Columns

Open Sourcing Space by Dale Dougherty in Welcome
The U.S. space program that I grew up with is gone. Yet our fascination with space is not. Page 1

A Rube Goldberg Music-Making Machine by Adam Sadowsky in Things I've Learned
Here are some things we learned from building a Rube Goldberg-style machine for an OK Go music video. Page 31

Made on Earth

Warm Glow of Abduction by Goli Mohammadi
Jason Dietz makes lamps that depict a classic flying saucer shooting down a giant plasma ray and pulling up an unsuspecting victim into the ship. Page 18

Crop Windows by Jon Kalish
Britta Riley created "window farms" - a way for urban dwellers to garden vertically. Page 20

Watching the Detectors by Megan Mansell Williams
John Zaklikowski re-creates particle accelerator detectors like the ones at the LHC and at Fermilab in Illinois. Page 21

Free Juice Bar by Bruce Stewart
The SolarPump Charging Station provides free power for charging cellphones, laptops, electric bikes, and other gadgets by converting solar energy to electricity right on the spot. Page 22

The Lawn Rider by Laura Kiniry


Former Navy aviation machinist Ted Wojcik built a pedal-powered lawn mower. Page 23

Aiming High, Real High by Bruce Stewart
Dan Parker has devoted most of the last five years to designing and building his own high-altitude airplane. Page 24

Lego Antikythera!
Andrew Carol paid homage to the ancient Greeks by building a functioning Antikythera Mechanism out of Lego. Page 25

1+2+3

Cut-and-Fold Center Finder by Andrew Lewis
This cut-and-fold cardboard center finder is ideal for all those fiddly measuring jobs. Page 33

Ping Ponger by Edwin Wise
The Ping Ponger uses almost half of a rubber racquetball as a disc spring that's bistable (it can be at rest in 2 possible states) to propel a ping-pong ball from a compact PVC launcher. Page 44

Dizzy Robot by Steve Hoefer
Dizzy Robots are cute pocket-sized pals that dance around until they fall over. Page 78

Sneaky Milk Plastic by Cy Tymony
When separated from milk by using an acid such as vinegar, casein becomes a moldable plastic material that can be used to create everything from glue to fabric to billiard balls. Page 116

Maker

Cargo Bike Power
Car-free carrying makes a comeback. Page 34

SPECIAL SECTION: Special Section

Making Your Own Satellites by Chris Boshuizen
Build and launch your own sat for as little as $8,000. Page 46

Listening to Satellites by Diana Eng
Tune in to space with a homemade yagi antenna. Page 48

Weather Balloon Space Probes by John Baichtal
Sense, signal, and snap photos in the stratosphere. Page 54

Makers at Mission Control by Rachel Hobson
Meet the elite NASA team that figures out how to fix the space station when things go wrong. Page 56

High-Resolution Spectrograph by Simon Quellen Field
Lab-worthy analysis for cheap. Page 58

Rocket Men by Charles Platt
Mavericks of the private space industry. Page 62

DIY Space Roundup
Map the Chemical Composition of the Moon
DIY Ion Engine
Space Rock Hounds
Lunar Lander Simulator
Zillionaires in Space
DIY Inflatable Home Planetarium
Five Cool Participatory Space Projects
Saturday Morning Science in Space
Cash Prizes for Space Scientists
Space Science Gadgets You Can Make for NASA
Androids at 28,000 Feet
Live From Outer Space!
Spaceport Sheboygan
Backyard Astrophotography Page 68

Projects

Helium Balloon Imaging "Satellite" by Jim Newell
Snap aerial photos from 300' up by suspending a hacked drugstore camera from 3 tethered helium balloons. Page 80

Stroboscope by Walter Kitundu, Nicole Catrett
Make a mechanical strobe with a toy motor and construction paper, pair it with a digital SLR camera, and take stunning photographs of objects in motion. Page 90

Electromagnetic Aluminum Levitator by Thomas R. Fox
This simple AC-powered coil device uses magnetism to levitate aluminum rings and shoot them into the air - and aluminum isn't even magnetic! Page 100

Make: Tips
Page 0

Making Trouble

Model It, or Make It Modelable by Saul Griffith
Computational models are digital, and that makes them inherently shareable, independently verifiable, and easy to collaborate on and improve. Page 13

Make Free

Memento Mori by Cory Doctorow
The standard explanation for the attractiveness of older technology is simply that They Made It Better In The Old Days. But this isn't necessarily or even usually true. Page 16

Country Scientist

Becoming an Amateur Scientist by Forrest Mims III
Sometimes the capabilities of the amateur scientist rival or even exceed those of their professional counterparts. Page 26

Tales from the Web

Garden of DIY Delights by Gareth Branwyn
Make: Projects is our newest online service, a living library of how-to tutorials being built by the entire maker community. Page 29

Maker's Corner

New Resolutions by Dan Woods
Learn a new skill, teach a new skill. Page 32

Skill Builder

Hard-Shell Molds by Adam Savage
The science behind the art of prop-making. Page 108

DIY: Imaging

A Simple Light Sculpture by Jared Bouck
Swirling colors for long-exposure photos. Page 117

Photo Booth by David Cline
Make an arcade-style snapshot station for special occasions. Page 120

DIY: Music

Add Volume, Jack by Peter Edwards
Plug in and turn up any sound-making battery toy. Page 123

DIY: Home

Wooden Buttons by Kristin Roach
Make your own tree bling from fallen branches. Page 126

Jar Organizer by Josie Moores, Abe Connally
Put those old jars to good use. Page 128

Crochet Crockery by Andrew Lewis
Unique containers made from yarn and resin. Page 130

Freezer Bag Holder by Larry Cotton
Coat hanger keeps zip-lock bags open Page 132

DIY: Toys

Da Vinci Reciprocating Mechanism by Alan Federman
Re-create Renaissance tech to convert rotation into a square wave. Page 133

DIY: Workshop

Bucket Full O' Pockets by Josie Moores, Abe Connally
Make your tool bucket even handier with a nifty cover. Page 137

DIY: Outdoors

Homemade Seed Starters by Josie Moores, Abe Connally
Avoid transplant mortality by making soil blocks. Page 140

Greenhouse Controller by Andrew Lewis
Build a temperature-switched power outlet and save some green. Page 143

Electronics: Fun and Fundamentals

Extreme Zap-a-Mole by Charles Platt
Learn how a single microcontroller does the work of 20 old-school chips. Page 146

Toy Inventor's Notebook

Steamy Honeymoon Goggles by Bob Knetzger
Balloon-Dispensing Steampunk Honeymoon Night Vision Goggles! Page 151

MakeShift

Hawk Rescue! by Lee D. Zlotoff
Rescue an injured mother hawk and her family. Page 152

Howtoons

Sun Time by Saul Griffith
If you know how many hands it takes to measure from east to west, you can figure out how many hours you have left to play today! Page 154

Make Money

Chinese Abacus by Tom Parker
Sometimes it costs more to buy it than to make it from the money itself. Page 165

Aha!

Circular Reasoning: Planet Earth by Bob Harris
Page 167

Heirloom Technology

Carve a Stone Bowl by Tim Anderson
Make a gift to eternity in about two hours. Page 168

Remaking History

Alessandro Volta and Electrodeposition by William Gurstelle
Before the chemists of the 19th century understood electrochemistry, most metal items were made from one solid hunk of metal; the same on the inside, outside, and everywhere in between. Page 170

Homebrew

My Own FrankenBrewery by Matthew Wirtz
Page 176