Thrust curve.org

[tbonerocketeer]

I just wanted to thank markkoelsch for his continued maintenance and running of thrustcurve.org. It was a huge help with some stuff I have been working on.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

I love it too. It's been a big help for my current project.

 

[timbucktoo]

Don't forget John Coker!

 

[tbonerocketeer]

Don't forget John Coker!

I don't, just haven't used his stuff as recently...let's just say I spent yesterday on ThrustCurve pulling propellant weight info.

 

[Buckeye]

I don't, just haven't used his stuff as recently...let's just say I spent yesterday on ThrustCurve pulling propellant weight info.

The Thrustcurve website is his stuff!

 

[tbonerocketeer]

The Thrustcurve website is his stuff!

So Mark just maintains it?

 

[timbucktoo]

So Mark just maintains it?

Mark contributes. John developed & maintains it.

History of site:
https://thrustcurve.herokuapp.com/info/background.html

 

[tbonerocketeer]

Mark contributes. John developed & maintains it.

History of site:
https://thrustcurve.herokuapp.com/info/background.html

Well, there is my learning for today. So thanks to John as well!

 

[markkoelsch]

So Mark just maintains it?

Very brief version here.

John created ThrustCurve something like 15-20 years ago.

I have been in High Power for 20 years, and mid Power a bit longer. Once I discovered Rocksim I spent a lot of time on it. Then found out about ThrustCurve. Over time, I realized John spent a lot of time on this. I decided to go after his list of motors with no files. This was probably about 2007-08. Then I was in discussions with Darrel Mobley about starting a software forum in Rocketry Planet. I then became a moderator of that forum. John knew of my file contributions and of my involvement with RP. John and Darrell talked, and basically I was asked if I wanted to formalize my role with a ThrustCurve as John was getting burned out on this, and needed help. Obviously, I said yes.

Over the next 3 or so years, I spent a ton of time between RP and ThrustCurve. A LOT of time. Let me say that this online stuff basically became the hobby for me. I really did not have time to build rockets, and my flying cut down a bunch too. It really got to the point with RP that it had completely beaten the fun out of rocketry for me. It turned my hobby into a second job for which I received no renumeration. I decided I needed my hobby to be a hobby again, and decided to resign from RP. I literally was writing my resignation letter to Darrel and the other RP Mods when Brad, one of the other Mods contacted me to tell me Darrell had passed away. I was pulled back in along with Steve Shannon (super good guy and now TRA BOD member) and Brad.

Because of the state of RP I spent a bunch of time helping many dealers and small manufacturers get their site moved from Darrel's server to new hosting. No need to name names of companies here, but Kevin Trojanowski and Greg Deputy helped me accomplish a lot of that.

We tried to save RP, but ultimately we did not own it so had our hands tied. We shut it down.

What many did not realize was that Darrel also had a significant stash of files on an FTP site associated with RP. When we closed RP it turns out only one person had a copy of the FTP site- me. Trojanowski approached me about doing something with it, and that became about the first 50% of Rocketryfiles.com, which is mine. The rest of the files are other things I had gathered myself- information is good.

Maybe I should be on the Rocketry Show podcast😀

As CJ put it a while ago " Mark has been involved in a lot of things behind the scenes for a long time".

 

[Steve Shannon]

And I'm still paying annual rent on the server where Rocketry Planet is stored, but because I don't have time to rebuild it, I have the domain pointed elsewhere.


Steve Shannon

 

[markkoelsch]

And I'm still paying annual rent on the server where Rocketry Planet is stored, but because I don't have time to rebuild it, I have the domain pointed elsewhere.


Steve Shannon

Steve, I knew that, but I doubt anyone else did.

It would take a huge amount of work to get everything rebuilt from such an old version of Joomla. Recode the whole site type of work.

 

[Steve Shannon]

Yeah, I'm not even sure anybody cares besides you, Brad, and me.

 

[dhbarr]

I care, and would be willing to help after my own limited fashion. The discussions that went on there could be extremely valuable for research if only search engines could index them, even if solely static.

For instance, I'd bet I could dig up at least two more threads on 18mm E/F motors. IA/RV/RR tubers. Hybrids galore. Etc.

 

[Steve Shannon]

I care, and would be willing to help after my own limited fashion. The discussions that went on there could be extremely valuable for research if only search engines could index them, even if solely static.

For instance, I'd bet I could dig up at least two more threads on 18mm E/F motors. IA/RV/RR tubers. Hybrids galore. Etc.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

 

[Worsaer]

Yeah, I'm not even sure anybody cares besides you, Brad, and me.

.. add me to that this list. I was an RP member before joining here. I learned a lot in those years.

 

[Steve Shannon]

.. add me to that this list. I was an RP member before joining here. I learned a lot in those years.

I did too! [emoji1]
Thanks!

 

[markkoelsch]

I did too! [emoji1]
Thanks!

Yes all, thanks. I did not mean to make it sound as negative as it may have come off. Made some really good friends and learned a bunch too. I mention it as an explanation for those not aware of what I had been involved in, and perhaps as a slight cautionary tale.

 

[heada]

I surely do miss Darrel and RP. Lots of good memories.

-Aaron

 

[Steve Shannon]

I surely do miss Darrel and RP. Lots of good memories.

-Aaron

Aaron,
I apologize for leaving you off the list of people who I know would care. I suspect Lucas would also.

 

[heada]

Aaron,
I apologize for leaving you off the list of people who I know would care. I suspect Lucas would also.

No need to apologize for anything. I wonder if it would be good to get a data dump off the server and then just retire it. Preserve the data but not pay to keep the hardware. It was old when I shipped it to Darrel.

Its pretty cool how far Thrustcurve has come. Back when I was flying more often, I could just look at a rocket and tell you what motors to use. Now that I launch only once or twice a year, I have to look stuff up and one of the places I always hit is thrustcurve. Good job Mark and John.

-Aaron

 

[Steve Shannon]

No need to apologize for anything. I wonder if it would be good to get a data dump off the server and then just retire it. Preserve the data but not pay to keep the hardware. It was old when I shipped it to Darrel.

Its pretty cool how far Thrustcurve has come. Back when I was flying more often, I could just look at a rocket and tell you what motors to use. Now that I launch only once or twice a year, I have to look stuff up and one of the places I always hit is thrustcurve. Good job Mark and John.

-Aaron

I think that the hosting company moved the image from the server you shipped to them a few years ago. It's now on their server.

And, you're right. Thrustcurve is great. Now that I have internet access at the range I'll use it even more!


Steve Shannon

 

[Wayco]

I almost cancelled a launch last year when Thrustcurve went down while I was prepping rockets. Fortunately, a PM to John got it back up in time for the launch. Now I print out the motor guide and put it in the front of my launch log for each rocket I fly. John and Mark have my everlasting gratitude. :wave:

 

[markkoelsch]

Aaron,
I apologize for leaving you off the list of people who I know would care. I suspect Lucas would also.

Me too- sorry.

 

[markkoelsch]

No need to apologize for anything. I wonder if it would be good to get a data dump off the server and then just retire it. Preserve the data but not pay to keep the hardware. It was old when I shipped it to Darrel.

Its pretty cool how far Thrustcurve has come. Back when I was flying more often, I could just look at a rocket and tell you what motors to use. Now that I launch only once or twice a year, I have to look stuff up and one of the places I always hit is thrustcurve. Good job Mark and John.

-Aaron

Hi Aaron, the server was virtualized as I understand it. The server had become pretty unstable hence the conversion.

Server still exists and Steve is paying for it.

It was on a very old version (1.5) of Joomla. This is so old that there is no good way to update it other than to essentially start from scratch. Much work.

 

[Len B]

I'd like to jump in here as another person who was happy that all the folks mentioned here have put so much into thrustcurve.org and also R-P.
I connected with Darrell offline during some of the tough times he was going through prior to his passing. I was really shaken up when he died.
Thank you to all who kept R-P going through that time. It was appreciated.

John Coker's revamping of Thrustcurve.org and the introduction of the Thrustcurve to go app are welcome additions.
John's videos are great also. I continue to learn from these resources.

Cheers all!

Len B

Len

 

[Steve Shannon]

John's website was very helpful to me when I learned about high power rocketry. I can't even guess at how many hours I spent reading everything there.