Build Your Own Saturn V

Illbay writes "Space.com has a great story about a company in Colorado that has introduced an incredibly detailed scale model of the Saturn V rocket booster that flies a lot like the real thing! Apogee Components has "taken the time to research the actual vehicles and then used that information correctly in creating the kits," with a scientist from the team that designed the Delta 2 rocket on staff. I remember the old Estes model rocket version of the Saturn V back in the 60s, but they were not very detailed and very difficult to get to fly properly. Looks like Apogee might have a winner."

Comments

Scale

[momerath2003]

Standing more than 62 inches (1.6 meters) tall and weighing about three pounds (1.4 kilograms) at launch, the most detailed reproduction of a Saturn 5 readily available today is 1/70th the size and 1/2,166,666th the weight of the original.

"It's just a matter of scale as far as the rockets are concerned. The laws of physics don't change,"

Try telling that to a 2-atom-wide model rocket.

The laws of physics are a tad different on the quantum scale. ;-)

Re:Scale

[JabberWokky]

You could build a pretty nice planetary model with 2 atoms though. Even with only one in fact.

No, you can't. I won't Bohr you with the details of why you're wrong (or at least about 50 years out of date).

--
Evan

World's first

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Standing more than 62 inches (1.6 meters) tall and weighing about three pounds (1.4 kilograms) at launch, the most detailed reproduction of a Saturn 5 readily available today is 1/70th the size and 1/2,166,666th the weight of the original.

"It's small step for man, a giant step for Mini Me" -- Dr. Evil

Build your own Saturn V cheaper!

[tsangc]

http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=7468 :)

Re:Not for long

[HillBilly]

What are you going to do with a model rocket? Shoot down a model Space Shuttle Columbia?

Oh I'm going to be modded down for this one :)

Re:I NEED one of these

[l810c]

I remember this one well, even though it's been 30 years. I actually finished it. It took me a couple of weeks.

We brought it down to the field at the end of the street. When it launched, it quickly shot up to about twelve(yes 12) feet and begun spinning in circles wildly in place at first then right towards us. Just missed my brother as he dove behind the dirt mound that it slammed into and shattered all my hard work.

Probably my poor construction that caused the misfire. And what a range of emotions in those few quick moments:

Surprise -> Scared Shitless -> Elation -> Sadness

Speaking of the Sadness after the crash, I just thought I'd mention this as I just remembered and it made me laugh again. A few years later my brother got into model airplane building. These things were a Ton of work. He brought his plane down to the elementary school as they had a nice wide open space. About 15 seconds into flight it banks left and smashes into a tree completely wasting it. He builds a second plane, back to school, 15 seconds, smashes into side of school.

Re:blueprints are not lost

[adeyadey]

To quote that article..

In years past, rumors have abounded that in the 1970s the White House or Congress had the Saturn 5 plans destroyed "to prevent the technology from falling into the wrong hands".

That seems doubtful -- it would be a formidable terrorist group that decided to build a Saturn 5 to wreak havoc on the world, or build a lunar base..

There is only one such group. Picture Blofelt sitting in a chair stroking a cat. "Ah, Mr Bond, we've been expecting you.."