 'GO' to use your full FAA waiver? Greg Young shares his experiences with this topic, and what he learned is an eye opening education for all rocketeers! About our guest...Greg shares his background in rocketry... My rocketry experience started in 1961, at the ripe old age of 10years, when I ordered, built and flew rockets from Estes Industries. Try as I may, I was not successful at getting local hobby shops to carry rocketry supplies at that time, as the owners felt they were dangerous fireworks. My flying continued until taking a hiatus during my college, and then post graduate years. When my oldest daughter expressed an interest in rockets (while in 3rd grade) my flying resumed. I joined NAR, and TRA at that time and formed a local rocketry club, the Southtown's Amateur Rocket Society (STARS). When my youngest daughter left middle school for high school, I wound up taking another hiatus, and the club disbanded. My flying hiatus ended when my grandchildren expressed interest in rocketry. I rejoined NAR and TRA, and decided to go through the official high power certification program (something not required back in the 1980's when I flew) and am currently a level 3 flier. I have been involved in 2 NY rocketry groups, one in Geneseo, the other in Penn Yan, and have served from 2016 through the end of 2022 as a member of board of directors, the VP, the waiver holder, the RSO and also served the Prefect of the former for part of that time. I have served on the planning committees for LDRS 34, NSL 2018, and NARAM 62, and during those launches was involved on the field running the range safety operations. Currently I have been involved with local youth (high school and college age primarily), and officially have mentored several school ARC teams which have gone to nationals, and most recently a high school team who was chosen to participate in the 2023 NASA student launch initiative and went on to the nationals in Huntsville. I am hoping to get time to be able to fly more, and mentor more student groups going forward. They are, after all, our future...
S9 E123 · Mon, May 29, 2023
NSL West 2023 with Matthew Abbey and Ed Lacroix
The Rocketry Show team talk NSL West 2023 with Ed Lacroix and Matt Abbey.
Bonus · Thu, April 06, 2023
In Memory of Jeff Kodysz
Jeff Kodysz was a very talented rocketeer. His talents stretched from 3D printing, Lazer Etching, and he had a knack with making logos. He created the current logo for The Rocketry Show that you look at everytime you visit our website or listen to one of our episodes. Jeff passed away a few weeks ago after a short battle with illnesses. He will be missed by his friends, family, and us. We are all glad to have known him.
Bonus · Tue, April 04, 2023
Quick announcement from CG
CG stops by to give a quick update on technical changes some of you may have noticed, and what that means.
S9 E122 · Mon, April 03, 2023
NARCON '23 and the Launch Calendar (So Far)
The team talk about Narcon 2023, and we review this year’s calendar of big launch events so far…
S9 E121 · Mon, January 30, 2023
Joe Pfeiffer of Open Rocket
In the first episode of Season 9, we talk to Joe Pfeiffer of the Open rocket team, diving a bit deeper into the program’s features, and some use case items for advanced and High power rocketry.
Bonus · Mon, January 09, 2023
Bonus: Model Rocket Show – Open Rocket Overview with Neil Weinstock
A brief summary of this episode
Bonus · Fri, December 30, 2022
December 2022 News Update
chapAppDescJesse and Gheem give a news update for December. The next season of The Rocketey Show starts in January!
Bonus · Mon, August 01, 2022
August 2022 News Update
The full Rocketry Show team assemble to drop the latest news updates from the hobby AeroTech/Quest News AeroTech RMS K750ST-PS Rocket Motor Reload Kit New Product Information Release 7/11/22 AeroTech/Quest is pleased to announce the Tripoli certification and immediate availability of our new RMS Reloadable Motor System K750ST-PS rocket motor reload kit, AeroTech’s 2nd rocket motor reload kit designed to use the single-grain RMS-75/1280 hardware. Perfect for heavy rockets launched from small fields, the K750ST-PS delivers 1,298.7 N-Sec (292.0 lb.- Sec.) of total impulse with a 1.74 burn time and an all-up weight in motor hardware of 4.29 lb. (1,945.9 g). It’s also a great booster for two-stage rockets, and features AeroTech’s aerospace-grade Super Thunder (ST) propellant formulation with a burn rate midway between Blue Thunder and Warp-9 propellant types. The K750ST-PS generates a peak thrust of 835.7 N (187.9 lb.) with an average thrust of 746.6 N (167.9 lb.). Super Thunder propellant displays a bright blue flame with prominent Mach diamonds and little smoke. <p style= "margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: in
Bonus · Tue, June 21, 2022
TRS - Rocketry Hobby News Update
Items in this news podcast: SMT Designs releases all of their rocketry designs to public domain Steve Thatcher: "With my upcoming LDRS 40 trip and TRA Tech session there on "3D Printed Modular Avionics Bays", I wanted to make an announcement, so here it is..." Steve Thatcher says “I am in the process of releasing all of my rocketry designs to the public domain under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International” You can read the licensing in detail at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ You can find the designs on http://www.tinkercad.com/ by simply doing a "People" search for "SteveThatcher". Once you find the profile, click it to view the parts. Steve has also tagged the parts with “SMTDESIGNS”, “AVBAY”, and “ROCKETRY”, but you will get more "hits" that way of other non-related parts. My intent in doing this is to propagate the footprint standard I created for devices and batteries over the last years, so the rocketry community could benefit. Thatcher says “I would also like to see my designs come to a greater use by making them available for no cost to those that have the required equipment.” Steve asks that the footprints for carriers and platforms remain unchanged. Thatcher says”I recognize the need to change things when necessary, but changing footprints negates the universal benefit they provide. Take the time to look at my entire library of parts to get a system view of why things were done.” Steve will be available to answer questions through SMT Designs, and the SMT Designs facebook page. _______________________________ Tripoli News During the LDRS 40 Member's Banquet it was announced that that the Tripoli Wisconsin Association, Tripoli Green Bay, and Tripoli Chicago will be hosting LDRS 41 at the Richard Bong Recreation Area located in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. The event is planned to take place July 6, 7, 8 and 9, 2023. More details and information will be coming soon. _______________________________ New Unified TRA Safety Code https://www.tripoli.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=795696&module_id=520420 Tripoli Rocketry Association unveiled its new “unified” safety code on May1 of this year. President Bob Brown notes that: Under this safety code, there are no longer Commercial launches or Research launches, just Tripoli launches. There are some changes to the current safety code, such as a common safe distance table, a safety code for both model rockets as well as radio-controlled boosted gliders as well as other changes. Tripoli asks all members to please take the time to read the document in its entirety. Mr. Brown notes that “While your first reaction will probably be there seem to be a lot more rules under this new document, in fact, almost nothing more restrictive has been adopted it’s just compiled into one document now.” TRA notes that they
Bonus · Sat, June 04, 2022
Bonus: Conway Stevens answers your questions, and ...where are the show hosts?
Conway Stevens answers your questions from Episode 115.
S8 E120 · Mon, April 25, 2022
Mike Crupe of Mack Performance Rocketry!
Sorry for the delay. Lots going on in our worlds, and we talk about it later in the show...BUT more importantly: Mike Crupe joins us from Mac Performance rocketry ! We've learned about a new (to us) way to do rocketry! CG gets pulled in big time, and you'll find out why when you listen! Enjoy!
S8 E119 · Mon, February 14, 2022
Bill and Rachel Daigle!
Join our guests, Bill and Rachel Daigle, who are known as father and daughter rocketeers from our neighbors up North in New Brunswick CA! Bill talks to us about his tenure as an officer of the Canadian Rocketry Association and his career as a hobby rocketeer! He even has graced the cover of Sport Rocketry. Rachel tells us about how she was involved in the hobby at a young age and the joys of flying with Bill. Bill and Rachel talk about their individual projects and shed some insight into their largest scratch built upscales. We talk to them about their road to CAR Level 4 in High Powered Rocketry. It’s an episode full of fun and appreciation and we are happy to share this with you!
S8 E118 · Mon, January 17, 2022
Gary Rosenfield of Aerotech Returns!
Gary Rosenfield joins us to update us on some of the latest going on at Aerotech as well as: - Tips and tricks for selecting an appropriate motor for your high power certifcations. - What he is up to for Hampster Dance 2022. - Gary's project of digitizing a bunch of old super-8 footage of some historic & interesting high power launches from the early days of HPR. All this along with some interesting rocket talk!
S8 E117 · Mon, December 20, 2021
117: End of the year updates; Your questions.
chapAppDescHappy Holidays, and Welcome to the latest episode of The Rocketry Show for the week of December 19, 2021! This time around, we close out the year catching up on your voice and emails, and what we have been up to, and what's next for our shows. One of our listeners mentions wanting to hear from John Beans and Joe Barnard. We talked to both of them in previous episodes. If you want to check them out too, then here are the links to the latest ones. Latest John Beans Episode ( Episode 30): Latest Joe Barnard episode (Episode 103): We also answer yoiur questions, like how to repair damaged fins on fiberglass rockets, how to get rid of the "fuzzies" caused by painter's tape peeling away the glassine surface from cardboard rocket airframes and more!
S8 E116 · Mon, November 29, 2021
Steve Thatcher of SMT Designs
chapAppDescIn this episode, Steve Thatcher returns to talk about what is new from SMT Designs. He has been busy innovating new options for your rocket AV Bay needs for almost all rockets –including ones up to eight inches in diameter! We think you should check these out! We think you’ll enjoy this information, and Steve’s rocket stories as well.
S8 E115 · Mon, November 01, 2021
Episode 115: Conway Stevens
chapAppDescWelcome to the first episode of Season 8 of The Rocketry Show! We open this new season with a wonderful guest appearance from Conway Stevens. We talk about some history of High Power rocketry, focusing a bit on the changes brought on after the 9/11 attacks. We cover other rocketry history related stories as well. Mr. Stevens also disusses his experiences as a TAP, his latest projects, and his recovery from COVID. This is a two hour long show that is sure to fill in the time we spent regrouping before resuming our show recordings. You’ll no doubt be replaying this one a few times! Enjoy!
S7 E114 · Mon, August 30, 2021
Jenna Kay Foertsch on this year's HotNozzleSummer event
chapAppDescWelcome to Episode 114 of The Rocketry Show! In this Episode, we'll be talking about The Hot Nozzle Summer 2021 event! Jenna Kay Foertsch joins us from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she works, to talk about it! On July 23rd of this year at the FAR launch site in the desert of California, Tim Dodd, AKA The everyday Astronaut, stomped his foot down on an air powered rocket to kick off an event that has taken the rocketry community by viral storm. Photo: Tim Dodd kicking off the event Credit: Matt of HNS The event known as "Hot Nozzle Summer" started out as a joke on Twitter by a number of young rocketry enthusiasts earlier in the Spring, but very quickly grew into a movement spearheaded by an energetic group resulting in a major launch that took place over the weekend of July 23-26. The goals of this group are stated on their website… "Hot Nozzle Summer is a movement within the amateur rocket community that seeks to break down the barriers that exist within the hobby and make it more accessible to new people, regardless of skill or training in rocketry or engineering. This movement celebrates all aspects of rocketry whether its getting a Level 1 high powered certification through NAR or Tripoli, or just shooting model rockets in the backyard with your kids this summer. You do not have to come to the live event to participate in the movement." Primarily a social media phenomenon, the group’s dedicated leaders pulled off an event that saw many rockets fly many of which were from people new to the hobby, or flying to achieve a higher certification level. Jenna Kay, one of the main organizers of the event joins The Rocketry Show to discuss how the event came to be, what challenges were overcome to pull it off, and what the future might hold for what has essentially become a movement to bring people into the hobby that has not been seen before.
S7 E113 · Mon, August 16, 2021
113: Jesse’s NSL / LDRS 2021 reports
Welcome to Season 7, Episode 113! In this episode: Jesse joins us with his interviews & wrap-up reporting of NSL 2021 and LDRS. He managed to get some interviews from NSL as well! Gheem was on vacation during this production, and CG talks about what to expect the next few weeks while The Rocketry Show is in “summertime rocket season” mode.
S7 E112 · Tue, July 13, 2021
112: LOC Precision and Skin Walker Ranch
Jason Turicick, Dave Barber, and Stanton Ewert of LOC Precision join us to talk about what's new at LOC, and their appearance on Season 2, Episode 9 of The Secret of Skin Walker Ranch! Dave Barber Jason Turicick Stanton Ewert
S7 E111 · Tue, June 08, 2021
Workshop Talk with Joe Hill
Joe Hill joins the crew as we discus our rocketry projects, high power, rocketry music, and more!
S7 E110 · Mon, May 24, 2021
110: Workshop Talk with Xyla Foxlin
We start up this workshop talk episode with another member of the next generation of rocketeers, Xyla Foxlin. Xyla has a degree in Engineering, an aircraft pilot, and loves partaking in any craft that involves building things. Gheem ran across her while looking at Joe Barnard's latest adventures at F.A.R (Friends of Amateur Rocketry) in the deserts out west which sparked a new hashtag on the Twitterverse, #HotNozzleSummer. Xyla was one of the names popping up, and she decided to get her level 2 certification at FAR with a very interesting rocket called "Fifi". We talk about this build, and her broad background in robotics, rocketry, boats, and craftwork that led to this project. Her Youtube video of the Fifi build and launch can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKqrQUHYgrM
S7 E109 · Mon, May 10, 2021
OSU's Space Cowboys rocket team and Bob Brown of Kloudbusters
The Oklahoma State University rocket team “The Space Cowboys” join us to talk about their first place placement in the Argonia Cup contest. They talk about their rocket, the payload, and some of their greatest challenges in making it all happen. Also Bob Brown joins us to talk about The Argonia Cup, The Argonia Kansas rocket club Kloudbusters, and Airfest The Rocketry show wins an award! We talk about that as well!
S7 E108 · Mon, April 26, 2021
Northcoast Rocketry
Matt Steele has been busy, and Northcoast Rocketry has new kits and more as a result! Matt joins us to discuss. We also dive into the mailbag to answer your questions, including a really good question from one of you on the LEUP regulations. Enjoy!
S7 E107 · Sun, April 11, 2021
Workshop Talk with Tyler Palmer!
Tyler Palmer joins us to cover a wide range of topics and interests. We all found this session to be fun and informative! Enjoy!
S7 E106 · Mon, March 15, 2021
106: Catching up with You
The rocketry show gang gather to review their plans for the 2021 rocketry season, and we crack open the mailbag, and take a deep dive into some listener feedback. Loading new motors into Open Rocket tutorial: https://youtu.be/dsppUGQULJA Jesse posing with his The Rocketry Show mug. Patrons of the rocketry show can up their membership level for three months to get this cool piece of swag. Other items are available at Tee shirts and other items are also available at http://shirts.therocketryshow.com Gheem's project: Jesse's Project:
S7 E105 · Sat, February 27, 2021
Tim Van Milligan of Apogee Components!
Welcome to Episode 105 of The Rocketry Show! This time around, we are joined by Tim Van Milligan of Apogee Components! Tim hangs with us to talk about some new projects from Apogee, including some insights into the direction of RockSim! We also find time to talk rocket shop too!
S7 E104 · Mon, February 15, 2021
Workshop Talk With Toby Vanderbeek
In Episode 104, we are joined by Toby Vanderbeek in our second workshop show in the new format! We talk rockets, and a little about what toby has done with his work on rocketry with his Vander Burn-rocketry project , including the Vander-burn Estes Goblin fin upgrades. Listen to the episode to find out why you might want those! The gang talk about their favorite motors, rocket adventures, and CG gives a glimpse into his 2021 flight computer tests, and more!
S7 E103 · Sun, January 31, 2021
The Continuing Adventures of Joe Barnard
Joe Barnard joins us to fill us in on his continuing adventures in thrust vector rocketry, including his latest twist: Landing under rocket thrust -- not parachutes! You can dig deeper into his adventures by visiting his site, BPS.space. Also: -Jesse talks about his home paint booth, and the gang talk about what they are up to. - Listener feedback from the last couple of episodes - We talk briefly on the sale of Mach1 Rocketry
S7 E102 · Tue, January 19, 2021
Update from the University of Akron "Akronauts" go to F.A.R., and Listener Feedback
In this episode, the University of Akron Akronauts high power rocket team traveled to theFriends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) site for a two staged High Power rocket launch attempt. Unfortunately, they had issues with their second stage, and the flight did not go as planned. They share with us what they learned as of when we recorded this episode. The Rocketry show team rip into the virtual mailbag to review your emails. One of the items discussed during our mailbag segment is the website called the “Rocketry Calculator”. You can find it at https://rocketrycalculator.com/rocketry-calculator We also remind our audience about the Rocketry Show tee-shirts! You can find them here: https://shirts.therocketryshow.com
S7 E101 · Wed, December 30, 2020
101: Workshop Talk: Shear pins and the Marco Polo tracker with Andrew Kleinhenz
The Rocketry Show gang try a slightly new format for the workshop shows. We are now inviting fellow rocketeers to the workshop to teach us some of their tips and tricks, and to just talk rockets. Our first guest is Andrew Kleinhenz, friend to both CG and Gheem, Andrew taught us many of the tricks we have built our rocketry tricks around. He with us, answers these questions sent to us from listeners of the show! Shear Pin Questions: How do you figure out how many pins you need? Any issues with the LOC-high power type cardboard tubing and small size 2-56 or 4-40 plastic screws for shear pins? Do you use any reinforcement on the cardboard airframe and components? What size do you recommend? Mid Power, to High Power Cardboard and Fiber Glass recommendations for shear pins Where to place them? Any math equations or an online calculator? Do you test those with ejection charges first? Marco Polo Tracker What actually is that type of tracker? Approximate cost? Where do you buy it? Difficulty of use? What is the range of the unit? (How far away can your rocket be from you and still get data)? Advantages of this and disadvantages vs others on the market Gheem and Andrew on igniters. We had some folks today launching some upgraded BT-55 Goblins today… they used those igniters that came with the package… What would the Rocketry show gang have used?
S7 E100 · Sun, December 13, 2020
Episode 100!
The entire Rocketry Show team gather for Episode 100 to look back on some of their fond memories, and talk about their projects, and more!
S7 E99 · Sun, November 29, 2020
99: Season 7 Premiere! - Cris Erving of Eggtimer Rocketry
Home The Rocketry Show Podcast 99: Season 7 Premiere! – Cris Erving of Eggtimer Rocketry 99: Season 7 Premiere! – Cris Erving of Eggtimer Rocketry The Eggtimer Quantum We are pleased to have Cris Erving, founder of Eggtimer Rocketry with us on this episode! We discus the Eggtimer products, and also give lots of tips and tricks to help you figure out how to solder one together! Some pointers: ) If you’re a beginner, use a 20 watt soldering pencil for best results. This one from Weller is a nice one: Weller soldering pencil Fancy temperature controlled irons are nice, but not if you are a soldering newbie! the wrong temperature settings will either not work well, or can destroy the electronic components you are trying to solder. 2.) Practice soldering things together first. Cris says go ahead, and use the eggtimer kit for practice. If that thought makes you nervous, then get one of these surface mount soldering practice kits . Surface Mount solder training kit. IMPORTANT: We’d suggest reading your excellent Eggtimer Rocketry kit manual all the way through to get a feel for what you are practicing for!! 3.) To ensure success, use as little solder as possible! The bigger the blob, the more likely it will flow to another pin, and short out your connections! 4.) Do not overheat. Some parts can be damaged by having the soldering tip touching them for longer than 30 seconds. In fact, this is a nice simple video that is pretty good: Good luck!!
S6 E98 · Mon, October 26, 2020
NAR Level 2 certification changes / Listener Questions and more!
Welcome to episode 98 (TRS-6.98) of the rocketry show! John Thompson joins us to talk about the NAR Level 2 certification changes that are in effect as of November 2020 The NAR and the Board of Trustees have been working diligently to support the update of the NAR level 2 testing. It has not been updated since 2012 and quite a lot has changed for the better in the ever-expanding hobby. - The new 2020 Level 2 Written Exam Study Guide will be available for download from the High-Power Rocketry page on the NAR website starting October 1, 2020. - The 2020 Level 2 Written Exam Packets for Sections and Certification Teams will be available starting October 15, 2020. Information on obtaining the new packets will be made available before that date. - The new 2020 Level 2 Written Exam use will start on November 1, 2020. - Due to the new exam format, a new HPR Certification Application will also be available for download from the High-Power Rocketry page on the NAR website. The new application will also be included with the new exam packets. - The 2012 & 2017 versions of the Level 2 Written Exam will be valid/accepted if taken on or before October 31, 2020. After that, only the 2020 version will be valid/accepted. - A member failing the HPR Level 2 exam may now retake another version immediately. If the member fails a second exam, the member must wait a minimum of seven (7) days to attempt the exam again. - The Level 2 written exam administrator/proctor must now be minimum Level 1 certified. Who can give certifications? 1. The certification team consists of two individuals who are a minimum of 18 years old and are members in good standing of the NAR. The certification team members must be unrelated to the applicant. Members of Tripoli, unless they are also members of the NAR, cannot participate on a certification team. 2. At least one of the team members must be already certified to a level equal to the certification level being attempted, e.g., a team member must be certified at Level 1 to judge another individual’s Level 1 certification attempt. 3. Level 1 certifications may be administered by a single NAR Level 2 certified individual; the two certified individuals requirement is waived in this case. 4. Certification attempts must be witnessed in person by the certification team. Video recordings of a certification flight are not acceptable. We also take a couple Listener Questions - What should I do to prepare for a Level 1 certification attempt? - What attributes should a field or piece of property have for rocketry considerations? CG Fills us in on the results of his DEMO-3 flight Gheem finds a neat product that helped him with his rattle can paint project The rocketry Show celebrates 6 years of service Some hints on the upcoming Episode #100
S6 E97 · Sat, September 26, 2020
Workshop Episode: CG's ongoing electronics tests, Jesse's Level 3 project
In this episode, CG talks about how his electronics developments have come along Specifically, what he learned from the first test flight of Mr. Bean (DEMO-1 mission), and the successful second launch of Mr. Bean (DEMO-2), where his code & flight computer successfully controlled a flight event! His journey to his Level 2 certification is under way! Read the details here. CD and Gheem @ “Mission Control” Jesse’s Level 3 project starts to take shape! He gives us some details, though he’s a bit secretive on the details right now! Another view of Jesse’s L3 Rocket Jesse’s tube glassing work on his L3 rocket project Liked it? Take a second to support The Rocketry Show.Com on Patreon!
S6 E96 · Sat, September 12, 2020
University of Akron's "Akronauts" rocket team
Welcome to episode 6.96! We are joined by the University of Akron's "Akronauts" rocketry team! We were joined by the following team members: Team President - Emily Armbrust Chief Engineer - Blake Bowser Former Team President - Mattew Stanko Treasurer - Olivia Renkel Former Chief Engineer - Mattew Reppa Project Manager - Jon Davis The team formed in 2014, and have been involved in a number of national STEM focused rocket competitions, including NASA Student Launch(USLI), and Spaceport America Cup They give a fun and detailed overview of what their team is all about, and a couple of their recent competition projects. You can visit their website for more information at https://akronauts.org/ Here is a listing of the Overall Winners and Awards in the 2020 NASA Student Launch competition: Overall Winner: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 2nd Place: University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 3rd Place: University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama 4th Place: University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 5th Place: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 6th Place: University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana 7th Place: Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 8th Place: Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 9th Place: Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 10th Place: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
S6 E95 · Tue, August 25, 2020
Gary Rosenfield and Aerotech's High Power projects
Welcome to Episode 6.95! Gary Rosenfield joins us to talk about new high power rocket offerings from Aerotech, and to talk to us about high power rocketry as well. He talks about Hamster Dance competition that he has been into lately, and if you're looking for more information on that event, you can look here: http://www.rimworld.com/tripoligerlach/hamsterdance/about.html And at their new Facebook Group called Hamster Dance Flyers here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/690838108136308 After the interview, Jesse and CG talk about their projects. CG gives more information he has found in his post-test flight of his rocket electronics system, and talks about a spinoff project! Jesse has evolved his tube glassing techniques, and talks about them, and much more!
S6 E94 · Sat, August 01, 2020
July 2020 Workshop Episode
Welcome to episode 94 of The Rocketry Show We’ve been on a roll with great guest interviews lately. The team take a quick break from that this episode to focus more on the results of a few rocketry projects they’ve been working on! Jesse has been ‘fiberglassing’ a new kit, and building more rockets, but more importantly, recently launched his LOC Precision “Big Nuke”. He tells us all about those, and more! Jesse’s Big Nuke launch Gheem has been building a beautiful X-15 kit, and he catches us up on where he is on that, as well as a few more projects. Gheem's X-15 rocket kit! On July 25, 2020, CG finally got to test his Radio Telemetry system. Launch of CG’s Mr. Bean rocket carrying his radio telemetry system. Because of all of the “Covid 19 delays, this test ended up being a “full up” test, which means about 5 tests (each would normally have been their own launch) all happening on one launch. He’ll share how that went! We also pull some of your emails from the Mailbag that we didn’t have time to get to on earlier episodes!
S6 E93 · Thu, July 16, 2020
#93: Matt Steele on Rocket Staging (Part 1)
Matt Steele joins the show to kick start the first of at least a couple episodes on staging techniques for Model Rockets. Mr. Steele is a longtime rocketeer, owner of North Coast Rocketry, and is a Professional Rocket Scientist! We first define ground rules you can follow to ensure the best probability for success. Rules adapted from professional Rocket Engineering Sciences. We think this will help hobby rocketeers a lot. The methods Matt Steele discusses can be applied any new rocketry project or technique. After laying the ground rules, we jump into the first part of this episode on multi-stage rocketry. Part two will appear in a few weeks after we have a chance to gather your e-mail questions on the subject. Later in the show, we share our first peak into new beta firmware being tested for the Flight Sketch altimeter. Thanks to listener Phil Parslow for suggesting the topic of multiple rocket stage launches!!
S6 E92 · Tue, June 30, 2020
#92: Scott Binder of SBR Fusion Rocket
Scott Binder joins us to to talk about things at FusionRocket.Biz, and -more importantly- hangs with The Rocketry Show team to talk model rocket stories, and fun memories. 🙂 Later, CG, Gheem, and Jesse talk shop on the projects they are working on! Enjoy!
S6 E91 · Mon, June 15, 2020
#91: Dave Barber and Jason Turicik of LOC Precision
Welcome to Episode 91! Dave Barber and Jason Turicik join us to talk rockets, and about the latest going on at LOC Precision, a sponsor of the show! Also, CG talks about the latest with his telemetry project as the first test launch nears!
S6 E90 · Mon, May 25, 2020
#90B: Ken Biba and ARLISS
Pushing the boundaries for student STEM programs, ARLISS is a unique rocketry program where members of the Level 3 High Power Rocket community team up with scientists worldwide along with several student organizations to allow them to design "soda can sized" payloads to launch to near space. These payloads are typically small electronic instrumentation packages designed to carry out whatever scientific experiments the students wish to perform! Ken Biba has been involved with the group for many years, and he joins us to discus ARLISS activities and more!
S6 E89 · Mon, April 27, 2020
# 89: Listener feedback, High power rocket safety, and Rocksim 10
In this episode: CG and Tripoli Northern Ohio http://northernohiotra.com Prefect Chris Pearson discus high power rocketry safety tips to use during prepartion phases before launch. This advice encompasses all of the recent Tripoli recommendations as well. We get some interesting thoughts & design modifications from a listener on CG's centrifuge tube ejection charges. CG and Gheem take their first peak at Rocksim 10! https://www.apogeerockets.com/RockSim/RockSim9_Features
S6 E88 · Wed, April 08, 2020
#88: Avionics bays, and things related to them!
As you move into high power rocketry, one of the first things you will deal with will relate to dual deployment & the electronics around it. We talk about it, and pass along some general advice along with our personal experiences. Also in this episode: The crew discus the Tripoli clarifications around remote electronic switches. CG discusses the state of his flight computer / telemetry project Gheem finds a very interesting avionics system that has him totally geeked. The team discus their favorite (hard wired) power (arming) switches for their flight electronics. Jesse discusses his AV bay construction techniques. Links for this episode: Jesse talks about this video as a great primer on building avionics bays https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIzJiT4R9tc&feature=youtu.be
Bonus · Sat, March 28, 2020
Bonus: The Model Rocket Show premiere
We unveil our new show, The Model Rocket Show. A show that focuses exclusively on Model Rocketry - Specifically, rockets that fly on G impulse motors and smaller. The show is hosted by Daniel, The Rocket N00b.
S6 E87 · Sun, March 22, 2020
#87: Steven Skinner of Mach1Rocketry.Com
In this episode, CG and Daniel, the rocket N00b make a major announcement. Steven Skinner of Mach1Rocketry.Com stops by with some announcements of his own, and talks rocket shop with the team!
S6 E86 · Fri, February 28, 2020
#86 Fiberglassing your rockets!
In this episode, CG catches everyone up on his projects, introduces or Amazon store where you can easily buy Rocketry Show Tee-Shirts. We then move to the main topic, and that is all about techniques to fiberglass coat your cardboard airframes to add strength, and provide a wonderful surface to apply your paint & designs.
S6 E85 · Tue, January 21, 2020
#85 3-D Printing for Rocketry
In this episode, we'll be talking 3D Printing for Rocketry with our special guest, Jeff Kodyz. Also in this episode, CG talks about his health scare that took place between the last episode and this one, and the n00b reviews some listener feedback.
S6 E84 · Sun, December 22, 2019
#84 2019 Holiday / end of the year show
It's our End of the year / holiday wrap up show, and we chose this one to share and respond to some of the e-mails from you, including an interesting theory behind the collapsed "stuffer tube" phenomenon CG mentioned in the previous episode! We also dig into a fun rabbit-hole discussion over a couple of our camera pics for rocket photography, being proud of your rule stickler "old timers" in your local club and more!
Bonus · Sun, December 01, 2019
Episode 83 quick message
Be sure to follow the links to our YouTube channel in the show notes to see the supplemental video for Episode 83!
S6 E83 · Sun, December 01, 2019
#83 Workshop talk / Listener Q&A
This is a workshop episode, and CG, Gheem, n00b, and Jesse Ulibarri have lots to chat about! Gheem talks about a nice gift his TARC team received at a Tripoli Mid-Ohio launch. CG answers a listener question about ejection baffles, and Daniel the rocket n00b talks about his launchtime "oops", and reminds us all about range safety practices. CG has provided lots of supplemental links, pictures, and videos to accompany his ejection charge baffle discussion. https://youtu.be/ikt8zhO4jaE
S6 E82 · Mon, November 11, 2019
#82 Jr. Level 1 cert. changes, Bianca Vasquez of swise.org, and NAROBLOMO.
Episode 82 starts off with a discussion with Randy Boadway of eRockets about the changes to the Jr Level 1 certification process. More info here: https://www.nar.org/high-power-rocketry-info/formal-participation-procedure/ Next, talk to the founder of Society of Women in Space Exploriation, Bianca Vasquez. Ms. Vasquez is in the early stages of becoming an Engineering student, has a passion for space exploration and a new found love or rockets. Her orginzation has bonded similar minded women also getting their start in various aspects of Engineering. She talks about what she has learned in her journey, and what she has learned from others! https://www.swise.org/ Later in the show, we talk to Daniel the rocket n00b about getting his model rocketry blog re-ignited agin with the power of NAROBLOMO. https://rocketn00b.blogspot.com/
S6 E81 · Sun, October 20, 2019
#81 Season 6 premiere, and workshop talk with our newest member of the show!
Welcome to Season 6 of The rocketry Show! We are kicking off the 5th anniversary of our program, with the newest member of the show, Jesse Ulibarri as we dive into "Workshop Talk"! On this episode, the gang discus their Fin can build techniques for High Power, their experiences with Motor retainers, n00b has a new rocket room! Also, CG and Gheem's rocket club gains access to a nice new field.
Mon, September 30, 2019
#80 NY Power 2019
Welcome to Episode 80 of The Rocketry Show! In this episode, CG and Daniel travel to upstate New York for NY Power 2019. We catch up with Dan Michael and Neil Brown, and we discus their backgrounds, and the launches of their Big ...ahem... Friggin Rockets. Here are some picture highlights....all photos are by C.Gould of The Rocketry Show. Patrons can view them on our website: https://www.therocketryshow.com Dan Michael with a motor casing for an "M" Impulse motor build. Dan Michael and his Nike Smoke Dan Michaels' Nike Smoke liftoff! Neil Brown and the booster section for his Polecat Saturn V Daniel the rocket n00b and his SA-14 Archer build. CG's Ares rocket lifting off after "MacGyver" repairs... Neil Brown's Polecat Saturn V, and it's wild launch (picture sequence below. Liftoff!
S5 E79 · Sun, August 11, 2019
#79: Personal "Project Apollo" analogy stories, and Airbrushing followup
The team get together to talk rocket stories and some workshop talk with you on this episode. We talked about some of the entries seen at our club's Apollo 11 tribute launch on July 20, 2019. One of which was a wonderful gold painted Saturn V by our club member, Casey Anderson. After that, we delved into our most challenging rocketry projects -- our personal "Project Apollo", if you will, along with a listener story. We shared listener JE Thompson's story, and audio from his video (See below) https://youtu.be/Nahu9h1fitc Gheem talks about his story, and CG recounts his story to his toughest project to date, his Level 1 certification. He went for the gusto, and not the simple tried and easy approach...because...he loved the challenge. LOL. Daniel the Rocket n00b joins us to talk about his first major rocket project using an Airbrush to paint it off, and shares what he learned so far.
S5 E78 · Wed, July 24, 2019
#78 NARCON 2019 coverage Part Three.
Welcome to the final installment of our NARCON 2019 coverage! We are joined by Wes Oleszewski who sits down to talk with us about Growing Up With Spaceflight, as well as some information on his retirement from Dr. Zooch Rockets, and some fond Dr. Zooch and model rocketry memories.. Also, John Beans of Jolly Logic stops by ! John joins us to talk about his presentation on "ROCKETRY 2.0". We explore some of the history behind the well known tech behind model rocketry, and how new technology can transform the hobby and take it to new levels!
S5 E77 · Wed, June 26, 2019
#77 – NARCON 2019 Part Two
This is an “all star” episode! We’re joined by Tim Van Milligan from Apogee Rockets discuss an interesting collaboration project with Fins & Fire that gives your rocket the ability to paraglide its way home to you! Randy Boadway stops by to discus eRockets, and we end up in an interesting discussion about running a hobby rocket kit & supply company, including how the price of rocket kits are determined. He also showed up later to do a fun live eRockets commercial with us. Randy Boadway, Owner of eRockets Gary Rosenfield and Dan Bowles stop by to discus a long burn G motor that could give the right kind of rocket design the possibility of reaching 10,000 feet! Dane Boles and Gary Rosenfield of Aerotech Consumer Aerospace Roger Smith of JON Rocket stops by to talk about the joys of running the business with his wife, Bracha. Roger Smith of JonRocket.Com Wes Oleszewski joins us to discus his “Growing up with Spaceflight” books. Wes Oleszewski, author of the Growing up with Spaceflight series of books. John Beans also joins us and we talk Chute Release talk! John Beans, Owner of Jolly Logic We hope you have fun listening to Part Two of our NARCON 2019 coverage!
S5 E76 · Sun, May 19, 2019
The Rocketry Show # 5.76: NARCON 2019 Part One
The entire Rocketry Show team head to Cape Canaveral, Florida to cover NARCON 2019. CG, Daniel the Rocket n00b together for the first time! They witness a night time Falcon 9 launch, Gheem and Daniel (The n00b) meet face to face for the first time, and we talk to Peter Alway, author of Rockets of the World, and Chris Michaelson of Oddl’ Rockets. Peter Alway discussed with us his history with Model Rocketry, and his knack for finding detailed blueprints of even the most obscure rockets, which is great for us as he published it all in his book “Rockets of the World”, the rocketry bible for anyone interested in creating scale models of military & space rockets. Chris Michaelson of Oddl’ Rockets Chris amazed us with his talent in making detailed reproductions of rockets, and his never ending fountain of knowledge that can help all of us rocketeers! Chris’ attention to detail is a thing to behold! Mike Nowak’s Saturn V We also discus Mike Nowak’s amazing THREE STAGE Saturn V scale competition rocket! Mike Nowak’s true scale, three stage flying Saturn V. His son stands guard.
S5 E75 · Sun, April 21, 2019
[The Rocketry Show] #5.75: Workshop discussions!
CG, Gheem, and Daniel the Rocket n00b get together to visit with you, and talk rocket shop talk. CG has been busily editing through the TONS of audio we have from NARCON 2019, and it's taken over the production time for the show. As a result, there is a delay in production. We still have about two weeks of production to do before we roll out the first NARCON 2019 episode, so in the meantime, we decided to pick up our microphones and visit with you! One of the topics of discussion is rolling your own transitions by re-purposing old cereal boxes. A topic of discussion brought up by listener John Simmons on our Facebook Discussion Group . CG thought it was a cool idea, so we shared. Chris Michaelson has some discussions on rolling your own transitions on his blog too! Look here: http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com/search/label/Adapter We also had fun discussing a fun new rocketry group on Facebook called "The CATO Club" Where they post pictures of, and discus...CATOS. :-)
Bonus · Fri, April 05, 2019
The LOC Mafia: Helping a rocketeer in need!
The LOC Mafia has organized to help the Hayes family of Stickershock. From the The Loc Mafia: Mark from StickerShock23 needs our help! His wife Marian is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer, causing a huge difficulty in both of their lives. Mark, still presses on to help out the rocketry community by continuing to create wonderful full print vinyl wraps and decals for our projects. #theLOCmafia wants to help our fellow rocket brother and his family! Mark has been a huge contributor to the hobby for quite some time! We have reached out to many vendors, some of whom we know personally, to help out with doing an Online Raffle for Mark and Marian! On this page , you can read into some of the Grand Prize packages that we have arranged! Details are here: thelocmafia.com
S5 E73 · Mon, February 11, 2019
Ken Patterson on Realistic Looking Modeling and Air Brushes! (Pt. Two)
Here is Part two of our Airbrushes 101 episode with Ken Patterson! Ken is an award winning modeler of military aircraft of all kinds, and shares techniques that he has honed and perfected continuously since his childhood, and he helps The Rocket n00b cross the hump into air brushing his models for the first time!
S5 E74 · Thu, February 07, 2019
Ellis Langford and Bill Stine of Estes Industries
Ellis Langford and Bill Stine of Estes Industries join us to talk about the current state of Estes Industries, and look to the future by discussing a few of their plans for the company. Image: Ellis Langford of Estes Industries. (Photo: The Rocketry Show) We had an enjoyable conversation that we think you all will like.
S5 E72 · Fri, January 25, 2019
Ken Patterson on Realistic Looking Modeling and Air Brushes! (Pt. One)
Ken Patterson, a friend of CG joins us in studio to talk about airbrushes, primarily, but the discussion quickly blooms into topics we can all use…especially those of us looking to make our rockets look realistic. These topics apply especially to scale model rocketeers. Ken is an award winning modeler of military aircraft of all kinds, and shares techniques that he has honed and perfected continuously since his childhood, and he helps The Rocket n00b cross the hump into air brushing his models for the first time! Visit https://www.therocketryshow.com for more details and pictures!
S5 E71 · Tue, December 11, 2018
Steve Thatcher of SMTDesigns.Com
We are joined by Steve Thatcher of SMT Designs. Steve offers a great group of time saving products for rocketeers, and his electronics sleds, which offers quite a bit of configuration flexibility! Enjoy! Some background on Steve Thatcher: SMT Designs is a small company that I started to offer rocketry, electronics, photography, and software products. The name is simply my initials and what I do best. I have many years of experience in a variety of fields. I am an electronics engineer that can design hardware and write software for embedded platforms. From concept, to prototype creation, to machining parts for whatever is being designed. I am also a photographer and have reached a point where I am sharing my view of the world through pictures. This transition into products was sparked by the passing of a dear friend Pat Stinnett in 2015. She saw the world and shared her heart through the photos that she produced. I will try and do the same in her memory.
Mon, November 19, 2018
Show your support! www.patreon.com/therocketryshow
This is a special episode made for #ThankYouPatrons day, where all of us using Patreon thank YOU, our supporters. I this special episode, we talk about what your support has meant for our show! Hint: A LOT!
S5 E70 · Sun, November 18, 2018
Season 5 debut!
Welcome to season 5 of the rocketry show! Joe Barnard’s Halloween Costume… Joe’s costume is based on the notorious Elon Musk smoking marijuana during a podcast incident… The crew of the rocketry show gather to talk a little about what is going on, and catch up on their rocketry projects. Also: A Doughnut shaped Earth? Daniel visits the Little Dipper Cafe in the Jamaica Plane neighborhood in Boston. The Little Dipper JP: Great food and model rockets! CG gives a quick report on his visit to Alabama for Bama Blastoff. And he also gets his first peak at a Mach1 kit in action. Casey Anderson of MTMA rocket club flew one of the BT20 fiberglass kits! Casey Anderson and his Mach1 rocket kit. Mach1 Unchained Lightning rocket on liftoff…
Sat, October 27, 2018
Astronaut, Colonel Rick Searfoss
We are happy to re-cast a wonderful conversation we had with former NASA Astronaut, Col. Rick Searfoss back in 2016. He joined us to talk about rockets, The Space Shuttle, and being an astronaut! Col. Rick Searfoss[/caption] From his NASA Bio: PERSONAL DATA: Born June 5, 1956, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, but considers Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to be his hometown. Married; three children. He enjoys running, soccer, radio-controlled model aircraft, Scouting, backpacking, and classical music. EDUCATION: Graduated from Portsmouth Senior High School, Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1974; received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the USAF Academy in 1978, and a master of science degree in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology on a National Science Foundation Fellowship in 1979. USAF Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College. ORGANIZATIONS: Association of Space Explorers, National Eagle Scout Association, Air Force Association, Academy of Model Aeronautics. SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Harmon, Fairchild, Price and Tober Awards (top overall, academic, engineering, and aeronautical engineering graduate), United States Air Force Academy Class of 1978. Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory Excellence in Turbine Engine Design award. USAF Squadron Officer's School Commandant's Trophy as top graduate. Distinguished graduate, USAF Fighter Weapons School. Named the Tactical Air Command F-111 Instructor Pilot of the Year, 1985. Selected for Outstanding Young Men of America, 1987. Recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, NASA Spaceflight Medal (3), NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross. EXPERIENCE: Searfoss graduated in 1980 from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. From 1981-1984, he flew the F-111F operationally at RAF Lakenheath, England, followed by a tour at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, where he was an F-111A instructor pilot and weapons officer until 1987. In 1988 he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland, as a USAF exchange officer. He was a flight instructor at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, when selected for the astronaut program. He has logged over 5,000 hours flying time in 56 different types of aircraft and over 939 hours in space. He also holds FAA Airline Transport Pilot, glider, and flight instructor ratings. NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in January 1990, Searfoss became an astronaut in July 1991. Initially assigned to the Astronaut Office Mission Support Branch, Searfoss was part of a team responsible for crew ingress/strap-in prior to launch and
S4 E69 · Tue, October 16, 2018
Season 4 finale. NARAM 60 / Gheem's report from the field, and news!
We wrap up season 4 with two field reports for you. We start with our friend Jesse Ulibarri, who got some neat audio from NARAM 60, as well as his "man on the scene" review. We thank him for that effort! Gheem recorded his trip to the former "Bob Evans Farm" in southern Ohio, where he witnessed the Level 1 certification of our listener "Captain Kirk" as well as Gheem's former student who went for his Level 2 certification. Enjoy!
Thu, October 11, 2018
Special report: ISS crew safe after in-flight abort during liftoff.
Special report podcast from the rocketry show.
S4 E68 · Fri, September 07, 2018
Workshop Talk & Your Feedback
The rocketry show team regroup after a busy production schedule producing the last few episodes, and we go for a laid back workshop talk episode and look over your comments from the last several weeks. We also talk about our new e-mail list group you can join to get information on the show from us, chat with us and other listeners, and share rocket war stories. Look here to subscribe: https://groups.io/g/therocketryshow If you are on facebook, like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/therocketryshow Our facebook discussion forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therocketryshow
S4 E67 · Sun, August 26, 2018
Low and Mid Power fiberglass rockets and ‘Bama Blastoff.
Posted on August 25, 2018 by CG We’re joined by Steve Skinner of Mach 1 Rocketry and Ronald Dunn of Birmingham Rocket Boys to talk about Mach 1 and their new line of fiberglass rockets, as well as the Bama Blastoff event happening at the Dee River Ranch in west of Aliceville, Alabama. The event boasts a 16,800 foot standing waiver and 12,000 acres of mostly open recovery area. Want to learn more about this and BT tube sized fiberglass rockets? You’ve come to the right episode!
S4 E66 · Fri, August 10, 2018
NSL 2018 Part Two
Welcome to part two of our NSL 2018 episode! Gheem will take you on a journey through NSL 2018 using the magic of "soundscaping". We worked hard to try to paint the images and experiences of NSL 2018 through the magic of sound. Theatre of the mind, if you will! Gheem and his composite B motor from Quest. Also, Plenty more from Vern and Gleda Estes as well. Joe Barnard. Our Assistant Producer Kelly and her rocket. Enjoy!
S4 E65 · Tue, July 17, 2018
NSL 2018 Part One.
We start with some exciting hot off the presses news from the hobby rocketry scene, then we dive into part one of the NSL 2018 coverage. We talk to Gregory Young and MaryBeth Clune of the MARS rocket club. MARS was the hosting club for NSL in Geneseo, NY, and what it took to pull off such an amazing event is a story in itself! We then jump to the Vern and Gleda Estes play where they run through the Origin story of Estes Industries. For the Patrons of the show, you got to hear the raw recordings of this from us some time back. Here is the entire event, including the missing parts from the beginning, courtesy of the MARS Rocket club! We close the episode with some e-mails from the mailbag, and an answer to Gheem’s experiences with the expensive paint, which he talked about in the previous episode.
S4 E64 · Tue, July 03, 2018
Workshop Talk and General Catch Up
We've been busy producing single topic episodes, and working on items for the NSL 2018 program. The Rocketry Show team decided to take a moment and catch up with you all. Topics discussed: NASA Student Launch results The release of the TARC 2019 rules, and boy are they a challenge! The n00b's foolproof way to stick self adhesive stickers to your rockets. Gheem's rocket camp classes. We also give away the last copy of our Make: High Power Rockets book by Mike Westerfield. TARC 2019 Rules are here
S4 E63 · Wed, June 06, 2018
Glues, Epoxy, and Fillers...OH MY!
Daniel, The Rocket n00b has just completed a series on the properties of some Glues, Epoxies, and Fillers through a series of experiments in an attempt to satisfy his curiosity. Picture: What weighs more? Hmmm... Which is the lightest? Which is the strongest? Which is the easiest to work with? Some interesting results were found! CG and Gheem talk (briefly) about NSL, and we dive into the e-mailbag. Daniel's articles can be seen here on our site , and also at his blogsite: http://rocketn00b.blogspot.com/
S4 E62 · Mon, May 14, 2018
Mini Episode: Catching up with the n00b
The show team have put together a mini episode for you to enjoy as the gang gear up for a couple of big shows. To make things better, The Rocket n00b was able to surface and join us again! We also briefly discus the TARC 2018 early results.
S4 E61 · Tue, May 01, 2018
LOC Precision
Episode 61: We talk to Dave Barber and Jason Turicik, the NEW owners of Loc Precision! Need we say more? :-) CG talks about a neat podcast for you to listen to, and much more!
S4 E60 · Sat, April 07, 2018
Gheem's Gone Wild!
Welcome to Episode 60! We’ll catch you up on what we’ve been up to since the last episode, and we’ll delve into a question sent from one of our listeners. Also...Gheem Goes Wild! A funny moment between the Rocketry Show hosts that we will share with you. We’d like to point out that we were having a problem with our main computer during the recording of the program, so we apologize if the audio is a little glitchy.
S4 E59 · Tue, March 06, 2018
Record Breaking Rockets Mashup
We’re going to re-visit things in the land "down undah", mates! We’ll be joined by Blake Nicolic of Australia's Thunda Down Under, and he’s going to give a preview of next year’s huge event. We then revisit one of the highlights from the first Thunda gathering and bring back an interview with Nat Callea on the V2 rocket built by Victoria Rocketry which holds the current world record for the largest hobby rocket. If that isn’t enough, We’ll then interview Nat, and Steve Eves, the previous record holder with his 1:10 scale Saturn V Rocket that he successfully flew at MDRA several years ago. We also introduce the next winner for the Make: High Power Rockets by Mike Westerfield, and announce the next trivia question!
S4 E58 · Wed, February 14, 2018
Big Rockets news!
The gang couldn't resist reviewing and discussing the biggest news since the last show: The Falcon heavy launch! The immersive audio of the launch we used comes from Destin Sandlin of SmarterEveryDay.Com We also talk about New Zealand's Rocket Labs launch. We answer your e-mails, and comments on some of the Estes speculation heard on Episode 57. Here is a link to the Chris Pearson article we mentioned on the state of the hobby industry. ...And we announce another winner for the Make High Power Rockets book!
S4 E57 · Mon, January 29, 2018
Charlie Savoie, and also a TARC Story
Charlie Savoie joins us to discus what they’ve been up to at Aerotech, and answers some questions from our Patrons. Gheem shares with us a piece he has been working on…it’s a little story that shares some insights on being a TARC team coach! One of Gheem’s TARC members also flew a level 1 certification…seen here with our buddy, Andrew. Gheem’s TARC team (US Rocketry) prep their rocket.
S4 E56 · Mon, January 15, 2018
Author, Mike Westerfield - Make: High Power Rockets
Mike Westerfield joins us to talk about his newest book, Make: High Power Rockets! From the preface of his book: My first book, 'Make: Rockets,' covered basic rocket science, including construction, aerodynamics, simulation, tracking, and electrical engineering. The rockets in that book are made from thin, lightweight materials that are extremely safe. Some projects work well Mike Westerfield with young children, while others will challenge a college engineering student. High-power rocketry is different, though. While there is a junior-level certification (covered in 'NAR junior certification'), high-power rocketry is otherwise restricted to people over 18. High-power rockets can easily break the sound barrier, shooting miles into the sky. The rockets themselves are not the small, collapsible paper rockets flown in schools and scouting—they are often metal-tipped, fiberglass missiles that weigh tens or even hundreds of pounds. FAA clearances and certifications are required. After the show, Daniel the Rocket n00b will announce the contest to give away some copies of this new book to a few lucky listeners!
S4 E55 · Sun, December 17, 2017
A Rocketry Show Holiday Party!
The team goes on the road, and set up at their club Christmas party and record a show. Lots of rocket stories are shared. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
S4 Enull · Tue, November 21, 2017
Addendum - Let's make a correction!
Chris Pearson called to make a correction to some of the distance information we shared in the initial (free) version of Episode 54.
S4 E54 · Tue, November 14, 2017
LiPo battery follow-up, and filing for FAA Waivers for your club!
CG follows up on the previous episode, adding some important notes about Lithium Polymer (LiPo) Batteries. We invite Chris Pearson, Prefect for Northern Ohio Tripoli to the show to talk about what it takes and things to think about to file an FAA Waiver for high power rocketry launches. He also talks about things to think about when doing so. For the Patrons of our show, we will post (shortly) a much longer version of this show, where Chris Pearson fills in much of the history behind this process! FAA information mentioned in this episode can be found here: https://www.nar.org/high-power-rocketry-info/filing-for-faa-launch-authorization/filing-for-faa-waiver/ http://www.nar.org/find-a-local-club/section-guidebook/laws-regulations/ https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/licenses_permits/sub_orbital_rockets/
S4 E53 · Tue, October 24, 2017
Season 4 Premiere! Straight Fins and Lithium Polymer
We're back for Episode 1 of Season 4 of the Rocketry Show! This is a show packed with lots of information for you! Daniel, The Rocket n00b starts with a discussion on a technique he mastered for making curled balsa and Basswood rocket fins straight again! CG chimes in during the second half to give a basic beginner's primer on Lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries for powering your electronic systems on board your next rocket project! References for you to follow up on what CG was talking about: Since the show was running a bit long, and there were details CG didn't get to cover, he has provided some quick, but important notes here: What does the Battery “C Rating” mean? The C rating of a Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery (or cell) is used as a guide to show what kind of continuous current draw, in amps, the cell in question will support. By multiplying the C rating times the cell capacity in milliamperehours (mAh), the continuous current in milliamperes (mA) of a cell can be calculated. In my case, the batteries I use for Nesaru are rated as 180 mAh, 25-40C. I’ll use the lower “C” number, as I’m pretty sure the 40C is “peak” capacity – more on that in a moment. The Turnigy LiPo battery CG uses for his rocket, Nesaru. For this battery, the safe continuous current draw value is found by multiplying 180 (mAh) x 25 (C), which gives you 4500 mA, or 4.5 Amps. Now, for the "Peak value". This is the amount of current the battery can safely deliver for very short periods of time. In this case, the battery says its peak value is 40C. Using the same math above, we get a peak current rating of 7200 Ma, or 7.2 Amps. Note on Charger setting: The battery in my example is rated for 8C max charge rate. Doing the math (180 x 8), the safe charge rate for my battery is about 1.44 Amps. As for the charger settings for this battery, I should stay below the 1.44 Amp charge value to stay safe. Not pushing the battery to its limits in the charger means the cells will stand a much lesser chance of becoming unbalanced (in multi-cell batteries). So, I typically charge this battery at a 0.5 Amps on the charger. Why? Because unbalanced battery cells = a really bad day in the field – if you’re lucky! Links I found for further reading on the topic, and packed with many of the tips I gave, plus much more: The Lithium Polymer Safety Guide The Drone Girl blog That swollen cell phone LiPo battery CG talked about during the show! liPo cell phone battery gone
S3 E39 · Sun, December 18, 2016
Welcome John Boren from Estes
John Boren from Estes Rockets joins us, and talks rocket kits with us. Get a sneak peak into what goes behind a new Estes Rocket design, and the criteria behind why some designs happen! Also, We answer a very interesting question from one of our listeners!
S3 E37 · Mon, November 21, 2016
Jason Cook with Insane Rocketry
Jason Cook from Insane Rocketry joins us for a fun episode of The Rocketry Show. Jason Cook He talks about his cool product, and talks rocketry with the gang. We also fall into a discussion on the recent success of the Sky Cycle that successfully completed the old Evel Knievel Snake River jump . This cycle, overseen and designed by Scott Traux redeemed his dad's (the late Robert Traux) Sky Cycle rocket design! The Sky Cycle used some of Jason Cook's tech on board. It's a lot of fun, and enjoy!
S2 E30 · Tue, July 19, 2016
[The Rocketry Show] Episode #30: John Beans of Jolly Logic
John Beans joins us in our Season 2 finale! We talk about the new “Chute release” product as well as having fun just talking about rockets. We had fun, and we think you’ll have fun listening to this episode!
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