All Rocketry Blogs

 Rocketry Product: Dr. Zooch - Saturn V {Kit} (Saturn V)

Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Build Part 25 Saturn V Wrap Prep (2012-03-20)

This is the lower end of the core tank after sanding the primer down. This lower end took a couple of primer coats and sanding to get it where all the seams were filled. The Saturn V scheme will ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Build Part 25 Saturn V Wraps (2012-03-20)

This picture better explains the longer cut of the lowest wrap. This is another dry fit before the spray adhesive. You can see where the lower edge of the wrap will cover up the boat tail/body tube ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V F1 Engines Step 10 Part 3 (2012-11-20)

The lower nozzle bell on the left shows the oval shape after the glue tab had dried. The bell on the left is the rounder shape after reforming the shroud. You should get the shrouds to a near ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: My Rocketry Favorites (2016-05-14)

If I could only have five rockets in my fleet (today), they would be -  Dr. Zooch Saturn V - My favorite (manageable sized) scale model. Sirius Rocketry Interogator - A truly beautiful ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: The BIG FIX, Dr. Zooch Saturn V Fairing, Part 1 (2018-02-05)

Two years back I launched my Dr. Zooch Saturn V at the schoolyard with a B6-4. There was some coning during boost and it veered to the East. When I picked it up a fin and fairing were gone. It may ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: The BIG FIX, Dr. Zooch Saturn V Fairing, Part 2 (2018-02-06)

After the fairing is cut out it needs some coaxing to get it to a more conical shape. The tip should be a tighter cone shape. I formed it around a 1/4" dowel. The sides will want to bow out so the ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Launch! Schoolyard, March 10, 2018 (2018-03-11)

I should be driving to the NEFAR launch in Bunnell, FL - The club launch was cancelled, there is some maintenance work being done on the field. So, swap out some engines to lower power and head ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the Dr Zooch Saturn V (part 1) (2018-09-09)

Not going to be doing any spray painting this week, so I decided to start a new rocket. From sad experience I know my capacity for procrastination is near limitless so if I want to make the July 21, ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the Dr Zooch Saturn V (part 2) (2018-09-16)

Isn’t it amazing how much worse spirals look after priming?   Advertisements [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the Dr Zooch Saturn V (part 3) (2018-09-30)

So I did fill the spirals after all, lazily wisely skipping the areas that will be covered by wraps, and then painted the body white. The instructions recommend flat white, but my preference is to do ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the Dr Zooch Saturn V (part 4) (2018-10-01)

At a later step, the instructions tell you to fill in the black roll pattern between the two lowest wraps by brush painting. I decided not to do that. Instead I chose to use black vinyl, AKA ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the Dr Zooch Saturn V (part V) (2018-11-19)

I guess I’m overdue for an update on this rocket. I’ve been gluing on a piece here, a piece there, over the past few weeks. It’s looking like this now. Today I cut the fins out. ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Trying to stabilize the Dr Zooch Saturn V (2019-07-04)

I claimed I would not fly the Saturn V again after its unstable flight in May, but maybe I will, with some modification. I built it pretty much according to the instructions, the biggest change (and ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Launch! Schoolyard Soccer Field, July 20, 2019 (2019-07-21)

My alarm went off at 6:45 a.m., I headed for the soccer field by 7:00. Clear skies - no winds! Early is the only way to beat the heat. The indestructible Estes CURVILINEAR was a great first ... [Read More]

Rocket Dungeon: Saturn Orion project idea (2009-03-07)

I think I have the motivation for my next build. I downloaded the .pdfs from my previous post and they include a lot of info on the Saturn V Orion booster. More than I need...I only looked at the ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Fire and Forget - GOODBYE! (2010-07-10)

I went to the monthly NEFAR launch in Bunnell, Florida. The Fire and Forget rocket was one of my first out of eight launches today. The RSO read my description: "Anyone who finds it can keep it to ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Saturn Towers (2011-06-21)

I've built a lot of towers over the years. For comparison, here's the Saturn towers from various kits. On the upper left is the BT-20 based Dr. Zooch Saturn V tower. It's really a silhouette tower, ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Updates for Searches (2012-12-06)

Today I went back and added a "DZ" to the labels on the Dr. Zooch Saturn V build posts. This will distinguish the Dr. Zooch Saturn build from the Estes Saturn V build done earlier. I'll try to make ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Air and Space Museum, San Diego (2014-05-19)

While the ship was docked in San Diego I took a shuttle to Balboa Park. I'd heard of the Balboa Park for years but had never been there. It was a great surprise! I stopped in at the Air and Space ... [Read More]