I was really missing the throaty roar of a G40 engine, so I had to go out and set one off.
Why the longing? During the rainy season, the highly-anticipated high-power LUNAR launches at Snow Ranch were cancelled, and so I have had a hankering for something bigger than what they allow at Livermore. Hopefully in April I will send my Thug up on an I or J motor and finally put my L1 Cert to good use (That will shred the rocket at supersonic speeds, which is the whole point =).
So the Telstar launch went off without a hitch. Some kids from the neighborhood got big eyes. But the winds up high were a bit stronger than we experienced with the prior two-stage rocket cam launch (once again trying to capture a rocket launch from a skyward rocket cam, and losing the rocket cam in the process).
So upon parachute reentry, this Telstar Gi-Force rocket drifted a bit off course and perched 30 feet up in a neighbor’s tree canopy. After a brief reconnoiter and tree climb, the rocket was safely recovered to fly again.
sprklg, DNSF David Newman, and 15 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Judy B - The Travelling Eye 89 months ago | reply
Very kool toyz ... the only thing missing is a visual reference point to help the viewer assess the actual size of the thing.
StarrGazr 89 months ago | reply
Looks like a grown up version of the rockets my son lights off in our backyard. Bigger boys, bigger toys? Actually...looks very cool!
John Goldsmith 89 months ago | reply
Fantastic capture! You get lots of practise though. :) Sharp exposure too (0.001 sec) . . . the rockets nose is as sharp as a needle.
BenODen 89 months ago | reply
Nice. You have a trigger or something? Your rocket shots are so consistently awesome!
jurvetson 89 months ago | reply
Waxy and Ben... All of my prior launch shots took a bit of practice to get the timing right (one shot + pocket cam delay to contend with). It's a lot easier with a DSLR shooting multiple frames. =) And the fast shutter is a real treat.
Judy: I totally agree... It's hard to have any people nearby during the launch itself... ;-)
BenODen 89 months ago | reply
@@ 5D you splurged! Congrats on the new toy! How long have you had it? Or is it just a loan?
jurvetson 89 months ago | reply
since Xmas. The naughty elves were being nice...
Small the Beetle 89 months ago | reply
Excuse my ignorance, but isn't there a danger that the rocket might fall on someone? I don't know much about rockets....
jurvetson 89 months ago | reply
Beetle: Generally, they come back safely and softly by parachute... But not always. The really big ones are only launched in special places, like out in the desert...
Simply Shot Photography 89 months ago | reply
Ooooh i want one!!! Cool!!
benjiman 89 months ago | reply
SWEEEET. That shot feels like it would take a nice posterization effect. Crop in a bit and blow out the colors.
Telstar Logistics 87 months ago | reply
I've always been happier at high Gs. Thanks Steve!