NASA Backyard Rockets Widescreen

[sadeyedangel]

Ammonium perchlorate!

[BlackBunik]

I and my cousin were backyard rocket engeneers once. But we used pressure propelled rockets instead. Were not brave enough to try burning fuel. :)

We had several models. V1, V2 with improved wings and V2 "mit der halter". That "halter" was used to carry small explosives. T'was nothing special but great fun!

[Nironakamedus]

awesome



[TheCausticGnostic]

When I was a kid doing this stuff the Estes engines had ejection charges that opened the two sections of the rocket and a plastic parachute opened and the rocket came down nicely. A three foot length of sturdy wire guided the rocket in a straight trajectory upon launch. Nose cones and fins were made of balsa wood that we sanded down to a glasslike finish. One could even mount a small 8 mm movie camera on the rocket and have a fine view. Model rocketry must have become primitive.

[rennieallen]

@TheCausticGnostic

Yeah, they must've had real primitive Estes rockets in Australia in the 80's. When I was a kid in Canada, I launched a 6ft Estes rocket with a plastic nose cone (not rolled cardboard) with a recovery system on July 11th, 1979. I remember the exact date, because it was the day of Skylab's re-entry, and I had people pulling over to the side of the road with my 6ft metallic painted object hurtling down (before the chute deployed :-)

[1Davo2]

@rennieallen I bought my kids a couple of Estes rockets in the late 70's in Canberra, Australia. They had a chute that deployed when the rocket ejected the nose cone. They had electric ignition and were heaps of fun. They worked well. Maybe the Aussies in the vid lived out in the bush where they couldn't get Estes stuff.

[Bedgie01]

where can you get those distress flare motors from in Aus?

[MysticKnight38]

Did you ever launch the shuttle?

[jbx907]

i like your video

[remyworldpeace]

So awesome

[TheMrBlinx]

Making your own engines, especially without proper research and precautions can be very dangerous, even deadly. That's why they are called "Basment Bombers". It's always easiest and best to buy factory made engines (but nothing made in China!).

[TheScienceguy1998]

Could you please tell me how to build a rocket like this, what materials you used, and what the fuel is made of? I've always wanted to build a model rocket from scratch frickin' bad...

[askjerry]

@TheScienceguy1998 If you want to do it properly then you will need to put in some serious study... you don't want to go into it without fully understanding the fuel, precautions, etc. Look for groups like rocketresearch(dot)org (YouTube won't allow a link to be posted.)

[freighttrain924]

Duh they used liquid oxygen and something else

[puffleperson]

what fuel did you use and if you made it how did you make it

[donperry1]

What fuel and motor design was used at 7:42? I like the diamonds

[bigmarty56]

I haven't taken the time (already wasted enough) to look at all of the posts, but, am I the only person here who watched this to see a man sized space shuttle going off, only to be disappointed?

[BustaJonesGavin]

Great great great GREAT video! :D I grew up making Estes rockets and it's so awesome to see the history of your experiences with Estes AND other creations.

[adriaansmit81]

4:22 put your little brother in that

[Wwallace67]

I wouldn't say backyard rocket scientists. I certainly wouldn't say backyard rocket engineers.  Hacks, and dangerous hacks at that.

[john23263]

Me again. I am especially baffled byt the fact that the space shuttle program is ending, and even though there is a lot of hype surrounding it, no company, or no person, is trying to build one in honor of the program. Especially for those who want more!!!! I think we should get several people together and create STS-136....LOL. No seriously. Like a 1/24 scale at least. It has not been done yet.

[boulderdsvo]

@waylin46320 Call me all the names you want, but you're the one who deleted your poorly worded insult, and don't comprehend punctuation in your latest. So, what exactly makes me an idiotic dumb-ass for knowing how to pronounce a common German name?

[boulderdsvo]

@waylin46320 Nope, 'fraid you didn't.

[kailan919]

i love ur jets ther cool

[messierhunter]

Wow, thank you for capturing what the rocket garden used to look like. I remember that era, when you could just walk around the visitor center for free (only the IMAX and bus tours required you to pay). Now it's as expensive as a trip to Disney.

[boulderdsvo]

von Braun, is pronounced "von Brown", not "von Brawn".

[milxl]

toward coco more !

[rjconnolly64]

Isn't 1986 the year Space Shuttle Challenger exploded?

[TheRedDal3k]

If I ever go to this area in australia, Im definatly gonna find the k2 LOL. Great vid Leo, you got me into model rocketry, at the moment I am building and designing my own rockets:)

[neiljohnson666]

Entertaining video... funny accent but very endearing... good work!

[RecordableID]

really nice video, and Im not even a rocket enthusiast =) Thumbs up

[iogen70]

Absolutely wonderful work on the K1 and K2. It is back yard rocket scientist like you who keep the spirit alive.

Regarding the Space Shuttle; every time I see it launch it make my hair sand on end and my heart well up with pride. Hopefully once NASA replaces the STS with Orion, the same innovation will continue.

[Fox2266able]

This is cool.....I would like to build one my self....

[97273998]

poor k1 :(

[PetersCreek907]

Nice shock diamonds at 7:43

[jeremiahjw]

Very interesting video. Model rocketry fascinates me.

[minesaginthanks]

Hang on a minute... Knowing that the wind was blowing in the direction of a populated area and after two failed launches you decided to launch the K1 again, after it's previous launch resulted in it burying itself half it's length in the ground? Safety first, surely?

[minesaginthanks]

Hang on a minute.. Knowing that the wind was blowing in the direction of a populated area, you intentionally launch a rocket that had previously failed, that failure resulting it becoming buried half it's length in the ground? And that barely covers it. Safety first, surely?

[EarlRausch]

We do have great pride in the USA. But there were people from all over the world that worked on all of our space projects,

Remember we all did it for mankind.

Back in 1967 I did a lot of rockets,.

Your ground dart reminded me of when I did a rocket at my Grandmothers house,The rocket had a sharp point and after launch the chute failed and it buried its self 5" into my grandmothers roof,, I quickly climbed up on the roof and removed my rocket.

Nobody knew about the hole until the next rain :)

[KingOfSchmucks]

Nice video, I enjoyed it a lot.

[425kdot]

how do you make a rocket engine

[leokimvideo]

@ruemiser well it did come from your music collection

[Robalose]

@leokimvideo Killer comeback bro

[aa5821]

Nice video, mate! Thanks for sharing!

[leokimvideo]

@aa5821 my pleasure, just a bit of fun when the world was a tad more laid back

[Noobixide]

I've visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston and I have to say that the size of the Saturn 5 cannot be described in words. They have built a building around their display so it is entirely indoors.

[leokimvideo]

@Noobixide I agree, the Saturn 5 is an amazing machine, the locals I met in Florida all those years ago still speak of the Saturn 5 launches.

Yes I see the whole rocket garden as it was called is now totally moved and revamped. Visiting there was just amazing for me, it's ashame it's so far away from home as I live in Australia

[Quiknick888]

You should get back into it, they now have motor casings and fuel for rocket enthusiasts, and you can build your rocket out of carbon fiber/fiber glass to make it lighter.

Look up aerotech rocketry for motors.

[SportRocketry]

Nicely done & interesting video. Thanks for sharing.

[Sciencian]

Great video, thank you.

[Jettrecords1]

awesome representation of backyard rocketry you displayed the events very well i myself have participated in backyard rocketry many times and i think you have done a great job.

[leokimvideo]

@Jettrecords1 Thanks, it was a different time and lots of fun chasing the dream of high powered rockets when none were available.

[slaction]

Love the video. What kind of engines did the K1 and K2 have?

[leokimvideo]

@slaction Motors out of distress flares, they are amazing little thrust generators.

[AlexanderSigal]

this shit is completely outdated!

[leokimvideo]

@AlexanderSigal so is your comment..!

[FlightSimx97]

@leokimvideo NICE!

[JuryDutySummons]

@leokimvideo So is your mom! :P

[darian1968]

I remember with the Apollo rocket with the A8-3 motor we had it go about 800-1200ft.

one time it went so far off course we had to follow it, Just learned at 9 yrs old that winds are different dierctions at different levels. So the last one we launched i guess caught an up draft and took it past 2000 ft And it was lost for good. anything bigger than the B11-5 or close to it.

[BigRIJoe]

On ya, diggers!

[just1ofgod]

hey cool rockets mate if you have the time check out my rocket its on my page

[moomman89]

If you look up my clips.You can see my rocket collection.

[hopeso]

Why not gang 10 or more D motors?

[leokimvideo]

@hopeso

that's a good idea but difficult to have all ignite

[Oscar9900]

Sweet .. Thanks for posting.

[loebas667]

nice one guys :)

[o0OmgImHere0o]

love it fellas! great video!... i loved experimenting on rockets! this brought back some good memories thank you!

[ethelthefrog60]

The dream of "October Sky" down under...well done...a great chronology of your considerable efforts and passion. A great way to finish too...Homer Hickam would have been chuffed.

[kingspunkbubble]

Do you think Werner von Braun giggled at his rocket launches like these guys. I think so.

[Magicguy31]

what's that song in the start of the video?

[OxnerdKi]

i don't know about this specific song, but it sounds similar to the intro of Van Halen's Dreams to me. you might also want to look at Jump by Van Halen too if you liked the start song of this vid

[leokimvideo]

@Magicguy31

The only music I can use these days comes from the smartsounds copyright free music library, sure it's not everyones taste and I have to be honest here I would prefer to use something else.

While youtube and the music industry fight it out, video producers are stuck with the few options available.

I would love to key into some good music even if it meant doing a deal with the songwriter.

[riggsg]

@leokimvideo

When I hear it I think of 1980's how-to or instructional videos from high school.

[leokimvideo]

Magicguy31

sorry for taking so long to reply this important message

[Agret]

This was an awesome video. Thank you so much for making this and uploading it. Have you made any advancements since 1996? Was quite impressed with your backyard rockets!

[Gdunn585]

Hahaha, I love how the rocket goes up, then comes str8 back down, almost exactly where it began. 2:06, Hahahaha. Rockets from the car, Your awesome hahaha. I love space flight and astronomy related things. Awesome video man. I wish I was alive to be able to visit the space center before all the exhibits were moved. (I'm assuming you don't even come close to anything such as the actually rocket or launch pad like you did in 88 I think you specified) Amazing video tho man, keep it up.

[skacannon]

Great documentary. Thanks for sharing :)

[endrizzi5]

you should make rocket verison of thunderbird 3

[leokimvideo]

I saw one as a tube video a while back..

[leokimvideo]

Nice to see you watched the extra feature at the end, I have to say going to the KSC Florida is a must do in life.

[durandwilsonii]

Great video! Thanks for sharing - the guy at 12:43 was a smart addition as it adds some dry American humor / I mean intelligence :-)

DW - San Francisco, USA

[dizzylizzy6]

i live in florida on the beach, its realy neet to see night lanches on the beach it lights up the whole night sky, the watter looks amazing!

[thesurfsflat]

Thought I was watching a bond movie when I saw the mobile rocket launcher...

Great video, very informative and interesting!

5 stars!

[jkhill74]

Nice video. I enjoyed watching your progress in rocketry and the video was well done technically. Good informative narration. I've traveled a similar path.

[2PLANKSKIER]

great vid

[hamidjabbarkh]

good jobs guys welldone

[AceAU1]

Great video, very well shot over the years, and very well narrated & edited. Excellent subject that you're clearly very passionate about. Well done.

[pitolunt]

Thank you. My son (4) and I just watched this. He's very into rockets, and seeing this video, he asked how soon we can build our own rocket.

[shrimpfarmer]

Really enjoyed your video, fantastic effort and very good story telling technique. Well done to all involved and keep up the good work.

[fergaloc]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[01silky1]

now that was very good

i have been to a club day in Q.L.D

just to watch and it was fun to watch

thanks for posting 5 stars

[SPOOKSTR]

2:32 mmmminteresting car dude

3:29 ....damn...i wasn't expecting that !!!!

Awesome video, enjoyed every min. Your a lucky man to have seen an actual launch of a shuttle.

5 stars.

[bachmanthomas21]

Mmmmmm.... i'm going to have a go at building some rockets.

5***** very entertaining video!

[adrianmarkey]

Rockets fired from your car! Just some of the fun you can have on quiet Outback roads. :)

[apfelknecht]

if you look for some nice toys, then just let youtube search for "qassam rocket"

[baddspella]

oh waw dude i loved the video!

only rocket engins i can get in the part of melbourne i live is A's they worse the bottle rockets lol .

keeeep us posted with any new rockets :)

[timelordthetrain]

I live in fort myers florida far away from the kenedy space center, but I can still see the flames from the shuttles!

[goldwoodthomas]

very nice leo

5 stars

[JustinBurns]

i expected to be bored with such a long video. but it turned out to be quite an entertaining production.

[leokimvideo]

Thanks for that, there is always a danger of anything over 3 mins holding a audience, within this video are 4 mini videos, and in a way they are all connected.

It's a rework of a much earlier upload, this HQ version really makes the rockets shine.

[OffTrackProductions]

Great video!

[simierski]

I loved this one when you originally uploaded it, the enhanced version adds a lot more to the experience, well worth the effort and what an incredible set of launches.

[leokimvideo]

Doing this clean up to a video takes 3 days for me, there are lots of changes here, some new voice over, a extra feature, new stills from the nasa public domain archives..

Problem is I can't pull people from the crappy original upload, I have every trick playing to pull people across, but still they watch the old upload..same goes for all the videos I have made look much better.

Anyone know why.??

[lx45803]

Hey Leo (leokim?). Try using the annotations feature on your old videos to put a small notice in the corner of your videos at the beginning linking to the HQ versions. Some users find this a bit annoying, but as long as you keep it from being too obtrusive, you should be fine.

Cheers.

[leokimvideo]

Hi lx45803

I have a 20 second linking annotation on all the old videos I have updated, they cover the top 10% of the screen with a invitation to the new HQ WIDESCREEN versions.

I can see the viewing data and from what I see people do not click across, either annotations are turned off or they are viewing from a external site.

It is early days yet, and I was careful not to upload identical videos, there new ones have extra content and tidy ups throughout.

[leokimvideo]

Do you think a smaller annotation link would work better than a large one?

Maybe viewers see the larger one and turn annotations off. I certainly know the power on youtube of annotation traps which cover the whole frame, do small ones really work.

[lx45803]

I'm not really sure which would be better; I don't have a large enough viewer base to run tests to get actual data, but I'm gonna say that it's probably best to put one note across the bottom 25% of the video from the beginning to the point where the actual video starts. Of course, I have no real experience to back up this suggestion, so take it with a grain of salt.

Also, some of your viewers might still have 4:3 monitors, and would rather watch the version that fits their screen. Until...

[lx45803]

... YouTube gives us more detailed information about our viewers' aspect ratio and HQ/HD preference, we'll just have to try and get a feel of what our viewers want, and hope we get it right.

There's one more option I wasn't sure was worth mentioning, but now that I'm splitting my thoughts over 2 comments, I figure I've got room.

It might simply work to delete the old versions. Granted, you'll lose some search ranking status, but it might be worth it, depending on what you want.

Hope this helps.

[leokimvideo]

Thanks for this, it does help.

I always do the new uploads with extra bits, so they are not identical videos, I know some tubers have issues with the larger files on youtube and seem to go for the faster download version, even if they look like crap.

Basically those old videos pull between 1500 to 3000 views day, and seemingly no one jumps across, it may be many reasons, language, annotations off, viewing off site.

[rtermini]

Thanks for that. Great.

[debstef]

I loved rockets as a kid but my parents were WAY too cheap.

[BasicModelling]

I could have built rockets in school, but I opted for plastic modelling.. :) Great video.. very interesting to see what you were up to.. :)

[26dragon93]

Nice Video,

what was it like working for a fireworks company?

[leokimvideo]

Hard work low paying and dangerous..hows that for a career.

[Jamesfan5]

Cool :)

[leokimvideo]

All new widescreen videos have extra hidden content..

This video had a huge work over in more ways than one.