Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5696911.

This is a stand for the Estes Space Shuttle. The stand attempts to recreate the feel of the launch pad that was used by the real Space Shuttle. The model is held securely in place by the two round poles at the back of the stand. The Solid Rocket Boosters fit over these poles.

The stand was created in Tinkercad and can be found at https://www.tinkercad.com/things/3QsJ1aPRDUC

The model was printed at 0.24 resolution and 10% infill. No supports were used. There was some loose filament during the printing, but these were later secured using Plast-I-Weld,

Estes Space Shuttle Stand

Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5691227.

The payload adapter is connected to the avionics bay using two 2M nylon screws and nuts. The adapter provides a pathway for the sensor wiring from the avionics bay to the conduit connection. The top of the conduit fairing has been incorporated into the adapter design. The adapter has an opening to hold the DuPont connectors in line with the conduit. A three slot connector is located along the base of the opening, while a 2-slot connector is centered above. The inside of the adapter is hollow to allow for easy movement of the wiring.

The payload adapter and the conduit supports were designed in Tinkercad. The attachment ring of the adapter is copied from the attachment ring of the avionics bay. This ring is included as a separate drawing in Tinkercad to allow you to create your own payload modules and connect them to the avionics bay.

Like the avionics bay, the adapter, the conduit supports, conduit end cap and conduit connection were all printed on an Ender 3 V2 printer. I used 1.75mm silver PLA filament from Hatchbox for the adapter and end cap. The conduit supports (a total of four are needed) as well as the conduit connection used the orange 1.75mm PLA filament. All were printed at a 0.2mm quality setting with a 15% infill. Total printing time for the adapter was about 4 hours as well.

The adapter was printed without any supports. This resulted in some loose filament on the inside of the adapter. This area was brushed with Plast-I-Weld plastic fusing adhesive (https://flex-i-file.com/products/7112-plast-i-weld). It works by slightly melting both sides of the plastic and merging them together, forming a strong bond.

A complete project manual is currently under development. Until that manual is completed we recommend that you review our Instructables article for more detailed information about this project. It can be found at https://www.instructables.com/Project-Icarus-a-Temperature-Sensor-Model-Rocket/

Tinkercad Payload Adapter and Conduit Files:https://www.tinkercad.com/things/hx9JfLnzzFe

Tinkercad AstroCam Housing Files: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/5XbiHjYzAvv

SourceForge Arduino Files: https://sourceforge.net/projects/project-icarus

Project: Icarus - Payload Adapter

Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5691217.

The avionics bay is designed to hold an Arduino Nano, a MicroSD card read/writer module, and a 7.4-volt LiPo rechargeable battery. As a base unit, on its own it doesn't do anything. It needs to have additional modules added to it. In this project we decided to use temperature sensors down the body of the rocket to record the temperatures inside the body tube. With the sensors in place, the additional coding is added to the base unit to calculate temperatures and store the data on the MicroSD card. The LiPo battery provides power to the sensors as well as the Nano and MicroSD card module.

When creating a different project, a new module would be designed to house additional sensors or modules. You may want to add an altimeter, so the altitude calculations coding would be added to the base code. The Nano would run the code, the LiPo battery would power the new modules, and the altitude data would be written to the MicroSD card.

A new 3D printed module would be created to house the new sensors. This new module would be designed in Tinkercad using the additional base ring in the drawing as the foundation for the new module.

The basic avionics bay was designed on Tinkercad. The housing is designed to fit inside an Estes BT-60 body tube.

I used Cura and added eight custom support tubes at the top and bottom of the housing, two each on either side of the mounting hole. This help bridge the gap in the ring. The bay was printed with the forward end (this end has the slots for the MicroSD card and the opening for the Arduino USB socket) facing down on the print bed.

The slots for the two boards and the battery holder are meant to hold the components in place using a friction fit. However, depending on your printer and your exact components you may find that they are a bit too tight or too loose. Use a file to open the slots if too tight, or use a bit of glue to secure things in place if they are too loose.

The avionics bay used in this project was printed on an Ender 3 V2 printer. I used 1.75mm orange PLA filament from Hatchbox and the bay was printed at a 0.2mm quality setting with a 15% infill. Total printing time was about 4 hours.

A complete project manual is currently under development. Until that manual is completed we recommend that you review our Instructables article for more detailed information about this project. The A-PAM is part of Project: Icarus and can be found at https://www.instructables.com/Project-Icarus-a-Temperature-Sensor-Model-Rocket/

Tinkercad Avionics Bay Files: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/7pel9mfXqzs

SourceForge Source Code: https://sourceforge.net/projects/arduino-base-avionics-bay/



Arduino Primary Avionics Module  (A-PAM)

Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5691159.

The Universal AstroCam is a commercially available video camera sold by Estes Industries. (https://estesrockets.com/product/002208-universal-astrocam-hd-rocket-camera-and-holder/). The camera comes with a 'clip-on' mount that is taped to the rocket. While you can use the clip that comes with the camera, I wanted an attachment that would better protect the camera. The result was the Video Camera Housing.

The camera housing was designed in Tinkercad and is made to hold the camera firmly in place during launch. It is designed to fit a BT-60 body tube. Two holes in the top of the housing allow you to access the camera's function button, while the second hole allows you to see the camera's status lamp. A door is slid in from the side at the bottom to secure the camera inside the housing. The housing used in this project was printed on an Ender 3 V2 printer. I used 1.75mm silver PLA filament from Hatchbox and it was printed at a 0.2mm quality setting with a 15% infill. Total printing time was about 2 hours.

My original payload bay is covered with silver vinyl, so to glue the housing to the payload bay a portion of it had to be removed to expose the paper tube underneath. To mark the amount of material to be removed, set the housing on the tube in the desired position. Using a pencil, trace an outline of the housing on the vinyl. Using a sharp modeling knife, lightly cut the vinyl about 1/8-inch inside the the pencil outline. Do not press hard and cut the paper tube underneath the vinyl. Remove the vinyl under the housing and discard it.
To secure the housing to the payload bay I used 30-minute epoxy. This slow cure epoxy will provide you with plenty of time to position the housing properly on the payload tube. Spread a thin layer of epoxy on the bottom of the housing and place on the payload tube. Allow the epoxy to cure before moving.

Tinkercad AstroCam Housing Files:https://www.tinkercad.com/things/5XbiHjYzAvv


Estes AstroCam Housing

Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5696876.

This is a simple hook setup to hold a magnifying visor. Standard hooks are simply not deep enough to firmly hold the headband. This hook solves that problem by being deep enough to securely hold the visor without fear of it falling off the hook. It includes two holes for securing the hook to the wall with screws.

I used a draft setting of 0.28 and the hook printed out in about an hour.

The hook was created in Tinkercad and can be found at https://www.tinkercad.com/things/cm4dQ8IGJzO

Magnifying Visor Hanger

This is a remix utilizing multiple sources including:

Richard Cornford who had created a 1/96 scale Dyna-Soar with the Titan Adapter https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3174974

Scott Mills who had recreated the parts to build the Estes Titan II https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2845691

The JimZ web site to download a copy of the original Estes Gemini instructions http://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/est1978.htm

Austin Aerospace Educational Network
Web Site: https://rocketryjournal.wordpress.com/
Flight Logs Database: https://sourceforge.net/projects/flight-log/

**Original Posting**

We had always wanted to build a flying model of the X-20 Dyna-Soar. It is a unique spacecraft that unfortunately was cancelled before it could fly. Since we wanted a flying model it made sense to see if we could build one of the earlier Titan II concept vehicles due to its large fins.

To begin we had a scale 3-view drawing from the original Dyna-Soar/Titan II design by the Martin Company. This led us to find Richard Cornford who had created a 1/96 scale Dyna-Soar with the Titan Adapter. Another modeler by the name of Scott Mills had recreated the parts to build the Out of Production Estes Titan II kit. That then led us to the JimZ web site to download a copy of the original instructions. We found that the Estes model was designed around a BT-60 body tube.

Based on this we had a basic idea of what we would need to create a flying model. Using the BT-60 outer tube dimension and comparing it to the original blueprint, we could begin to create the plans for the Dyna-Soar. This allowed us to create the fins. They were unusual as there are two large fins (which are in line with the wings of the Dyna-Soar) and two smaller fins.

We also had to scale up the Dyna-Soar 3D print, as its original size was too small for the BT-60 body tube. We used the scaling feature in the MatterControl software to upscale the base of the transition to the same diameter as the BT-60. In addition, we needed to add a nose cone shoulder to allow it to stay on the BT-60 body tube and provide a place to attach the parachute and shock cord. Once this was done, we had a basic idea of what our model would look like. The question was would it fly?

To answer that question we created a basic design in OpenRocket. It is not exact as OpenRocket was not able to add the winglets on the Dyna-Soar. However, it should be close enough to determine stability and approximate performance. These initial simulations revealed that the standard 18mm motor used in the Estes Gemini Titan would really be underpowered for this size and weight model. So we adjusted the design to use the large 24mm motors.

Our first print of the Dyna-Soar nose was using a standard setting to make sure it would fit the rocket. We just recently printed a second copy using extra fine settings to get the best print possible. We also reduced the fill from 22% to 10% to help reduce the weight as well as thin the walls and top and bottom (The OpenRocket report shows the performance based on the original print, not the updated print).

We knew we wanted a display stand that would spotlight the model. We combined the display engine nozzles from the Titan file and mounted them on to a display block. During our searches for information on the Dyna-Soar we found a really nice logo/shield. We decided to add that to the display stand in a raised relief pattern. This completed the 3D printing aspect of the build.

The fins were cut from bass wood instead of balsa wood. This should give the model some added strength. As this is a sport scale model we simply rounded the leading and trailing edges of the fins. We glued the fins on using the alignment guide generated in OpenRocket.

There are two sets of conduits, each having two sections. They are located on body tube according to the alignment guide generated in OpenRocket. We used the dimensions given in the Estes Titan instructions to space the conduits the proper distance apart. The conduits are attached using plastic model cement. The launch lugs were cut to size and glued on using wood glue.

The basswood fins received a coat of thinned wood filler and were sanded smooth. The same was done to the spirals on the body tube. The model was then sprayed in sanding primer and sanded smooth.

With the Dyna-Soar nose cone removed, we plan to spray a basecoat of white to the body and fins. The silver areas will be masked off and painted. Using the decal file from the JimZ’s site, we plan to create a set of decals using our ink-jet printer.

**Update: May 5, 2021**

The Dyna-Soar nose was reprinted using thinner walls and less infill (from 22% to 10%). The result was about a 20% decrease in weight. Our original nose was printed using a 'standard' setting and weighed in at 50 grams. The new nose weighs in 39.4 grams.

The model has been built, with the fins filled and an initial coat of grey primer. The weight of the rocket without the Dyna-Soar nose cone is 59.5 grams.

With this updated information we went back to OpenRocket and updated the information to more closely match the actual weights of the rocket. Updated copies of the OpenRocket files have been attached. Hope to add a few additional pictures showing the construction later.

**Update: May 9, 2021**

A quick update on our progress and a couple more pictures. You can see the two Dyna-Soar nose cones next to each other. As the original nose on the left needed to be painted black, the weight was going to continue to increase. The nose cone on the right is the updated print using black filament. It will stay as it is.

The booster section of the rocket is complete. The fins were filled with thinned wood filler that was brushed on and then sanded smooth. The spirals in the body tube and the launch lug received the same treatment before the fins or the conduits were glued on. The entire booster has received 2 coats of primer sealer and has been sanded smooth with 320 grit sandpaper. It is now ready for the base coat of white. Unfortunately rain is in the forecast for the next few days so that will have to wait just a bit longer.

You can see the stand for the rocket. The updated STL file now has the engine bells in the proper orientation as shown on the original blue prints. The engine bells will be painted soon. Instead of painting the Dyna-Soar shield logo I now plan to print it out on high gloss photo paper, seal it, and then glue it over the raised shield. I think that will look much better.

Hope to get some more done soon and update the post!

**Update: July 24, 2021**

Finally got back to the model. Needed some time where the weather and life cooperated so I could complete the paint and finish.

In our last update we had given the rocket an overall coat of white. Our next step was to mask off the model based on the Estes Gemini Titan instruction. When masking your model make sure you seal the tape edges. I used the Tamiya Masking Tape (6mm) to do the initial mask. Masks around the fins were done with the 18mm tape. With the edges taped down, we switched to the blue tape for the open areas. I wouldn't recommend the blue tape for your paint edges on your rocket, as the edge is a bit rough. If you don't have access to the Tamiya (or similar) tape, use something like Scotch Magic Tape. This will give you a much sharper edge. We painted the model silver, removed the tape, and let it dry overnight.

The next step was to create the decals. The decals come from the Estes Gemini Titan kit. We decided to use black vinyl and cut the decals using "Sure Cuts a Lot" and a Cricut machine. The vinyl went on pretty well and we were happy with it. I've added a picture of the finished model with this post.

A parachute was added and the rocket is now ready to fly. Hoping to go flying in the near future, but the weather will be a big factor. When we fly it I'll try to get some pictures and update the post.

X-20 DynaSoar 

X-20 Front for BT-60.stl

**
Estes Orbital Transport Accessory Kit
==============================**

The original Orbital Transport was released in 1969 and has been a favorite among rocketeers of all ages for years. In 2002 it was re-released for one year run. Despite the age of the design it is one that many rocketeers still return to and continue to build, either through the purchase of the original kits or by using plans from the original design. 

This “Accessory Kit” adds several things to the original design. The first is a stand specifically for the model. The name plate not only identifies the model, but carries the logo for “Astron Aerospace Lines,” the company named on the model. The kit also includes a jet intake and exhaust. 

**Intake and Exhaust**
-------------------------
These pieces are designed to go into the ‘scramjet tubes’ that are located under the wing of the booster stage of the rocket. The original kit utilized four BT-5 tubes that have nothing in them. When the model is on display it just doesn’t appear “realistic” being able to look through the tubes. These intake and exhaust pieces add a ‘scale’ look to the model. You will need to make four of  each piece, as an intake and exhaust are placed in each tube.  

Once the intake and exhaust have printed, you will likely need to sand down the printed pieces as well as the inside of the scramjet tubes to get everything to fit. On our original model, we painted the intake and exhaust faces black, and then highlighted the fins and blades with silver paint. We recommend that you paint the rocket and the printed pieces prior to inserting them into the tubes.

To add the pieces to the model, begin with the intakes. Insert them from the rear of the tubes and push them forward until they are even with the forward end of the tube. Using a small piece of scrap wood, enter from the rear of the tube and apply some plastic cement around the intake piece to hold it in place. Do this for each intake. 

Next take your scrap wood and add a line of plastic cement about *** from the rear of the inside of the tube. Insert the exhaust pieces from the rear until the tip of the cone is even with the end of the tube. Do this for each exhaust. Allow these to dry completely.

**Display Stand**
------------------
The display stand consist of a square base with an 18mm diameter tube on top. The booster is slid onto this tube to hold everything in place. The front of the stand has a slightly tilted nameplate. The nameplate was painted red using Krylon spray paint, while the rest of the stand was left white. 

To get the letters back to white you can either paint them (which is what I did) or use paint thinner to remove the red. Place a small amount of thinner on a rag to wipe and then carefully wipe the paint off. The "Astron" logo was painted yellow.

The last photo shows the completed model on the stand. Unfortunately, the decals that came in this kit are nearly 20 years old and didn't hold up well. Next step is to print out some new decals and apply them to finish the rocket.


**Additional Information**
----------------------------
The plans for the original Orbital Transport can be found at http://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/k-42.htm.

__Austin Aerospace Educational Network__
Web Site: https://rocketryjournal.wordpress.com/
Flight Logs Database: https://sourceforge.net/projects/flight-log/

_Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4720811._

Orbital Transport Accessory Kit

This is a remix utilizing the display nozzle of the Estes Explorer Aquarius Model Rocket
by Scott Mills: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2856923

This is a stand for the Estes Explorer Aquarius. It was first introduced in 1989 and recently reintroduced. This project creates a desk-style stand for the model. It incorporates the nozzle from Scott Mills' Explorer Aquarius project. 

The stand was printed using black filament. The slot for the model's engine retaining hook was cut out after the print was finished. The raised ribs on the nozzle were highlighted using a silver paint pen.

The graphics files include the round Explorer Aquarius logo. This logo was on the original kits and on the back page of the 1989 Estes catalog. It was printed on high gloss photo paper and then attached to the raised circle on the stand using Fabri-Tac adhesive.

Enjoy!

__Austin Aerospace Educational Network__
Web Site: https://rocketryjournal.wordpress.com/
Flight Logs Database: https://sourceforge.net/projects/flight-log/

Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4924068.

Explorer Aquarius Stand

This package currently consist of three generic model rocket stands and one specialty stand. Two of the generic stands are used for 18mm and 24mm motor mounts. The third is a 25mm stand. This is actually for the 29mm Estes motor mounts that use the screw-on motor retainer. 

The specialty stand is a 24mm stand with a name plate for the Estes "Interceptor E" model rocket.

__Austin Aerospace Educational Network__
Web Site: https://rocketryjournal.wordpress.com/
Flight Logs Database: https://sourceforge.net/projects/flight-log/

Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4721562.

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