Note: click on t' mini-photos or hypertext links t' get t' full sized photo with caption.

Several people have asked me how I built me Rastrocam (rearward lookin' Astrocam). Blimey! I pretty much followed t' ideas put forth in Advanced Model Rocketry, shiver me timbers, Second Edition, me hearties, compiled by Michael A. Well, blow me down! Begad! Banks. Well, blow me down! This book is published by Kalmbach Books and includes information about high power rocketry, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, scale, launch control systems, and many other things, includin' rocket-borne photography. Begad! T' picture at left shows me Rastrocam. Ya scallywag! T' picture at right shows an 'exploded view'. As you can see, it's a standard Estes Astrocam, shiver me timbers, only it's mounted upside down. Begad! I cut a piece o' body tube from t' carrier rocket and topped it with a Maniac nose cone. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! A length o' elastic shock cord ensures it will stay with t' camera. I glued a JT-55 stage coupler t' t' nose o' t' Astrocam t' allow it t' fit into t' rocket's body tube and cut a notch in t' coupler t' serve as t' shutter strin' holder. Since t' regular shutter strin' is too short, I tied a length o' shroud line t' t' Astrocam string. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I drilled a small hole in t' body tube segment, me hearties, lined it up with t' slot in t' base o' t' camera, ya bilge rat, and passed t' lengthened shutter strin' through t' the other side.

For flight, matey, I load t' film into t' camera followin' t' instructions that came with t' Astrocam. I then use electrical tape t' seal t' film door. I nay only run tape along t' long edges o' t' door, I also run a piece o' tape around t' join line o' t' camera and t' nose cone's body tube. This tape makes sure that t' body tube won't twist and bind t' shutter string. Begad! (I suppose you could glue t' body tube t' t' camera, but then it wouldn't be easy t' replace if it gets banged up.) Make sure t' strin' can move freely! A length o' tape around t' bottom completes t' encapsulement o' t' camera. Avast! Well, blow me down! I attach t' Maniac nose cone t' t' shock cord and put it on top o' its body tube t' complete t' flight configuration. Blimey! Well, nay exactly... Ya scallywag! I also attach a 12 inch parachute t' t' shock cord attached t' t' base o' t' Rastrocam. Begad! Now, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it's ready t' go.

Rocket/Whoosh Generator Selection

For a carrier rocket, me hearties, I've used both t' Delta II and t' Maniac. Blimey! One o' these days, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I'll build a Fred Williams Astrocam carrier and try it. I've never gotten a usable photo from a regular Astrocam with t' Maniac, me hearties, since t' delays aren't long enough, but a D12-5 and D12-7 have yielded ground shots with t' Rastrocam every time. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! A D12-3 shouldn't be used, unless t' rocket will be travelin' almost straight up durin' t' coastin' period. Begad! If it's movin' with any sort o' groundspeed, me hearties, me hearties, you'll get blurred shots. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I've gotten good results with B6-2, shiver me timbers, C6-3, arrr, matey, and C6-5 WGs and t' Delta II carrier. Avast, me proud beauty! Don't use an A8-3! You can throw t' rocket higher than it'll go on that motor.

Flight Prep

I don't recommend usin' cellulose insulation as waddin' with t' Rastrocam, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, unless you want t' see a bunch o' white streaks all over your photos... Ya scallywag! I use t' 'toilet paper' type o' waddin' instead. Arrr! I then insert t' rocket's parachute and pack t' Rastrocam's chute on top. Arrr! Then, me hearties, makin' sure that t' safety shutter is closed, I cock t' camera by pullin' t' strin' through t' notches in t' stage coupler and hold it tight while placin' t' Rastrocam on t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Once it's seated, matey, I can let go o' t' string. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I place it on t' launch pad, attach t' clips t' t' ignitor, ya bilge rat, and open t' safety shutter. Now it's ready t' fire. Ya scallywag! Begad! Say "cheese!"

Rastrocam launch reports

Launch report: 8/27/95:

Then we went into a strin' o' camera flights. Begad! T' Rastrocam/Delta II usin' a C6-3 yielded another shot (click for larger view) o' t' launch area. Begad! Blimey! I'm pretty sure that I'm t' white spot next t' t' shade, since I launched t' rocket from that location. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! ...pack t' tuna fish in mayonnaise... Jim caught t' camera which came down much closer t' t' launch pad than t' rocket, which I caught after it drifted about fifty yards away. Next up be t' regular Astrocam on Delta II with a C6-5 WG. Avast! This yielded a wonderful close-up shot o' a cloud... Avast! Ya scallywag! Then we stuck t' Astrocam on t' Maniac and flew it with a D12-5. Begad! T' photofinisher didn't even bother t' print t' negative... Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! It looked like another sky shot. I was pretty sure that would happen, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, since it didn't appear t' us that it had arced over upon ejection. So I stuck a D12-7 in t' Maniac and flew it again. Ya scallywag! ...microwave clothing... Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I thought this would have yielded a ground shot, shiver me timbers, but no... Ahoy! nothin' but sky. Aye aye! T' wind had started t' swirl a bit, me hearties, so Jim got faked out and missed t' rocket, but I managed t' catch t' camera.

Launch report: 4/7/96:

I decided I would try for a different type o' Easter family protrait by flyin' t' Rastrocam on a Delta-II with a B6-2. T' rocket took off and weathervaned a bit towards t' southwest. Aye aye! I thought that t' plastic fin unit had melted through and curled up, me hearties, causin' t' rocket t' veer off like that. Silly me. T' camera was ejected on its own chute and landed safely, but t' rocket was snared by a rocket-eatin' tree. Ironically, t' Rastrocam photographed t' rocket's captor. And o' course, me hearties, me bucko, none o' t' family can be seen, matey, since we're all somewhere below t' bottom o' t' photograph... such be t' fun o' a rocket borne camera: you never know what you're gonna get. Well, blow me down! But I digress... Avast! we still had t' get t' rocket body out o' t' tree. Ahoy! Fortunately, shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, I had brought Mr. Avast! Longarm just for this occurance. Unfortunately, t' rocket was lodged out o' Mr. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Longarm's reach... Well, blow me down! so me brother climbed up into t' tree and managed t' reach t' rocket with t' pole... Ya scallywag! but he couldn't budge it. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I attached me pocketknife t' t' end o' t' pole for a last ditch attempt. My brother finally managed t' sever t' shock cord and t' rocket dropped t' t' ground.

We rested a bit, arrr, shiver me timbers, then I wanted t' try t' Rastrocam on a Maniac. I shoved a D12-3 [what a moron! (film at eleven)] into t' rocket, arrr, mounted t' Rastrocam on it, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and fired it off. It shot up and really took off towards t' southwest. Arrr! Avast! Apparently t' surroundin' hills were shieldin' us from a rather brisk breeze... Oh, arrr, ya bilge rat, and a 3 second delay isn't enough, arrr, folks... t' rocket is travelin' way too fast as evidenced by t' photo. Arrr! I think we're seein' t' cellulose insulation I've begun t' use for waddin' as it's flyin' out o' t' rocket. Aye aye! [Note t' self: Maybe it's nay such a good idea t' use this type o' waddin' when flyin' t' Rastrocam.] And I'm pretty sure that t' horizon be t' bright area at t' upper right o' t' photo.