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Civilian Rocketry
by William Colburn

CR cover


The latest book in the Colburn Series dealing
with technical, semi-technical and historical subjects
relating to rocket propulsion; it is a rich read for
the hobbiest and professional alike.

In 154 pages, Colburn outlines the history of 21
rocket societies, some briefly, some very extensively.
These groups, primarily from 1942 to the present, have
served as the breeding grounds for thousands of
engineers and scientists. Not only in rocket
propulsion but in many technical fields.

The ingenuity and wide-spread interests of these
groups are outlined in this volume with narrative,
photographs, charts, tables, reports and notes.
Descriptions of early launches and tests abound.

Civilian Rocketry is a unique look into the past of amateur rocketry,
Colburn has used his acquaintance with many early
workers to flesh out this manuscript. His personal
experience of over 50 years in rocket propulsion is
well evident.

What a great gift for a rocket enthusiast, history
buff, or young person about to invest their
intelligence in a technical field.

Or gift yourself with this most excellent read.

$40 plus shipping and handling

If you liked this book you will also enjoy Bill Colburn's
Advanced Hybrid Propulsion System Design

Coming Soon:  Bill Colburn's Aerospace Pyrotechnics

Table of Contents
Preface 6 Project VEDRIM 49
Rocket Science Basics 8 Semicon 49
Now the narrative… 12 Project Hijump 49
Origin- 12 Last Touch of Amateur Rocketry 52
Pre-Pubescent Rocketry- 16 What Happened to the Members? 53
Potassium Nitrate & Sugar TF-1 16 Resurgence of Civil Experimental Rocketry 53
Early Thrust Measurements 17 The SORAC Project 54
Whoosh-Oops 18 The SORAC Four-Port Grain 58
Cast TF-1 18 The Daisy Grain 60
Zinc/Sulfur Micrograin Propellant 19 The Flight Computer 61
Ram Jets 20 The SORAC Flight Termination System 62
RMRS Standard Igniter 21 SORAC Fin Assemblies-A short history of each vehicle 63
Carnegie Library 21 SORAC the Facilities 68
Jim Boudreau and the Black Powder Cannon 21 The HAH Series 69
The “Real” Aluminum Rocket 22 The Millenium Launch 70
Busted 22 The SORAC Project Addendum 72
Fin Test Vehicles 22 SORAC Accomplishments 76
Fuse Motor Parts 23 SORAC H5 Launch Vehicle Avionics Packages 79
Herb Praskey Gets Stuck 23 Attitude Sensor/Flight Termination System (AS/FTS) 82
Bill Colburn Gets Stuck 23 Typical SORAC Scheduling 84
Rodeo Static Tests 24 Photographs from the Rocket Motor Research Society Archives 1954-1960 87
Creativity at Dirk’s Lab 24 Fin and Wing Construction in the Rocket Motor Research Society 88
Manual Arts Award 25 The Satellite Project of the Rocket Motor Research Society 89
Entry in the County Fair 26 First Telemetered Rocket of the RMRS 90
Forest Pool Pulse Jets 26 Cantilever Load Cell 91
The Centrifuge 26 Hydraulic Load Cell 92
The Petznick Rocket Lab 27 The RMRS NALR a Seven Foot 93
Injector Tests at Don Snyder’s 27 Bi-Propellant Rocket Vehicle 93
The Creamery 27 The Ram Jet Test Vehicles 94
The Blow-out Plug vehicle 27 RMRS Fin Test Vehicle 95
Closet Rocketeers 28 Three Stage Micrograin Record Vehicle 96
First Liquid Motor 29 The UHF Downlink for the NALR Vehicle 97
Pulse Liquid Motor 29 The Solid Propellant Aerospike Motor 98
Liquid Motor Tests at Trabing’s Ranch 29 Sub-Sonic Ram Jet test Vehicle 99
Propellant Nomenclature 31 Micrograin Delta Glider 100
Miss Pogue 31 The Vorpal Sword Ram Jet Vehicle 101
We Adopt a Motto 32 Addendum Excerpts from the 102
Launchers of the RMRS 32 Original Ardent Youth 102
The Most Hazardous Operation 32 Herb Praskey working on a Firing Box 133
Successful TF-1 End-Burner 33 RMRS TF-1 Standard Motor Description 135
Asphalt-Perchlorate Propellant (GALCIT) 33 Test Stand for RMRS Standard Motors 138
Later Asphalt 34 TF-1 Mass Action Analysis 139
Static Tests 34 Other Early Rocket Societies 140
Spin Stabilized 34 Rocket Society of the American Academy of Sciences 140
PRS and RRS 35 GIRD 140
Hypergolic Hybrid 35 German Rocket Society (Verein fur Raumschiffarhrt VfR) 140
Ammonium Nitrate Composites 36 American Rocket Society 140
My High School Chemistry Fun 37 Cleveland Rocket Society 141
Hypergol Tests 37 The Rocket Research Institute of California 142
I become a Dissertation 37 Reaction Missile Research Society of New Mexico 142
Two Sacramento Trips 37 Sooner Rocket Society of Enid, Oklahoma 142
The Okha Rocket Kamikaze Plane 38 Reaction Research Associates of New Mexico 142
The Walther H2O2 Engine 38 3S Group of Napa, California 143
A Lesson In Micrograin 39 Arlington Rocket Society of Arlington, Virginia 143
Central Electric 39 San Carlos Rocket Society of San Carlos, California 144
Hunting-Bye Refrigeration 39 San Francisco Rocket Society of San Francisco, California 144
Ram Jet Booster 40 Richard Nakka, Canada 144
The Last Rocket 40 El Cajon Rocket Society of El Cajon, California 144
The Last Rocket again 40 Independent Rocket Society 144
The Rolled Crimp 41 Another El Cajon Rocket Society 145
The Libyan Launches 41 William Colburn’s Current Activities in Brief 146
North African Justice 42 Gelled Propellant Dart Research Vehicle 147
Project VEDRIM in Africa 47 Ablative Boilerplate Bi-Propellant Engine 148
Maryland Tests 47 FerretWorks Hybrid Restart Igniter 148

 
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