"Astronautic Modeler"
 

Hello All,

I have a suggestion for a "new" Semroc product. Yesterday I decided to look for scans of old Semroc catalogs online, and I was pleasantly surprised to find not only a 1970 Semroc catalog, but a whole Semroc model rocketry journal called Astronautic Modeler (see: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...0semroccat.html ), the May 1970 issue of which (on the Ninfinger Productions web site) also contained the 1970 Semroc catalog.

The technical information and the rocket building & flying tips in Astronautic Modeler are just as useful today as they were then (plus the tech info is relevant to the "Retro-Repro" Semroc kits that are used as examples in the journal); also, the pre-personal computer illustrations and diagrams in the journal are beautiful examples of what creative people can do with basic drafting tools. Here is my suggestion:

Semroc Astronautics could re-publish all of the issues of Astronautic Modeler (either as individual issues or as a series of 12-month compilations, each in a single binding). Semroc could offer these as model rocketry educational materials and as historical documentation of the company's earliest years.

Since the original issues were produced with simple stapled bindings ("saddle-stitched," as these bindings are also called), any modern print shop could easily and cheaply reproduce them. Another option (which would be *completely free* for Semroc) would be to re-publish the Astronautic Modeler issues through POD (Print-On-Demand) publishing services such as Lulu.com (see: www.lulu.com ) or CreateSpace.com (see: www.createspace.com ). This option would cost Semroc nothing, and the POD publisher could also (if desired) handle the shipping to the buyers while making a small amount for itself on each journal issue (or compilation) sold.