Recent content by RocketPlumber

Sim fun Yes, flying the sim is one of the perks of my job. Funny thing is, as a non-pilot I have fewer preconceptions than our experienced test pilots and have come up with interesting ways to fly the bird. It turns out that my modest skydiving experience is in some ways more applicable than...

It's not all that bad- I've stood just beyond the wingtip for takeoffs of the EZ-Rocket, and for static tests of the Xracer. It's a lot quieter in the cockpit (and gets quieter after takeoff and the noise stops reflecting from the runway), but hearing protection for everyone is certainly...

I did some more exercises, with the target station NOT coplanar- a simple dogleg does the job, but I don't yet have a good handle on the best amount of dogleg to take out a given plane change in the time available. I'll try to zip up a package including the playback and my notes on how to apply...

Launch to docking in as little as 663 seconds! Last weekend I finally figured out how to do a fast precision first orbit rendezvous. This of course requires that your launch site both be in-plane and have the correct phasing, which a rare thing for most space stations. Therefore, I cheated...