Xyla Foxlin is at it again...

[jqavins]

Either way it's a fancy word used for journalistic purposes.

Oh? You've hung out with her, Joe Barnard, and other rocket folks in their circle and know how they refer to the process while off camera?

 

[Rschub]

 

[Cnorm]

It wouldn't be TRF without someone getting completely wrapped around some insignificant detail.

 

[SolarYellow]

Wasn't it the motor assembly to which they applied that term? Not integrating the motor into the rocket, but integrating the grains, liner, case, etc. Some people call that building the motor. I call that assembling the motor. Integrating? Sure, why not.

I tend to think of integration in technical stuff as part of the engineering, as in systems integration. Selecting/designing/engineering all the different stuff to work correctly together.

Taking a subassembly out of the box and putting it together more or less according to the instructions is not "integrating." It's "assembling."

George Carlin had a bit about that kind of thing.

 

[cwbullet]

Regardless of any differences I see that are generational, I see her as a very talented builder and engineer (I think that is her field).

Fascinating video. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

Integrating the motor is a necessary step before eventually moving on to disintegrating the rocket.

 

[jqavins]

I tend to think of integration in technical stuff as part of the engineering, as in systems integration. Selecting/designing/engineering all the different stuff to work correctly together.

Back in my woefully bygone satellite days, I did just what you're talking about in the electrical realm, picking the equipment that will comprise a subsystem, ensuring that my stuff and other people's stuff play nicely together, and so on. My title was Electrical System Engineer, but in some companies I'd have been called an electrical integrator, because "system engineer" means something else. In the same company, "Integration and Test " (I&T) is both the department and the project phase wherein the satellite is put together and tested. That is, the big clean room, the people who work in it, and the work that's done there. So physical integration is a perfectly valid term here, whether for putting the motor parts together or putting the motor into the rocket, at least according to me and Lockheed Martin.

 

[kuririn]

Vehicle Integration:
Them


Us


Motor integration:
Them


Us

 

[bjphoenix]

Regardless of any differences I see that are generational, I see her as a very talented builder and engineer (I think that is her field).

I watched part of it before this thread started, then got to finish it just now. It's an impressive rocket and she did a good build or it. It was hard to tell from the video clips but it was very fast as you would expect. The thing that struck me the most- she's a relatively small person and she put the fully loaded rocket on her shoulder and walked around nonchalantly with it. A level 3 rocket is normally a lot heavier than that.

 

[techrat]

A level 3 rocket is normally a lot heavier than that.

This one was pretty much all carbon fiber, but still -- the motor is probably the heaviest part. The nosecone had the electronics, so while it did have some weight, not that much. But we can assume she's fit from building all those other projects like the teardrop trailer.

 

[bjphoenix]

This one was pretty much all carbon fiber, but still -- the motor is probably the heaviest part. The nosecone had the electronics, so while it did have some weight, not that much. But we can assume she's fit from building all those other projects like the teardrop trailer.

It would probably be pretty light even if it was all fiberglass. My point was that I almost always see level 3 projects being carried by 2 people, carried on wheeled vehicles, etc. She just carries it like it's nothing.

 

[Neutronium95]

When I was a kid going to launches in the early 2000s, it felt like every L3 rocket was at least 8" in diameter and weighed 100+ pounds. I think that smaller and lighter L3 rockets are a bit more common these days.

It also is going to depend on your waiver. If you can only fly to 5,000 feet, then you'll need a much larger rocket to stay under the waiver, whereas I fly at multiple launch sites where a minimum diameter M motor wouldn't even tickle the waiver. It's easily possible to build L3 rockets the same size as many L1 rockets, and while they aren't necessarily lightweight for their size, they can be pretty easily handled by one person. For example my 4" L3 cert rocket is 75" long and weighs in at less than 14 pounds without the motor, and is quite easy to move around.

 

[Cape Byron]

She’s hot, but I’m not sure she’s Level 3 hot.

Not a redhead then?

 

[Model_rockets]

Normal people: "Good Lord she's hot!"

Rocket people: "I hope she has her L3 certification!".

It's free entertainment.. I could have done without the backstory and the mental health advertisement tie in, but I was on the edge of my seat when they took a sledgehammer and a ratchet strap to that motor casing.

I watched her previous rocket video and used to subscribe, but then she kind of fell off the radar for a while.

I think if you really want some how-to rocketry then Rocket Vlogs or BPS Space is a far better choice.

Hey shut up. She is a talented enigeer and content creator. [comment edited by mods] It is her video and her community who she honestly cares about her community and wants to help them get access to therapy that they may have not been able to get without. And yeah the motor didn't go well but I know all of yall would be lying if you said you have never made a mistake in this hobby. So just stop with your harassing and demeaning comments about her looks and content. And further more she was never trying to make a guide on how to Rocket. She makes videos to share her projects and help motivate her community. Maybe you could learn something form her. Maybe instead of lowering women down to just something to look at you could treat like you would anyone else and just support and help people. How the hell can you not say nice job to a successful carbon min diameter flight ? Because that is what it was. As a women in this hobby stop treating us like nothing. Same goes for a lot of people in this thread.

 

[jqavins]

It would probably be pretty light even if it was all fiberglass. My point was that I almost always see level 3 projects being carried by 2 people, carried on wheeled vehicles, etc. She just carries it like it's nothing.

It's pretty small for an L3 rocket. Minimum diameter means no quarter inch plywood CRs and small bulkheads. It's short compared to most L3 rockets. The fins are of adequate size, and not more. Honestly, it looks a little - not very much - on the small side for an L2 rocket, or typical for an L1, which makes it really small for an L3. It's considerably smaller than the EZI-65 I plan to use for my L2. It's sized like an L1 rocket with an L3 motor shoved up its backside.

And none of that is in any way derogatory. It's really cool to make a rocket that size that can take that motor. It proves that CF, the right resins and adhesives, and good technique can accomplish a lot. (Also, min diameter and a big motor are definitely the way to go if you're looking to break Mach 2.)

Xyla, if you're lurking here reading, Well done!

 

[Buckeye]

John, she lives in the LA area. She's an Ohio gal.

https://www.xylafoxlin.com/about

She may have spent her college years at Case but is not from Ohio, necessarily. She pronounces aunt as "awnt." People in Ohio generally say "ant." My guess is that she was raised in New England.

 

[jqavins]

She may have spent her college years at Case but is not from Ohio, necessarily. She pronounces aunt as "awnt." People in Ohio generally say "ant." My guess is that she was raised in New England.

There no need to guess:

Born	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S
Education	Lexington High School (MA) Case Western Reserve University (B.S.E.)

Biography
Foxlin grew up in the Boston area and attended Lexington High School. As a sophomore, she found part-time work by using a hyperlocal job search website called HelpAroundTown. She was captain of the school's robotics team in her junior and senior years. She attended Case Western University and majored in mechanical and aerospace engineering where she was described in a magazine as a "robotics whiz kid". She was president of the college's robotics mining team.

While in Cleveland, she entered a beauty contest and won the title for Miss Greater Cleveland; her skill was playing a violin using a Tesla coil that she developed.

Also, one can learn from her videos that she started her current channel while living in the Cleveland area and moved to the LA area some time in the last few years.

 

[Lord Rory Gin]

ALL Carbon Fiber: My Fastest, Highest, Craziest Rocket YET!

There are few people on the planet with such high energy personalities... always a joy to watch though. (watch her Teardrop trailer build). She's very thorough and understands what she is doing.

 

[SolarYellow]

I would actually enjoy it more without the "hot chick" click baiting shenanigans. Just be hot and do the thing if that's what you're going to do. We'll figure it out, you don't need to keep telling us.

 

[jrains]

First off, appreciated the heads up that her video was posted. Enjoyed watching it. What I did not follow is why she had to be out at the launch site in the middle of the night.

 

[jimzcatz]

I can't believe Joe B was a part of this travesty. She shows exactly what NOT to do.

 

[jqavins]

First off, appreciated the heads up that her video was posted. Enjoyed watching it. What I did not follow is why she had to be out at the launch site in the middle of the night.

The prep work can take quite a while, and it's bloody damn hot out there this time of year. Do all the work you can before dawn, then push the button early in the morning.

I can't believe Joe B was a part of this travesty. She shows exactly what NOT to do.

????

Other than how they got the motor grains and liner into the case, what did she do wrong? Please be specific.

I would actually enjoy it more without the "hot chick" click baiting shenanigans. Just be hot and do the thing if that's what you're going to do. We'll figure it out, you don't need to keep telling us.

Same request. Please be specific. I'll give you the thumbnail for the tiara launch as click bait, and her personal hotness isn't in that picture.

Please don't take this an an accusation; it's just my impression and there could well be some other explanation. My impression is that there's some, presumably unconscious, prejudice against hot women. If a man made a CF and FG tux that is allegedly bulletproof, wouldn't he model it? And if he's a hunky man modeling his bulletproof tux, would that be click bait? If a light weight man found it convenient to jump up on his workbench to make cuts that are hard to reach while standing in front of it, would that be click bait? If he did so with a bare midriff? And for both of those examples, what if it were a woman who is not as good looking?


Long before becoming a full time YouTuber (I retract my previous comment about a day job; I was wrong) she founded an educational non-profit who's purpose is to show girls that they could be "girly" and do "STEM stuff" at the same time. She's living and showing that in her videos, being super cute and rather hot and doing awesome builds. I don't see anything wrong with that.

What do you see that I don't?

------------------------------------
It's been hitting me as I wrote this post that I'm really coming across as a massive fanboy. I liked her videos before this, and it's while looking for facts related to this video and this thread that I've become more of a fan.

 

[bad_idea]

It's been hitting me as I wrote this post that I'm really coming across as a massive fanboy. I liked her videos before this, and it's while looking for facts related to this video and this thread that I've become more of a fan.

I subscribed after her L2 video, hoping she'd do more rocket content. I've watched several of her videos since then when they've been of interest to me, and I've enjoyed her offbeat, goofy style and have learned from some of her tips and tricks. Looking forward to her upcoming videos on the sailboat build. And of course I enjoyed this one.

Like you, I didn't see glaring problems aside from how they loaded the motor case, and even that worked, it just would have scared me as a flyer, and I probably would have been on the horn to CTI about it instead of breaking out the ratchet straps. I would have wanted more pop on the drogue test and less pop on the main (at least the primary charge), but there very well may have been: we only saw what was necessary to explain the concept to a layman, not the entirety of was actually done; could be those were just the best shots.

There's also nothing wrong with her surface prep. While creating a perfect surface and performing water break tests, etc. probably makes for the very best bond, I'd guess that 99% of epoxy bonds on rockets are simply scuffed (certainly all of mine so far have been done this way).

Flyaway guides are often a problem, but hers looked more aggressively-opening than many I've seen - a very good thing - and seems to have worked well.

Always good to have more young people and more women in rocketry, and even better when they drum up excitement with well-produced videos. I don't see what's not to like.

 

[Model_rockets]

I would actually enjoy it more without the "hot chick" click baiting shenanigans. Just be hot and do the thing if that's what you're going to do. We'll figure it out, you don't need to keep telling us.

No you just think women do everything to please you. (They dont!!!!)Have you never thought for more than one second and thought maybe they just like these clothes or this is what they are most comfortable in ? She made a rocket video and you keep talking about her looks the real problem here is you.

 

[jqavins]

Like you, I didn't see glaring problems aside from how they loaded the motor case, and even that worked, it just would have scared me as a flyer, and I probably would have been on the horn to CTI about it instead of breaking out the ratchet straps. I would have wanted more pop on the drogue test and less pop on the main (at least the primary charge), but there very well may have been: we only saw what was necessary to explain the concept to a layman, not the entirety of was actually done; could be those were just the best shots.

I'd much sooner have broken out the ratchet straps than the mallet. I suspect (but can't come close to proving) that the grease was the problem. I'd have preferred to wipe the grease off - just wipe, not wash - to leave the surface slippery but not gooey.

I had a similar thought that the drogue charge seemed anemic, but I didn't think the main charge was excessive. And I'm talking out my backside, since I've never done any electronic deployment. I didn't think of the multiple tests = multiple takes possibility. And hey, it all worked.

 

[SolarYellow]

No you just think women do everything to please you. (They dont!!!!)Have you never thought for more than one second and thought maybe they just like these clothes or this is what they are most comfortable in ? She made a rocket video and you keep talking about her looks the real problem here is you.

I never said anything about how she dresses and you're making some awfully big assumptions about what I think based on no evidence.

I didn't say anything about her looks. My point was actually the opposite: I don't need her talking about her looks in order to appreciate either her looks (which, frankly, shouldn't be that important in the context of doing cool rocket stuff) or her technical competence.

I have female friends who have won racing championships. They talk about racing, not how hot they are. One of them has more engineering degrees than I do. I think about how awesome they are to hang out with because of their great personalities. And how awesome it is to go racing with them because of their competence. Not how hot they are.

 

[neil_w]

I sure thought the "hot girl" stuff was very jokey and was specifically referring what they were *doing*, not how she looks.

 

[SolarYellow]

Flip it around. If there was a really hot guy doing rocketry videos and he was frequently making references on camera to being a hot guy, would he be taken seriously, or would he be generally regarded as a giant douche?

My entirely subjective feeling about it is that Xyla's videos cross the line in marketing that angle of what she is to the point that it actually takes her down a notch.

Evidence that I'm not the only one who sees it that way is provided by the whole premise of the "Spite" build. Someone who hadn't paid a lot of attention assumed that that was all she was really selling, and excluded her from something she properly should have been included in because of it. That pissed her off enough to build an awesome rocket and prove they were full of it. But maybe if she hadn't been doing so much of the whole, "Look at me, I'm a hot chick doing rocket stuff" act, and just did rocket stuff like everyone else while also being a hot chick, that never would have happened.

 

[neil_w]

My entirely subjective feeling about it is that Xyla's videos cross the line in marketing that angle of what she is to the point that it actually takes her down a notch.

You are of course entitled to that opinion. I disagree.

Evidence that I'm not the only one who sees it that way is provided by the whole premise of the "Spite" build. Someone who hadn't paid a lot of attention assumed that that was all she was really selling, and excluded her from something she properly should have been included in because of it. That pissed her off enough to build an awesome rocket and prove they were full of it. But maybe if she hadn't been doing so much of the whole, "Look at me, I'm a hot chick doing rocket stuff" act, and just did rocket stuff like everyone else while also being a hot chick, that never would have happened.

You are making a ton of assumptions there.

 

[jqavins]

I sure thought the "hot girl" stuff was very jokey and was specifically referring what they were *doing*, not how she looks.

Exactly. First she said something about "hot girl stuff" then quickly clarified that that is an expression (one I've never heard before) that has to do with rockets. Rockets are sometimes given feminine names, like ships, so maybe a hot rocket is a "hot girl"?

Flip it around. If there was a really hot guy doing rocketry videos and he was frequently making references on camera to being a hot guy, would he be taken seriously, or would he be generally regarded as a giant douche?... But maybe if she hadn't been doing so much of the whole, "Look at me, I'm a hot chick doing rocket stuff"...

Apart from maybe the "hot girl stuff" comment, which she walked back, I just don't see her doing that. There's plenty of "Look at me, I'm a girly-girl doing rocket (or other techie) stuff," but I've never seen her comment on her own hotness; even mentioning the Miss Greater Cleveland title was in a content-relevant way and not dwelled upon.