Wow it’s been a while.
180-something blog views and about half were probably me checking if
anyone was reading it. In all honestly I had completely forgotten about this
blog, but I just found it hiding deep in my unorganized list of bookmarks. I’m
not the talkative type, so I don’t even know why I started this blog but I’m kind
of glad I did. Looking back at my 2012 self is highly amusing. I actually
though I would have enough time to do enough projects to keep this place
updated. I though thin plywood fins would handle 70 G loads at Mach 3. Things really
have changed. For some amusement, here is some of what I have been up to for the last 4
and a half years.
“Don’t Worry About It”
This was one of the projects my roommates and I actually completed. It was completely overbuilt using
double-walled shipping tubes and about a gallon of epoxy. The fins were 1/8” aluminum
plate and were held to the side with stainless hose clamps. Its first and only
flight was at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry site near Mojave California. On
October 5th, 2013 my roommates and I loaded up the suburban and
drove the 8 hours to the site from Prescott Arizona. Like most rockets launched
at FAR, it failed horribly. It lifted off beautifully on an Aerotech L850,
carrying 10 pounds of lead shot in the BACK because it was TOO stable. I don’t
know why, but the 2000lb Kevlar shock cord broke at apogee. The nose cone, with
the dual altimeters, floated gently down on the drogue chute while the body
tube descended front first into the desert floor. That was the first and last L
motor I flew, and was the largest motor I “pushed the button” on for almost 2
years.
College
I finished my college career in May of 2014, graduating with
a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. The last few years of college
were fairly normal, with not too many crazy shenanigans. I was part of a team
that designed a small UAV for our senior capstone project; we even made and tested a 1/12th scale
wind tunnel model of it.
However, one of my favorite parts of college was testing all the wacky solid propellants we tried as part of an independent study. Some worked:
And some didn’t:
I was kind of sad to leave college. I had the usual senioritis
during my last year, but I got nostalgic during the last week when I realized I
was actually leaving. And I had no job.
I have a Job!
After a month or so of mild panic trying to find employment,
I was hired out of the blue by XCOR Aerospace. I started out working on
propulsion components for the Lynx spaceplane, as well as serving on the test
crew for the engine program. Soon I was in charge of the 3N22 RCS test stand
and a little over a year after I started I was running the control box for the
5K18 main engine. Pushing the button on a 2900 pound thrust LOX-kerosene engine
is a rush that is hard to beat.
I feel like I’ve learned more in 2 and a half years at XCOR
than I did during 4 years of college. It is an amazing company where you get to try a little of everything. Currently I’m working on components for a 25,000 lb thrust
LOX-hydrogen engine called the XR-8H21:
Work has been a little sad recently with all the drama that
has been happening, along with two of my friends dying within a few months of
each other. I’m glad that 2016 is over, and I’m looking forward to all of the
fun projects that 2017 holds.
The FUTURE….
I might update this blog more often now that I am actually
doing more hobby stuff (photography, paragliding, RC airplanes, etc.), but I
wouldn’t count on it. Maybe I’ll write another update in 4 years….
