Homemade Hybrid Rocket Engine
Building a hybrid rocket engine by combining clear acrylic with gaseous oxygen.
rocket
For Those About To Launch, We Salute You
Our latest Weekend Project will launch not one, not two, but ten model rockets simultaneously! Built around a 555 Timer IC and a few different types of launch switches, this project is ideal for rocket clubs and launch events.
The Uira Engine: Alan Rorie (video)
The Uira Engine is a part of the guts from the Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship, which now resides in San Francisco’s Embarcadero. For Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, the engine was displayed by its designer, Alan Rorie. The engine consists of a series of cylinders that slowly rotate while emitting capacitive discharge that’s pleasing to the eye. Parts of this were handmade as well as produced from a CNC, and provided an important visual component to the rocket ship.
Glorious 121,000′ Amateur Rocket Flight
On September 30, Derek Deville’s Qu8k (pronounced “Quake”) rocket blasted off from the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, screaming to an altitude of 121,000′ It was returned safely to earth and fully recovered (three miles from the launch site).
How-To: Compressed Air Rockets
In this how-to video, Lucas Weakley walks you through the process of making paper rockets for the compressed air rocket launcher found in MAKE Volume 15. Based on his experience from making his own rockets, he offers a lot of great tips and tricks. The Compressed Air Rockets Kit is available in the Maker Shed if you’d like to get started launching your own rockets.
How-To: Build a Cardboard Cat Rocket
There’s nothing in this world that makes my cats happier than a good old fashioned cardboard box. So, taking a cue from them, I designed a cat tree that turns four regular cardboard boxes into a flashy two-story cat rocket.
SpaceX launches commercial space flight
Founded by Elon Musk of PayPal and Tesla Motors fame, Space X has become the first company to successfully build and launch a spacecraft into low Earth orbit and have it return safely. Launched from Cape Canaveral, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 lifted its Dragon cargo capsule into orbit, performed extensive test maneuvers across two orbits, and splashed down just after 11 a.m. PST on December 8, 2010.
