NARCON 2006 feedback

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

I forgot to turn my feedback survey in. I would like to turn it in now synonymously. ;)
1) c - I read about NARCON 2006 on YORF.
2) g - I attended last year and the beerloft wouldn't be the same without me. :rolleyes:
3) a) Bunny's Wallops Island presentation
b) Lee Piester's presentation
c) The Saturday night beerlofting event
4) I can't say there was anything that I attended that I didn't like. I didn't walk out of any seminar thinking "There's an hour I won't get back." I learned something at each thing I attended.
5) Seeing Chas in hot pants. :eek:
6) A tie between sharing the Brokeback Mountain Suite with Scott McCrate and the lack of rocket groupies. :eek: :eek:
7) Many of the YORF crowd with whom I have yet to break bread or beer with and some whom I have broken bread and beer with in the past.
8) I would like to have had the Old Rocketeers Reunion be more like last year. Having it in the vendor room made things a little difficult.
9) a - Yes
10) a - A high probability, and I'd recommend that other give it serious consideration also.
11) a- See above.
12) I'd suggest having the something like the NARAM Wednesday on-field social on Saturday night. It might cost extra, but it would be a great lead-in to the Saturday night presentation and would keep anyone from having to eat alone.

[snaquin]

Bill

Did you pick up any of the new Semroc kits while you were there? Get to fondle any of the new Semroc stuff in person?

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Could I go to NARCON and NOT get a Lander? ;)

[snaquin]

Could I go to NARCON and NOT get a Lander? ;)

I know I would have brought my credit card with me :D

Just curious how they looked. Anyone open one up to take a look inside? Since those were the pre-order numbered kits I was just wondering if anyone checked out the parts.

[Eagle3]

Just curious how they looked. Anyone open one up to take a look inside? Since those were the pre-order numbered kits I was just wondering if anyone checked out the parts.


I opened mine. The instructions are very similar, though Bruce has made several changes and made new diagrams. They look great.

The construction appears identical to the stock Estes version. Landing gear assembly is the same. I believe I'll make mine so I can removed the core in case there's a problem with the gear.

The embossed shrouds look great.

Kit comes with a 20" chute.

Any other questions?

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

If you do the removable core, think about posting a "how-to". I'd like to do it that way also, but I'm not real sure how to proceed. If I get time tonight or tomorrow, I'm at LEAST going to open it. That might make things more clear.

[Eagle3]

If you do the removable core, think about posting a "how-to".

Will do. I've seen one rigged that way and I "think" I remember how it was done. ;)

[snaquin]

I opened mine. The instructions are very similar, though Bruce has made several changes and made new diagrams. They look great.

The construction appears identical to the stock Estes version. Landing gear assembly is the same. I believe I'll make mine so I can removed the core in case there's a problem with the gear.

The embossed shrouds look great.

Kit comes with a 20" chute.

Any other questions?

Sounds great. I too was thinking about how to make the landing gear assembly in a lander accessible. It may have been in Extreme Rocketry magazine or possibly one of the Tango Papa designs where someone did this and it seemed like a great idea, it's been a while and I don't remember where I saw this.

Thanks!

[ScooterM]

Here's the old link from Damian Kostron showing his conversion and how the whole outer shell is built as a unit that slides off and is retained by screws around the lower perimeter. He also added a lot of lead shot in holes drilled into the nose and put in a 24mm mount if I read this correctly. Sounds like the balance point should be around the first transition.

http://www.tela.com/~dtkostron/lander/lander_tips.htm

[ScooterM]

Another great link with cool Mars Lander vids:

http://www.dph.com/vidroc/mars_lander/

[ScooterM]

Okay, here's another one. I finally found this one again and it goes WAAYYYY back. I was surprised I could even find it, but I remembered the alternate method of building the leg hinges from rc model airplane hinge points:

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/7721/index.html

Go to the Mars Lander Construction page.

This site might generate pop-ups so beware and don't click on offers to scan your system. Just close them with the X in the upper right

Scott McCrate

[snaquin]

Here's the old link from Damian Kostron showing his conversion and how the whole outer shell is built as a unit that slides off and is retained by screws around the lower perimeter. He also added a lot of lead shot in holes drilled into the nose and put in a 24mm mount if I read this correctly. Sounds like the balance point should be around the first transition.

http://www.tela.com/~dtkostron/lander/lander_tips.htm

Scott thanks for posting the links, I bookmarked them! The link with the videos is pretty cool too. Those are really close to the set up I remember seeing a while back for the lander in Extreme Rocketry. I searched and found the one I had first seen in Extreme Rocketry (Issue 1: March 2000) and it was a 2x Lander based on the Estes kit and the link to the file for that one is on this page (3.76MB file).

http://www.extremerocketry.com/downloads/

I like the idea of having access to the landing legs but I also don't want to add too much weight, not more than what an Estes D or E with the short delay could lob. I'm going to have to think about construction options a little more :)