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! Avast, me proud beauty! I pretty much followed t' ideas put forth in Advanced Model Rocketry, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, arrr, Second Edition, compiled by Michael A. Banks. This book is published by Kalmbach Books and includes information about high power rocketry, ya bilge rat, scale, launch control systems, me bucko, and many other things, matey, includin' rocket-borne photography. Aye aye! T' picture at left shows me Rastrocam. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' picture at right shows an 'exploded view'. Avast! As you can see, it's a standard Estes Astrocam, me hearties, shiver me timbers, only it's mounted upside down. Begad! Begad! I cut a piece o' body tube from t' carrier rocket and topped it with a Maniac nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! Since t' regular shutter strin' is too short, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I tied a length o' shroud line t' t' Astrocam string. I drilled a small hole in t' body tube segment, shiver me timbers, lined it up with t' slot in t' base o' t' camera, matey, and passed t' lengthened shutter strin' through t' the other side.

For flight, shiver me timbers, arrr, I load t' film into t' camera followin' t' instructions that came with t' Astrocam. Ya scallywag! I then use electrical tape t' seal t' film door. Avast, me proud beauty! I nay only run tape along t' long edges o' t' door, ya bilge rat, I also run a piece o' tape around t' join line o' t' camera and t' nose cone's body tube. Ya scallywag! This tape makes sure that t' body tube won't twist and bind t' shutter string. Arrr! (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. Arrr! Aye aye! I attach t' Maniac nose cone t' t' shock cord and put it on top o' its body tube t' complete t' flight configuration. Arrr! Well, me bucko, nay exactly... I also attach a 12 inch parachute t' t' shock cord attached t' t' base o' t' Rastrocam. Now, it's ready t' go.

Rocket/Whoosh Generator Selection

For a carrier rocket, I've used both t' Delta II and t' Maniac. Begad! Blimey! One o' these days, 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, since t' delays aren't long enough, ya bilge rat, but a D12-5 and D12-7 have yielded ground shots with t' Rastrocam every time. A D12-3 shouldn't be used, arrr, unless t' rocket will be travelin' almost straight up durin' t' coastin' period. Avast! Blimey! If it's movin' with any sort o' groundspeed, matey, you'll get blurred shots. Avast! Blimey! I've gotten good results with B6-2, ya bilge rat, C6-3, me hearties, and C6-5 WGs and t' Delta II carrier. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Don't use an A8-3! Blimey! 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, me hearties, unless you want t' see a bunch o' white streaks all over your photos... Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I use t' 'toilet paper' type o' waddin' instead. I then insert t' rocket's parachute and pack t' Rastrocam's chute on top. Avast, me proud beauty! Then, shiver me timbers, makin' sure that t' safety shutter is closed, arrr, 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. Blimey! Once it's seated, arrr, 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, and open t' safety shutter. Aye aye! Now it's ready t' fire. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Say "cheese!"

Rastrocam launch reports

Launch report: 8/27/95:

Then we went into a strin' o' camera flights. Ahoy! T' Rastrocam/Delta II usin' a C6-3 yielded another shot (click for larger view) o' t' launch area. Begad! I'm pretty sure that I'm t' white spot next t' t' shade, matey, since I launched t' rocket from that location. Arrr! ...pack t' tuna fish in mayonnaise... Jim caught t' camera which came down much closer t' t' launch pad than t' rocket, me hearties, which I caught after it drifted about fifty yards away. Next up was t' regular Astrocam on Delta II with a C6-5 WG. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This yielded a wonderful close-up shot o' a cloud... Begad! Ya scallywag! Then we stuck t' Astrocam on t' Maniac and flew it with a D12-5. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' photofinisher didn't even bother t' print t' negative... It looked like another sky shot. Well, blow me down! I was pretty sure that would happen, since it didn't appear t' us that it had arced over upon ejection. Begad! So I stuck a D12-7 in t' Maniac and flew it again. Blimey! ...microwave clothing... Blimey! I thought this would have yielded a ground shot, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but no... Arrr! nothin' but sky. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' wind had started t' swirl a bit, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! 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, shiver me timbers, causin' t' rocket t' veer off like that. Begad! Silly me. Blimey! T' camera be ejected on its own chute and landed safely, but t' rocket be snared by a rocket-eatin' tree. Aye aye! Ironically, t' Rastrocam photographed t' rocket's captor. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! And o' course, matey, none o' t' family can be seen, ya bilge rat, 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. Ya scallywag! But I digress... Ya scallywag! Blimey! we still had t' get t' rocket body out o' t' tree. Fortunately, shiver me timbers, I had brought Mr. Avast! Longarm just for this occurance. Arrr! Blimey! Unfortunately, t' rocket was lodged out o' Mr. Well, blow me down! Longarm's reach... Well, blow me down! so me brother climbed up into t' tree and managed t' reach t' rocket with t' pole... but he couldn't budge it. Blimey! I attached me pocketknife t' t' end o' t' pole for a last ditch attempt. Ahoy! Ahoy! My brother finally managed t' sever t' shock cord and t' rocket dropped t' t' ground.

We rested a bit, shiver me timbers, then I wanted t' try t' Rastrocam on a Maniac. Begad! I shoved a D12-3 [what a moron! (film at eleven)] into t' rocket, mounted t' Rastrocam on it, me bucko, and fired it off. It shot up and really took off towards t' southwest. Aye aye! Ahoy! Apparently t' surroundin' hills were shieldin' us from a rather brisk breeze... Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Oh, shiver me timbers, and a 3 second delay isn't enough, folks... Arrr! t' rocket is travelin' way too fast as evidenced by t' photo. Begad! 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! Blimey! [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.