Click images/NARAM Auction.pdf
to view items sold at the NARAM-50 Auction by Vern &
Gleda. This auction, named in honor of Robert L. Cannon,
long time Educational Director at Estes Industries, provides funds
for the NAR's Education Program. The program provides
funding to teachers to assist them with their rocket related youth
programs. (Bob died of Cancer several years ago.) He was an outstanding educator and important part of the successful Estes program. Similar historic type items will be offered at future NARAM auctions.
1961 Estes
Industries Video
When
Estes Industries was still in Denver, Mabel Operator John Schutz, using his 8mm
camera, filmed
me operating Mabel . Later, when we were
moving to Penrose John documented the event by filming the move, the
start of construction in Penrose and some early tests I did to turn his
original glider into a kit, the Astron Space Plane. His 8mm file
has been converted to digital format and I have added some still photos
and commentary to give a more complete picture of events transpiring at
the time. Although the video is not as good as I would like
(especially when showing the Mabel operations) it is the only one that
exists and I am pleased to make this 3:52 minute video available to my many
rocketeer friends. Just click below to play this interesting
video.
More
about Mabel
The video shows me operating
Mabel way back in 1961 while we were still in
Denver. Mabel was capable of kicking out a completed
model rocket engine every 5-1/2 seconds. The operation began with
an engine casing tube being loaded onto a rotating table (arm seen
moving
up and down is picking up tubes from tube hopper). The
table then advances through multiple stations where the nozzle,
propellant, delay and ejection components are added. A paper
end cap is then cut from a roll of heavy paper tape and inserted
to retain the loose ejection charge. The completed engine is
then ejected from the table, sent through the printer and dropped
into the finished engine box below. (Photo above is
Vern working on Mabel as she nears completion in late 1958)
When
Estes Industries was still in Denver, Mabel Operator John Schutz, using his 8mm
camera, filmed
me operating Mabel . Later, when we were
moving to Penrose John documented the event by filming the move, the
start of construction in Penrose and some early tests I did to turn his
original glider into a kit, the Astron Space Plane. His 8mm file
has been converted to digital format and I have added some still photos
and commentary to give a more complete picture of events transpiring at
the time. Although the video is not as good as I would like
(especially when showing the Mabel operations) it is the only one that
exists and I am pleased to make this 3:52 minute video available to my many
rocketeer friends. Just click below to play this interesting
video. 
moving
up and down is picking up tubes from tube hopper). The
table then advances through multiple stations where the nozzle,
propellant, delay and ejection components are added. A paper
end cap is then cut from a roll of heavy paper tape and inserted
to retain the loose ejection charge. The completed engine is
then ejected from the table, sent through the printer and dropped
into the finished engine box below. (Photo above is
Vern working on Mabel as she nears completion in late 1958)