Make: High Power Rockets by Mike Westerfield
Make: High-Power Rockets is for all the science geeks who look at the moon and try to figure out where Neil Armstrong walked, watch in awe as rockets lift off, and want to fly their own model rockets. Starting with an overview of mid- and high-power rocketry, readers will start out making rockets with F and G engines, and move on up to H engines.
From the Preface
My first book, 'Make: Rockets,' covered basic rocket science, including construction, aerodynamics, simulation, tracking, and electrical engineering. The rockets in that book are made from thin, lightweight materials that are extremely safe. Some projects work well with young children, while others will challenge a college engineering student.
High-power rocketry is different, though. While there is a junior-level certification (covered in 'NAR junior certification'), high-power rocketry is otherwise restricted to people over 18. High-power rockets can easily break the sound barrier, shooting miles into the sky. The rockets themselves are not the small, collapsible paper rockets flown in schools and scouting—they are often metal-tipped, fiberglass missiles that weigh tens or even hundreds of pounds. FAA clearances and certifications are required.
That’s what this book is all about. It explains how to build and fly high-power rockets, and how to get your high-power rocketry certifications. You will find comprehensive information about safety, legal issues, and construction techniques for these larger rockets, as well as study tips to help you prepare for the certification exams. The book is designed to fill a practical void. While everything you need to know to get your certifications is certainly available in various books, magazine articles, and websites, it is not collected in one place or organized so you can easily find the information you need at each certification level. In fact, as I researched some aspects of this book, I found that many resources are outdated or incorrect, especially when it comes to rocketry’s legal considerations.
If your goal is to learn how to build and fly rockets that use H or larger motors, this is the book for you.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Mike started programming on a PDP-8 using a teletype terminal. As the personal computer revolution got going he sold his car and rode a bike for several months to raise cash to buy an Apple II computer. He wanted to write a chess program but couldn't find a good assembler, so he took a summer off to write his own. Two years later he finished ORCA/M, which went on to become Apple Programmer's Workshop, the Apple-labeled development environment for the Apple IIGS.
Born the same year as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, Mike made the mistake of getting an education instead of getting rich. A slow learner, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1977 with a degree in Physics, earned an M.S. in Physics from the University of Denver, and was Working on a Ph.D. when he started making more money from his sideline software company than from the Air Force.
Since then Mike has developed numerous compilers and interpreters, software for mission-critical physics packages for military satellites, plasma physics simulations for Z-pinch experiments, multimedia authoring tools for grade schoolers, disease surveillance programs credited with saving lives of hurricane Katrina refugees, advanced military simulations that protect our nation's most critical assets, and technical computing software for iOS.
Mike currently works as a scientific software developer. He is a PADI scuba instructor who lives in Albuquerque with his wife and cat, enjoying being an empty nester and spoiling his grandchildren.
Product details
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: Maker Media, Inc; 1 edition (December 7, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1457182971
ISBN-13: 978-1457182976
Product Dimensions: 7 x 1 x 10 inches
