Early Semroc info?
 

Hello All,

The good folks at Semroc Astronautics have given me exceptional service (and great value for my money), and I am making this posting--by my own initiative--to return the favor.

Does anyone here have any issues of Semroc's Astronautic Modeler? (A scan of the May 1970 issue is here: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...0semroccat.html ). (I'll explain why below.) The technical information and the rocket building & flying tips in Astronautic Modeler are just as useful today as they were then (plus the tech info is relevant to the "Retro-Repro" Semroc kits that are used as examples in the journal); also, the pre-personal computer illustrations and diagrams in the journal are beautiful examples of what creative people can do with basic drafting tools. Here is why I'm interested in the issues:

Sheryl McLawhorn at Semroc told me that they lost all of their old Semroc publications (and rocket motor & rocket kit tooling) in a hurricane in the 1970s. If copies of the other Astronautic Modeler issues could be found, Semroc could have scans of them on their web site, *or* they could re-publish all of the issues (either as individual issues or as a series of 12-month compilations, each in a single binding). They could offer these as model rocketry educational materials and as historical documentation of Semroc Astronautic's earliest years.

Since the original issues were produced with simple stapled bindings ("saddle-stitched," as these bindings are also called), any modern print shop could easily and cheaply reproduce them. Another option (which would be *completely free* for Semroc) would be to re-publish the Astronautic Modeler issues through a POD (Print-On-Demand) publishing service such as Lulu.com (see: www.lulu.com ) or CreateSpace.com (see: www.createspace.com ). This option would cost Semroc nothing, and the POD publisher could also (if desired) handle the shipping to the buyers while making a small amount for itself on each journal issue (or compilation) sold. I'd happily buy them, and I'm sure many other model rocketeers would as well!

Many thanks in advance to anyone who could help.

I sent that catalog to Sven Knudson for scanning. I do not have anything else from them, except for a remaining A8-3 motor. I don't recall any advertisements that would shed much more light.

Chas

Thank you, Chas! Last night I tried to e-mail you at the address given on the Ninfinger Productions web site, but I just got a "no such address" message from AOL. Also, Sheryl has shed a bit more light on the Astronautic Modeler issues:

Apparently they only published two issues and were working on a third before Semroc went insolvent in the early 1970s. Also, Carl said that issue #1 was online somewhere. If you know where that one is hosted online, Sheryl said that they could provide links to it (and to your online issue scan on Ninfinger Productions' site) on the Semroc web site.

Google and you shall receive...

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...0semroccat.html


Bill

That's the same one linked to in Blackshire's first post....

Yes, the one on the Ninfinger Productions web site is Volume 1, Number 2 (May 1970--here is the cover: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...570semrocf.html ). The other one is Volume 1, Number 1, and I presume its issue date was April 1970.

Those two published Astronautic Modeler issues, along with the partially-completed unpublished third issue (if they still have the masters for it) would make useful downloadable & printable Semroc technical guides as well as provide interesting views of the earliest days of Semroc Astronautics. Who knows, if enough model rocketeers took a gander at their old catalogs (there is one in the May 1970 issue of Astronautic Modeler) and liked what they saw, maybe Semroc could bring back old items like their LEK-TROL launch controller and again offer their special rocket finishing supplies such as their rubbing compound?

Oh, you are so right. I made a faulty assumption that if ninfinger had one, it was the first one.


Bill

I always wondered about this one:

Well...if you used a cluster of three Quest MicroMaxx motors in the Semroc Triton "Retro-Repro" kit (see: http://www.semroc.com/Store/scripts...s.asp?SKU=KV-23 ), it would have room for two of the new 6" Estes parachutes and a large (for the Triton) payload section...maybe (like USAF Captain Christopher in the original series Star Trek episode), the folks at Semroc got "a look ahead?" :-)

Well, they're really SMALL parachutes and very TINY engines!

And here is one! :chuckle: