SkyGuy's Blog

I can well remember that date and what I was doing when Neil Armstrong bounced off the ladder to the surface of the moon!

Also, because I'm a history buffoon it is also the date that Hitler was nearly assassinated in East Prussia at the Wolfe's Lair...

I have worked with satellites, timing controllers, momentum wheels and gyros, etc., and the amount of software required to control space vehicles is phenomenal which makes me wonder how Werner von Braun and his team of collaborators turned the V-2 space vehicle into a "point-and-shoot" weapon. I understand the V-2 was a subspace vehicle, BUT it astounds me that they could target anything and even come close.

I'm still amazed!

A long way from 1945 Germany to 1969 USA!

Skyguy,I keep wanting to say something but I can't think of anything that I haven't already said.You know how I feel about the whole thing.The greatest adventure ever.

Cort,while the A-4's were sub orbital they were the first man made vehicles to reach outer space.They also did have guidance systems that used gyroscopes and accelerometers to determine fuel shutoff time for appropriate ranging.Some later versions actually used radio signal trackers to hone in on targets.

My own V-2 is an old Mountainside hobbies kit which is 4" across the main airframe and 36" tall making it about a 1/16 scale.It has a removable bulkhead in the nose to allow adding and subtracting weight and it also sports a home built piston ejection system,both of my own design.It has a 29mm motor mount and flies on high thrust H and I motors.The whole thing runs around 8 pounds depending on motor an comes back from half mile high flights under a five foot chute.Since I wanted something different and couldn't get any decals of the proper size I went with a yellow base with black bumble bee stripes and black fin sections.I named it Bumblenugen.

Nice set up Mountaineerfan. Model rocketry is on my "to do" list. I have built many plastic models - Saturn V, two shuttles - ironically I named them Columbia and Challenger long before we lost them.

I have seen Saturn V rocket kits and can only imagine what they would take to get off the ground.

Von Braun really had it right for his time just the wrong purpose. I wonder how long it would have taken for peaceful development to get a V2 equivalent launched. Once again, it proves what can be done with govt will and money backing a project. Wish our Congress would get it together....remove some pork and put the $$ on NASA's table.

SkyGuy

That is what it takes - no matter the crisis or project.....that is what it takes. We have not had this in our country for a long, longtime.