Category Archives: Homebuilt

“Space Is Hard” Is The Wrong Answer

Posted on Mon, 2014-11-03 by gravityloss

They say “Space is hard” Orbital Sciences crashed a rocket equipped with two 40 year old engines. Physically that old. They were an interim solution and they were working towards new engines. We don’t know at this point if the … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, engines, Homebuilt, industry, Journalism, RLV:s, Suborbital | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Flynano prototype shown to public

Posted on Fri, 2012-10-19 by gravityloss

Flynano, the sub-70 kg carbon fiber seaplane designed to go around regulations by sheer lack of mass. Their first prototype that was retired and is now exhibited at verkkokauppa in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki, Finland. I took a few photos, more after … Continue reading →

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Semi-homebuilt ramjet blog thing

Posted on Mon, 2011-04-04 by gravityloss

At http://www.appliedthermalsciences.com/blog/ATSVB0026.html

Posted in airplane, Homebuilt, RLV:s, Transportation | Leave a comment

Iso-Haisu Flies to 2348 meters!

Posted on Thu, 2011-03-03 by gravityloss

The Iso-Haisu (big skunk) hybrid rocket just flew, on wednesday second of March 2011. More info on the Haisunäätä pages. Done by members of SATS ry, Suomen Avaruustutkimusseura or SAFF, Sällskap för Astronautisk Forskning i Finland by its Swedish name or Finnish … Continue reading →

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Why Do Bike Lights Have Batteries

Posted on Mon, 2011-02-28 by gravityloss

They could very easily be pedal powered, requiring no charging or battery changes ever. Old dynamos resisted pedaling because of the old lamp technology, and the lamps also burned out often. No more. This seems to be a nice diagram, … Continue reading →

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Hero Designers and Testing

Posted on Sat, 2011-01-29 by gravityloss

This shows the “golden age” during and just after the war. Even large things with a lot of design input could not be designed to be close to optimal right from the start. The B-36 experienced failures in structural testing … Continue reading →

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Gravity Assist Competition

Posted on Wed, 2010-10-06 by gravityloss

Or The Space Game, by ESA. This is a nice javascript webpage where a probe is shot from Earth to Jupiter with gravity assists at Venus (twice), Earth and Mars. You try to achieve the lowest propulsive delta vee. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Astronomy, Depot, Design, Energy, ESA, Homebuilt, industry, Launchers, Lunar, Models, Motivation, Science Links, Spacecraft | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sankrithi Channels Wallis

Posted on Mon, 2010-09-27 by gravityloss

Most people with interest in aerospace history know of Barnes Wallis’ geodetic structures, most famously used on the Vickers Wellington. He first invented them for the R100 airship, basically a weave of thin aluminum shapes going in different directions, forming … Continue reading →

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Automotive X-Prize Winners

Posted on Sat, 2010-09-18 by gravityloss

Huh, it always takes a long time to find anything on web pages that are so cluttered up. Here. No idea what the MPGe or miles per gallon equivalent is. EDIT: Here’s ERA’s video (they didn’t win, although they were … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Climate, Design, Energy, engines, Homebuilt, industry, RLV:s | Leave a comment

Archie

Posted on Sun, 2010-09-05 by gravityloss

I have to admit I was skeptical at first. What can a pile of trash bricks, mud and sand do, on a barren poisoned wasteland? Or some pouches of dirt around this and other abandoned post-industrial zones in the city? … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Homebuilt, Motivation, Nature, Navelgazing | Leave a comment