1971 Onboard Rocket Movies!

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jmmome

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As seniors in 1971 at Cardinal Stritch High School, Oregon OH, Kirk Packo and I built and flew a scratch-built-from-Centuri-parts two stage rocket powered by two "F" motors on the first stage, and a single "F" motor on the upper stage. A one pound Kodak 18fps 8mm movie camera from a pawn shop, affixed with a front surface 45 degree angle mirror, caught the action looking down- Kirk's brilliant idea for the mirror.

Not great visual quality compared to today's mini camcorders, but it was a fun accomplishment for two 17 year olds with just enough knowledge to pull this off.

My thanks to Dr. Packo for finding the film after all these years and creating a wonderful video from them!

 
Amazing accomplishment back then (and even so today)! Would love seeing more 17 yr olds doing these things...

Are there any pictures of the rocket itself?
 
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It would have been very similar to my 1977 "CINEMA 2" rocket, although the booster fins were of a different shape. I slotted the top of the booster section several inches, and the upper section rested in those slots during ascent.

I remember using trainer's athletic cloth tape and Elmer's Glue on the fin/body tube joints to make a poor man's fiberglassing reinforcement back then. Don't know where the original rocket went- probably to a landfill when I went to college.

Here's a link to this 1977 YouTube launch video:
 
I enjoyed the period “Photomat Transfer Service” logo!

Not familiar with the Centuri (Enerjet?) “F”s of that period but I assume they were black powder motors and staging was handled in the traditional manner?

Thanks for sharing!
 
Black power- I think about 1 1/8" dia. x 8" long. Generated about 40 pounds of thrust each as I recall. Since there were two booster and only one main stage motor and thus not two motors in line with each other, I needed to use some nichrome quick-burning fuse between booster and main stage motors to ignite the main stage motor.
 
1971?!? Wow, I was barely alive. I've also worked with film in the past (both 8mm and 16mm) and I can vouch for its fussiness as a medium. I thought attaching a key-chain video camera to a rocket was a big enough deal, but getting a film camera to actually work on a launched rocket almost 50 years ago makes that look like a joyful frolic in the garden. That's awesome footage and an impressive feat. I'm glad the film survived into the digital age - not all of mine did.
 
In about 1965 Centuri introduced the Min-Max motors, which were Black Powder E and F-motors. I had a one or two of the smaller end-buring E-motors and they were wimpy. I could not get them to do anything with regard to lifting a rocket. On the other hand the large port-burning F-motors packed a wallop for the those days. They produced from around 20 pounds to 40 pounds of thrust. In about the 1972 time -frame Centuri introduced the Enerjet E and F-motors, which were single-use composite motors very similar to what we have today.
 
I think the 8mm film lasted for about three minutes or so. I chuckle now when I get antsy as my rockets sits on the pad for 10 or 15 minutes with the 60fps camcorder running and probably 60+ minutes of power in the Mobius' battery.

As a kid, I started with the Camroc, but quickly wanted a movie- not just one still photo. But that still photo was better quality than any frame capture from the 18fps Kodak movie camera launches. I'll see if I can dig up a Camroc photo of mine from the late 60's- seems like you had to mail the exposed cartridge back to Estes maybe? It's been a LONG time and that memory is fuzzy.................
 
In about 1965 Centuri introduced the Min-Max motors, which were Black Powder E and F-motors. I had a one or two of the smaller end-buring E-motors and they were wimpy. I could not get them to do anything with regard to lifting a rocket. On the other hand the large port-burning F-motors packed a wallop for the those days. They produced from around 20 pounds to 40 pounds of thrust. In about the 1972 time -frame Centuri introduced the Enerjet E and F-motors, which were single-use composite motors very similar to what we have today.
I always wanted some of those Min-Max motors but couldn't afford the rail transportation. When I look at late 60's Centuri catalogs, I still drool over them.

Excellent project on the videos! Very ambitious. I'm glad you have them saved. I had a couple of Camroc photos, which would have been from 67/68 time frame? Somehow, they have gone missing. I go looking every now and then, but no joy.

Jim
 
Somewhere I have a video of an Astrocam upscale---Videocam, I think it was called---on an L sparky motor, one of Jim Mitchell's "Yellow Jacket" motors. Would have been considerably later, around 1996 or so.

Best -- Terry
 
As seniors in 1971 at Cardinal Stritch High School, Oregon OH, Kirk Packo and I built and flew a scratch-built-from-Centuri-parts two stage rocket powered by two "F" motors on the first stage, and a single "F" motor on the upper stage. A one pound Kodak 18fps 8mm movie camera from a pawn shop, affixed with a front surface 45 degree angle mirror, caught the action looking down- Kirk's brilliant idea for the mirror.

Not great visual quality compared to today's mini camcorders, but it was a fun accomplishment for two 17 year olds with just enough knowledge to pull this off.

My thanks to Dr. Packo for finding the film after all these years and creating a wonderful video from them!



Can you find a pic of the Kodak camera on the web & post it? I'm curious.
 
It was probably this camera, or maybe an earlier version of it. Kodak Hawkeye 8mm. Got rid of the actual camera years ago. Bulky, and about one pound, as I recall. We got it at a local pawn shop, so we had no idea how old or new it was.

shopping.jpg
 
Just cut two holes in the payload section body tube and slid it through- lens pointing out. Taped it in place- probably with masking tape or cloth trainers tape. A 45 degree angle front surface mirror allowed the Kodak to look down the rocket.
 
They were! We almost put the rocket through the school window, when we foolish 17 year olds decided to launch between the two wings of the school- all glass walls. What could go wrong..........lol.

I now live in Maumee- we should get together to launch sometime. My normal launch site is with JMRC at MIS Speedway. Once a year I go to Three Oaks MI to launch the big stuff.

If you want, check out my YouTube channel..........jmomenee
 
How was those motor ignited? Seems like a big delay from first seeing sparks and smoke and the motors actually firing?
 
We used a quick-burning fuse which was wrapped with nichrome wire- can't recall where we purchased it back then. With only one motor on the second stage and two on the first- no two motors were inline- that was the only way to ignite the second stage.
 
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