Thanks for sharing your cosmopolitan point of view, Gar. Delicious and
delightful to know others here on aRocket have broad and open minds,
and aren't overwhelmed or annoyed with less-than-on-trajectory vectors
of comments. I regard myself as a newbee here, though I've been dear
friends with Mr Ray aRocket Calkins for decades. Early on I learned
his way of moderation on aRocket: hand's off, and the system corrects
itself.
I think Ray created this group to invite and welcome both
highly-technical aspects of amateur rocketry, as well as much more
general "Ad Astra, Mars or Bust" commentaries and brainstorming. Being
naturally cantankerous and outspoken (not to mention highly
opinionated, and foolish), I'll take my chances here and from time to
time tell a story or three about watching an inbound Sergeant from
Green River missing target on White Sands Proving Gound in the 60s,
with the Army EOD ("We Eat Our Dead") lads, or what can go wrong
packing strike-anywhere match heads into a Sparketts CO2 cylinder.
I've been a very amateur since 1953, and a real rocket
scientist/engineer since 1957. I've nil tech expertise to share in the
21st Century, yet I think rocket-missiles-space travel stories can
have value as simple quality entertainment. Really, I'd like to read
your own tales and experiences with rocket experiments up close and
personal.
If Mr Musk et al can successfully re-land a Falcon 9 booster, how can
it be so hard to replicate that with model rocketry?
Is it true the Starship engines burn liquid methane? Perhaps it's
cheaper in South Texas than kerosene?
Just kidding. Seriously. Not.
Edward Jones
very retired, in Socorro, building aRockets with Ray