Greetings Rocket Persons!
It's been a while since our newsletter last landed in your email in-tray... but not for lack of new stuff to talk about. We have been waiting to make a big announcement about CE marking for HPR motors... but we've got tired of waiting. It is supposed to be done and dusted sometime in the next month but we've heard that before. We're getting closer with Cesaroni ProX. There is even some suggestion that Congreve motors might make their long awaited debut.
In preparation for the big CE surge of legal HPR motors, we are laying in stocks of Pro75 hardware so that your rockets with yawning apertures can take a great leap upward as soon as the Eurocrats have had their fill of paper passing. while the proffered constitution has hit the buffers, the CE marking mission is full speed ahead.
The new BIG Pro75 hardware set includes a whole bunch of gubbins that are distinctly different from the Pro38s and Pro54s that went before. We will be stocking Pro75 3 grain (L800) and 5 grain (M1400) hardware. Other sizes on request. Big bore Pro hardware will be available for purchase or rent... so you don't have to spend a lot on a big casing and closures that you will use infrequently.
Pro98 gear and reloads (with the exception of the long burn moon burners) will be next on the post-CE Deepsky shopping list. Sadly, there is a bit of a problem getting the single piece grain moon burner motors across the water. We might not get to play with N motors that burn for 12 seconds, more's the pity. We can't wait to get our hands on the N2500 standard grain, though. That's 13767Ns total impulse with a nice mid-length 5.4 second burn. 871 pounds of thrust off the pad. Yow!
The other good news is that the long delayed Estes Oracle video rocket is about to leave the US and head for Deepsky's shelves - not that they will stay there for long. Those of you who have waited patiently for this D powered techno-fantasy will be rewarded soon with a much higher spec rocket than the one announced last autumn and promised last winter. You should have them in your sweaty hands within ten days. The Cosmos Mariner, however, still seems lost in space. The best estimate we have is mid to end June for that beautiful D powered glider.
Speaking of D power, we are looking forward to an autumn launch of Quest's 18mm D motor. The sparse details that are available for public airing are now in our web shop. This could be a very nice motor for small models... but there may be a catch. We are working on it.
Semroc's new birds, including the lovely cc:Spaceplane, are flying out the door. We should see that retro glider as well as the truly gargantuan Edmonds Aerospace gliders soaring above the fields this summer. The Edmonds Deltie Thunder and the Ecee Thunder promise spectacular flights.
We are still waiting for our latest shipment of new BSD HPR rocket kits including their recently announced 5.5 inch ones. Last year we had a glitch in communications with BSD at about this same time, too, so, like last year, we hope that the rockets will be along shortly after Mark plugs his phone in and starts answering emails again. Our apologies for those left waiting.
In the meantime we have ramped up our stock levels of great Public Missiles kits including AMRAAM, Ariel, Callisto and a range of PML phenolic and Quantum tubing. LOC/Precision kits are also in stock or available double-quick to order. We have Leve1 1, 2 and 3 kits in stock from PML, LOC, Public Enemy and BSD.
We've had a number of new model rocket kits in since the last newsletter. We had the entire range of Dr Zooch Saturn scale kits but have sold out of some versions already. More are coming. Also arriving in the next two weeks is a Dr Zooch Space Transport System aka Space Shuttle. We have seen the pix of the development models and they are spectacular. They will be just a bit more dear than the Saturns but still very reasonable. The Shuttle will take a bit more building skill but the result will be a close-to-scale, sweetly flying Space Shuttle model. Dr Zooch kits are all about affordable flying, not collecting.
We just received a shipment of new Fliskits models. In the post are some great new clustered payloaders and more of the usual unusual Fliskits. The postal monster didn't munch the Fliskits like it apparently has our expected Squirrel Works shipment that is lost in space.
Are we Goony? We have a ton of cool (or so we thought) decals and kit bash instruction sets from Excelsior Rocketry. You can take a dumb Baby Bertha and, with less than an extreme makeover, turn it into a far more interesting rocket. But the sets seem to be languishing on our shelves. Take a look. Rockets that make you laugh are a good idea! Why buy a Mean Machine when for half the money you can get a Not So Nice Device?
By popular demand we have created a D-power starter kit, bringing together the quick-to-build/no paint Blue Ninja, an Estes Porta Pad II, MaxiRod and the venerable Electron Beam controller. It's a little something for the big kids who like more of fire, smoke and noise. Of course, we still have a much BIGGER starter kit with a Qmodeling Nike X included for really big kids...
Qmodeling's new Hawkeye is their latest top quality mega retro scale effort. It is MAMMOTH! It really needs an E motor to give it good altitude, though. An Aerotech F21 would be exciting... we are working towards securing supplies of those sought after motors. The Qmodeling Andromeda is coming soon... it will be the mega-est of their retro scale models. It has raised a lot of interest since we previewed it on the site. Look for a BIG MRS Viper within the next month, too.
Hawk Mountain's fantastic fibreglass products join the Deepsky line-up this month. We are bringing in their hardware and accessories as well as their HPR kits. First in is their awesome Talon 3 in both 54mm dual deploy and 38mm single deploy configurations. A lot of money for a rocket kit, you say? Read through the long features list and decide if this might be the time to move on from cardboard rockets to the most complete kits in the galaxy. If you are looking for the best, get in touch so we can help you kick the phenolic habit. There are a lot of options and choices, each kit is highly customisable according to your preference.
Deepsky wants to be your hybrid dealer. In addition to the HyperTEK GSE, 54mm hybrid motors and reloads that we stock, we are also introducing Sky Ripper Systems' gem-like 29mm G motors to complement our range of 29mm RATTs. We have a selection of 29mm kits that can be readily adapted to hybrid power. The most demanding element required is an altimeter/timer/apogee detector as hybrids don't have motor-integrated ejection. Some flyers embrace complexity. It sure feels good when it all works right!
In the 38mm hybrid motor size we have West Coast Gs through Js. Hybrid motors are still a bit of a cottage industry with some great designs compromised by patchy availability of hardware. We are working hard to make the supply of service parts and reloads a no-risk proposition for our flyers. We hope to begin production of our own motors under license shortly so the supply chain won't stretch thousands of miles and entail expensive air mail and duty charges... and delay.
Weighing in on the big end we are taking delivery next week of our first 75mm Contrail M impulse motor. If you think that hybrids are a bit weedy, consider the new Contrail M motor with the fast grain and injector combo that delivers 1100 pounds thrust at lift off... Zowee! The Contrail Ls are pretty intersting, too. Both are pyro and GOX-free!
Kevlar is everyone's favourite rocket cordage and we have two new formats for that super strong and burn resistant stuff. We have a 500 pound ribbon that is very compact and lends itself to numerous applications besides tying bits of falling rocket together. We also have 1000 pound test strap available to handle those awkward early or late deployments. It coils much more compact than the usual tubular Kevlar so you can run reasonable length harnesses in rather small diameter HPR rockets. 700 pound test braided cord is also in stock.
We've been busy handling the rush of school orders but we finally got to see the new Star Wars movie where a bit of Deepsky hardware plays a vital supporting role. Look for space fighters that glow blue on their arse end. Those star drives just couldn't make the jump to light speed without Deepsky's vintage Night Launch glow strips! We still have a few left... May the Force be with you.
The 26th of April saw the long anticipated overhaul of explosives regulations in the UK. We have been expecting MSER for years and years and, now that it's here, one month on as much confusion reigns as before. A lot of the police forces that are working on Deepsky customer's explosives licenses need training or, having had some training, are espousing different views on what is required by law and what is just good practice.
We have laid in a supply of ammo boxes which may or may not be exactly what your local coppers want to see. The best configuration we recommend is an ammo box, two stout locks and a lining of non-sparking material (wood or plastic).
Do you paint it red and perhaps attract the attentions of thieves as well as alert emergency personnel? Or is a low key (but appropriately placarded) scheme better? Ask your local cop shop, they are all trying to afford maximum protection for the public and any good effort on your part towards meeting that burden will be recognised. You will need to paint them for sure because the military didn't take very good care of the cosmetics!
In conjunction with the "harmonisation" of European dangerous goods transport regulations, it's an awkward time for rocket folk. Even Tesco is having problems delivering bleach to customers at home... it's not just our motors, folks. Epoxy is coming under the cosh. Insidious governmental regulation is creeping in everywhere. Did you see the BBC News item about banning kitchen knives?
The good news is Deepsky has cut our Standard Delivery and Collection charges - which were subsidising Courier Delivery rates - which we felt was unfair. However, Deepsky has had an increase in its courier costs in the last month (a fuel surcharge). We have had to increase our prices by about £1 above the 2003 level. We did that to avoid requiring a minimum order size for courier delivery. We are >>still<< subsidising courier delivery somewhat and will have to keep an eye on rates as extra regulation and fuel issues arise.
We want to do it right, play it straight and not risk bad PR that will reflect on the rocketry community that could result by sending motors out in the post. Sure its cheaper but do you really want to read about rocket terrorists imperiling Postman Pat in the tabloids? That could make things tougher for all of us.
Our congratulations to Andrew Lee for his successful assault on the UK open B impulse altitude record. We understand that although he has surpassed the figure in the record books there is a reluctance to give the lad his due in the lofty reaches of the UK rocket politburo. Andrew's brother Jonathan has recently set the UK open D impulse altitude record. Jonathan and Deepsky's own Genni Lavin have used their rocketry exploits towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards at the Bronze and Silver level, respectively. Way to go, junior spacepersons!
Keep an eye on the Deepsky events calendar on our site. It's woefully behind at the moment but will be getting spiffed up as soon as we get the back end sorted. We are doing more work in the web shop engine room to make things smoother and cut down on some delay-causing order issues, too. Thanks for all the orders and we look forward to kitting you up for some great summer flying. If you've got those summertime blues, go launch a rocket! If the wind is up, launch a Art Applewhite UFO!
If you need some holiday reading, check out our books including The Ministry of Space and Experimental Composite Propellents - both are stimulating reads with a cool drink to hand. Or a hot drink if the weather requires ;-)
The Deepsky Team
It's been a while since our newsletter last landed in your email in-tray... but not for lack of new stuff to talk about. We have been waiting to make a big announcement about CE marking for HPR motors... but we've got tired of waiting. It is supposed to be done and dusted sometime in the next month but we've heard that before. We're getting closer with Cesaroni ProX. There is even some suggestion that Congreve motors might make their long awaited debut.
In preparation for the big CE surge of legal HPR motors, we are laying in stocks of Pro75 hardware so that your rockets with yawning apertures can take a great leap upward as soon as the Eurocrats have had their fill of paper passing. while the proffered constitution has hit the buffers, the CE marking mission is full speed ahead.
The new BIG Pro75 hardware set includes a whole bunch of gubbins that are distinctly different from the Pro38s and Pro54s that went before. We will be stocking Pro75 3 grain (L800) and 5 grain (M1400) hardware. Other sizes on request. Big bore Pro hardware will be available for purchase or rent... so you don't have to spend a lot on a big casing and closures that you will use infrequently.
Pro98 gear and reloads (with the exception of the long burn moon burners) will be next on the post-CE Deepsky shopping list. Sadly, there is a bit of a problem getting the single piece grain moon burner motors across the water. We might not get to play with N motors that burn for 12 seconds, more's the pity. We can't wait to get our hands on the N2500 standard grain, though. That's 13767Ns total impulse with a nice mid-length 5.4 second burn. 871 pounds of thrust off the pad. Yow!
The other good news is that the long delayed Estes Oracle video rocket is about to leave the US and head for Deepsky's shelves - not that they will stay there for long. Those of you who have waited patiently for this D powered techno-fantasy will be rewarded soon with a much higher spec rocket than the one announced last autumn and promised last winter. You should have them in your sweaty hands within ten days. The Cosmos Mariner, however, still seems lost in space. The best estimate we have is mid to end June for that beautiful D powered glider.
Speaking of D power, we are looking forward to an autumn launch of Quest's 18mm D motor. The sparse details that are available for public airing are now in our web shop. This could be a very nice motor for small models... but there may be a catch. We are working on it.
Semroc's new birds, including the lovely cc:Spaceplane, are flying out the door. We should see that retro glider as well as the truly gargantuan Edmonds Aerospace gliders soaring above the fields this summer. The Edmonds Deltie Thunder and the Ecee Thunder promise spectacular flights.
We are still waiting for our latest shipment of new BSD HPR rocket kits including their recently announced 5.5 inch ones. Last year we had a glitch in communications with BSD at about this same time, too, so, like last year, we hope that the rockets will be along shortly after Mark plugs his phone in and starts answering emails again. Our apologies for those left waiting.
In the meantime we have ramped up our stock levels of great Public Missiles kits including AMRAAM, Ariel, Callisto and a range of PML phenolic and Quantum tubing. LOC/Precision kits are also in stock or available double-quick to order. We have Leve1 1, 2 and 3 kits in stock from PML, LOC, Public Enemy and BSD.
We've had a number of new model rocket kits in since the last newsletter. We had the entire range of Dr Zooch Saturn scale kits but have sold out of some versions already. More are coming. Also arriving in the next two weeks is a Dr Zooch Space Transport System aka Space Shuttle. We have seen the pix of the development models and they are spectacular. They will be just a bit more dear than the Saturns but still very reasonable. The Shuttle will take a bit more building skill but the result will be a close-to-scale, sweetly flying Space Shuttle model. Dr Zooch kits are all about affordable flying, not collecting.
We just received a shipment of new Fliskits models. In the post are some great new clustered payloaders and more of the usual unusual Fliskits. The postal monster didn't munch the Fliskits like it apparently has our expected Squirrel Works shipment that is lost in space.
Are we Goony? We have a ton of cool (or so we thought) decals and kit bash instruction sets from Excelsior Rocketry. You can take a dumb Baby Bertha and, with less than an extreme makeover, turn it into a far more interesting rocket. But the sets seem to be languishing on our shelves. Take a look. Rockets that make you laugh are a good idea! Why buy a Mean Machine when for half the money you can get a Not So Nice Device?
By popular demand we have created a D-power starter kit, bringing together the quick-to-build/no paint Blue Ninja, an Estes Porta Pad II, MaxiRod and the venerable Electron Beam controller. It's a little something for the big kids who like more of fire, smoke and noise. Of course, we still have a much BIGGER starter kit with a Qmodeling Nike X included for really big kids...
Qmodeling's new Hawkeye is their latest top quality mega retro scale effort. It is MAMMOTH! It really needs an E motor to give it good altitude, though. An Aerotech F21 would be exciting... we are working towards securing supplies of those sought after motors. The Qmodeling Andromeda is coming soon... it will be the mega-est of their retro scale models. It has raised a lot of interest since we previewed it on the site. Look for a BIG MRS Viper within the next month, too.
Hawk Mountain's fantastic fibreglass products join the Deepsky line-up this month. We are bringing in their hardware and accessories as well as their HPR kits. First in is their awesome Talon 3 in both 54mm dual deploy and 38mm single deploy configurations. A lot of money for a rocket kit, you say? Read through the long features list and decide if this might be the time to move on from cardboard rockets to the most complete kits in the galaxy. If you are looking for the best, get in touch so we can help you kick the phenolic habit. There are a lot of options and choices, each kit is highly customisable according to your preference.
Deepsky wants to be your hybrid dealer. In addition to the HyperTEK GSE, 54mm hybrid motors and reloads that we stock, we are also introducing Sky Ripper Systems' gem-like 29mm G motors to complement our range of 29mm RATTs. We have a selection of 29mm kits that can be readily adapted to hybrid power. The most demanding element required is an altimeter/timer/apogee detector as hybrids don't have motor-integrated ejection. Some flyers embrace complexity. It sure feels good when it all works right!
In the 38mm hybrid motor size we have West Coast Gs through Js. Hybrid motors are still a bit of a cottage industry with some great designs compromised by patchy availability of hardware. We are working hard to make the supply of service parts and reloads a no-risk proposition for our flyers. We hope to begin production of our own motors under license shortly so the supply chain won't stretch thousands of miles and entail expensive air mail and duty charges... and delay.
Weighing in on the big end we are taking delivery next week of our first 75mm Contrail M impulse motor. If you think that hybrids are a bit weedy, consider the new Contrail M motor with the fast grain and injector combo that delivers 1100 pounds thrust at lift off... Zowee! The Contrail Ls are pretty intersting, too. Both are pyro and GOX-free!
Kevlar is everyone's favourite rocket cordage and we have two new formats for that super strong and burn resistant stuff. We have a 500 pound ribbon that is very compact and lends itself to numerous applications besides tying bits of falling rocket together. We also have 1000 pound test strap available to handle those awkward early or late deployments. It coils much more compact than the usual tubular Kevlar so you can run reasonable length harnesses in rather small diameter HPR rockets. 700 pound test braided cord is also in stock.
We've been busy handling the rush of school orders but we finally got to see the new Star Wars movie where a bit of Deepsky hardware plays a vital supporting role. Look for space fighters that glow blue on their arse end. Those star drives just couldn't make the jump to light speed without Deepsky's vintage Night Launch glow strips! We still have a few left... May the Force be with you.
The 26th of April saw the long anticipated overhaul of explosives regulations in the UK. We have been expecting MSER for years and years and, now that it's here, one month on as much confusion reigns as before. A lot of the police forces that are working on Deepsky customer's explosives licenses need training or, having had some training, are espousing different views on what is required by law and what is just good practice.
We have laid in a supply of ammo boxes which may or may not be exactly what your local coppers want to see. The best configuration we recommend is an ammo box, two stout locks and a lining of non-sparking material (wood or plastic).
Do you paint it red and perhaps attract the attentions of thieves as well as alert emergency personnel? Or is a low key (but appropriately placarded) scheme better? Ask your local cop shop, they are all trying to afford maximum protection for the public and any good effort on your part towards meeting that burden will be recognised. You will need to paint them for sure because the military didn't take very good care of the cosmetics!
In conjunction with the "harmonisation" of European dangerous goods transport regulations, it's an awkward time for rocket folk. Even Tesco is having problems delivering bleach to customers at home... it's not just our motors, folks. Epoxy is coming under the cosh. Insidious governmental regulation is creeping in everywhere. Did you see the BBC News item about banning kitchen knives?
The good news is Deepsky has cut our Standard Delivery and Collection charges - which were subsidising Courier Delivery rates - which we felt was unfair. However, Deepsky has had an increase in its courier costs in the last month (a fuel surcharge). We have had to increase our prices by about £1 above the 2003 level. We did that to avoid requiring a minimum order size for courier delivery. We are >>still<< subsidising courier delivery somewhat and will have to keep an eye on rates as extra regulation and fuel issues arise.
We want to do it right, play it straight and not risk bad PR that will reflect on the rocketry community that could result by sending motors out in the post. Sure its cheaper but do you really want to read about rocket terrorists imperiling Postman Pat in the tabloids? That could make things tougher for all of us.
Our congratulations to Andrew Lee for his successful assault on the UK open B impulse altitude record. We understand that although he has surpassed the figure in the record books there is a reluctance to give the lad his due in the lofty reaches of the UK rocket politburo. Andrew's brother Jonathan has recently set the UK open D impulse altitude record. Jonathan and Deepsky's own Genni Lavin have used their rocketry exploits towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards at the Bronze and Silver level, respectively. Way to go, junior spacepersons!
Keep an eye on the Deepsky events calendar on our site. It's woefully behind at the moment but will be getting spiffed up as soon as we get the back end sorted. We are doing more work in the web shop engine room to make things smoother and cut down on some delay-causing order issues, too. Thanks for all the orders and we look forward to kitting you up for some great summer flying. If you've got those summertime blues, go launch a rocket! If the wind is up, launch a Art Applewhite UFO!
If you need some holiday reading, check out our books including The Ministry of Space and Experimental Composite Propellents - both are stimulating reads with a cool drink to hand. Or a hot drink if the weather requires ;-)
The Deepsky Team
