I'd like to hear your Herb Desind/Mike Dorffler stories

Regrettably I didn't get serious about rocketry while Herb Desind and Mike Dorffler were alive. I've read Mike's posts over on YORF.

I'd like to learn more about these men. Do you have any stories about them that you can share with me?

Thanks!
Jim

I've got a couple pics of Herb and some of his rockets/Cinerocs. I never had a chance to meet him in person, but I did have several telephone conversations with him , and lots of written correspondence which I still have saved. I'll post some of this over the next few days.

Thanks! I'd love to hear more about him. Sounds like he was a pretty interesting guy to know.

A friend invited me over to Herb's house one evening. This has to be around 1980. We took the Metro and I think his house was near the end of the line at the time.

We arrived and he was pleasant if I recall.

We watched Animal House on his TV and before we left he showed us a walk-in closet... full of Cinerocs. O.O

He gave me a 8" x 10" photo of a launch site that had been compiled from the air from single Astrocam shots (multiple images stitched together). It was a pretty cool gift (especially at the time)!

I had seen Herb Desind flying Cinerocs at a few NARAMs in the 1970's, but had not gotten to know him.

This story is from 1988, when I was doing the Sunguidance R&D project. I wanted to have onboard footage, and the only practical way was by using a Cineroc.

But by then Estes had long dropped the Cineroc and the company that loaded and developed the film no longer existed.

I contacted Herb to see if he could help out. I sent him 5 empty Cineroc film cartridges (each held 10 feet of film IIRC), which he loaded with film and sent to me. After doing the flights, I sent the film back. He then took the exposed film, spliced it together into a 50 foot roll. Then he sent it to some division of Kodak that processed “broken” Super-8 film, this is how he got al this film processed. Then he got it back from Kodak, and sent it to me.

He watched it first, of course. And said it was some of the most impressive Cineroc footage he’d ever seen. Like….. coming from HIM, that was something!

You can see the Cineroc footage in the Sunguidance video below. The flights involving the Cineroc, with the film Herb helped with, are from about 2:20 to 8:40. .

Of course, the above story therefore has an automatic connection with Mike Dorffler too, since he designed the Cineroc.

[video=youtube;I6ZFSSBQNT0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ZFSSBQNT0[/video]

Just a gentle reminder that there is a selection of Cineroc footage contained on the Old Rocketeer Reunion DVD set, including film from Herb Desind.

[video=youtube;1Mpey7IDAB0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mpey7IDAB0[/video]

The DVD set is available from NARTS for the low, low price of only $5!

https://blastzone.org/nar/narts/store.asp?groupid=9270081141341

James

These are some photos that Herb sent to me back in the day. Sorry if the quality here is poor - these are cel phone shots I took of the original prints.

The first is of a 2 stage F-engine model called Janeine II which Herb flew in Europe in 1974. The decal on the rocket says 'Radio Atlantis'. I believe this might have been flown in conjunction with a radio station promotion or sponsorship. I'll dig through my correspondence from Herb and see if he mentioned anything about it.

Second photo is of Herb himself right at the launch of a Cineroc atop a 2-stage D-powered Vigilante. This was from Maryland in 1977. Herb was well-known for being up-close and personal during launches of his Cinerocs, making last second camera actuations and/or adjustments.

More Herb Desind Related Photos
These pictures were taken sometime in 1977-78. This is one of Herb’s custom modified Cinerocs which he sent to me to get some good mountain shots. The D-engine launch vehicle, “Mountaineer I” was also built by Herb and mailed to me with the Cineroc. The location of this flight was at the main parking lot at the Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado.

The first photo shows me building a launch pad….out of snow! Actually, the launch rod was attached to a small wood base that was anchored under the snow.

Second photo is the ‘Mountaineer I’ just prior to launch. The rocket was actually a two-stager, but I opted single stage on this flight due to the close proximity of some wooded areas. Didn’t want to lose this camera to some RETs!

As I remember, the flight went very well. I did have to use rented snowshoes to set out on recovery!

Unfortunately, the processed film is not among the reels I currently have in my possession.

This was, however, perhaps the most unusual launch of my entire model rocket career…

Hi,
I am trying to track down a pdf or other readable copy of Herb Desind's 1980 article Rear-View ASTROCAM, published in Model Rocketeer, June 1980. Does anyone have it or know where it can be found? Later articles refer back or acknowledge it, as I think it may be the first published plans describing how one my turn around an Astrocam.
Thanks!