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A 1/48 scale model of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

bps.space

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Re: A 1/48 scale model of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

#91

Post by Retric »

amelius wrote: post #62
bkfh wrote: post #10

That's exactly the content I'm on HN for

Yes, this is cool to see. But at the same time it shows that rocket tech is not as difficult as people make it out to be. (Rockets were difficult when we didn't have computers.) Also, some universities have student teams which regularly launch similar rockets. I'm personally hoping for someone to build an IC fab or even a wafer stepper in their garage.

This thing doesn’t fly as high as a bottle rocket. What makes building rockets hard not the avionics but economics and the good old rocket equation. A cool model is really solving a very different but still fun problem.

Re: A 1/48 scale model of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

#92

Post by robszumski »

starpilot wrote: post #59
albntomat0 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What he's done is super impressive and cool, but has he acquired the necessary base knowledge to work on an avionics, propulsion, etc team at SpaceX? I'm not in any of those fields, but I'd have to imagine there's a large amount of background knowledge that someone with an aero or mechanical engineering degree has, that he hasn't picked up with model rockets.

He buys the rocket motors. From his FAQ: > Do you make your own motors? > Nope, I use commercially available propellants. Usually black powder motors from Estes or APCP motors from Aerotech. For custom or more complicated builds, BPS.space outsources propellant work to other manufacturers, who can often achieve higher precision and predictability than any consumer setup. I learn best by experimentation, which works v…

Watch one of his videos explaining how his flight computers work. If you still think he's just "making rocket housings" afterwards, thats fine. But watch a video first: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCILl8ozWuxnFYXIe2svjHhg

Re: A 1/48 scale model of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

#93

Post by chasd00 »

epaulson wrote: post #47
rrss wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just watched a couple of his videos, and it sounds like he got pretty close to landing with solid propellant ('echo'), but ultimately decided that it was too finicky and ended that project to move onto a liquid biprop rocket.

Are liquid engines still in the realm of hobbyists? The estes engines he's using are pretty widely used and understood to be fairly safe, is there something equivalent for liquid rockets?

super late to the thread but i hope you read this. I'm in the high power rocketry scene and liquid engines are out there in the amateur world but uncommon.

You don't see many flights though but there's plenty of test footage. I think one main reason for lack of flights is that Tripoli and NAR ( the two main self-governing bodies for high power rocketry ) currently do not insure bi-propellant rockets at their events. Another reason, is configuring the engine for flight is complicated because of the tanks and pressurization required. It seems like most amateurs run out of effort or money once they have a working injector, combustion chamber, and nozzle. The last mile ( tanks and pressurization ) seem to be out of reach mostly.

btw, if anyone has an engine they want to fly I will happily build you an airframe! :)

Re: A 1/48 scale model of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

#94

Post by chasd00 »

jcims wrote: post #83
namibj wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LOX isn't explosive. And LN2 is quite popular/widely used, and of arguably little danger. What I'm not sure about is whether it's safe to get (small amounts of) LOX spilled on your hand (LN2 is safe, my hands still work and the teacher didn't complain in like 2012 (between 2008 and 2015, but I can't guarantee anything tighter)). Yes, LOX is cold. So what? Just look at, say, [0] for information on what materials you c…

Nitrous oxide is a viable and easily handled oxidizer for hobby engines.

yeah Nitrous Oxide is the oxidizer of choice for hobbyists. It gets used in hybrid rockets and there is/was a couple companies making hybrid rockets available for sale.

Making a tank that's light enough to fly but does not turn into a pipe bomb is _one_ of the hard parts. Also, ignition is and fueling is difficult. iirc Tripoli requires remote fill on hybrid rockets and since a lot of these experimental engines are flown in the desert at FAR (https://friendsofamateurrocketry.org/) temp. becomes an issue.

people are doing it though, i mean it's really impressive to see how far amateurs can push things. We may see the first individual reach the Karman Line this September at BALLS if Covid19 doesn't get in the way. A couple of college teams have done it but not just a random guy. Granted, the guy I'm betting on is very well known in the hobby and not "random" at all.

Re: A 1/48 scale model of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

#95

Post by C1sc0cat »

starpilot wrote: post #57
NikolaeVarius wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Majority of engineers with a degree are useless right after graduation. Its a ton of random math that (most) of which you don't use again since you use modeling software. Source: Did Aero Someone doing this as a Amateur can damn well pick up whatever they need to.

Might be true, but SpaceX is only hiring mechanical/aerospace engineering degree holders for the relevant positions: https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/4740817002?gh_jid=4... > BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: > Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering > 1+ years of experience designing and analyzing mechanical systems via professional work experience, project/research-based student experience, or a combin…

Dam I was 20ish and doing now what I did back then I might well stay in mech eng.

I did the specialised mech eng A1 BTEC in the UK that had been set up to service speclised industries - all but of my class worked in bleeding edge RnD.

I did identify in one class that a lump of wreckage was an A4 fuel pump (that is the Agerat 4 aka the V2)

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