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NARCON 2020 Speakers, Bios, and Topics

Name: Gary C. Rosenfield

Bio: Gary is currently the president of the RCS Rocket Motor Components, Inc. and has been involved in hobby and professional rocketry for over 50 years. He founded Composite Dynamics in the mid ‘70s which was one of the first companies to produce composite propellant hobby rocket motors after the demise of Enerjet in 1974. He worked for Bermite and Aerojet in the ‘80s. Gary is the co-inventor of the reloadable hobby rocket motor which was introduced to the sport rocketry market in 1990. Gary joined the NAR in 1971 and is a founding member of the Tripoli Rocketry Association.

Title of presentation: “How NOT to Blow Up Your Reloadable Rocket Motor”

Description: A brief history of the reloadable hobby rocket motor will be followed by a description of the various reloadable motor parts and their functions. The discussion will then move on to motor family-specific assembly techniques and particular things to follow and avoid, while highlighting typical user errors and their potential results. The presentation will also include a comparison of the benefits and drawbacks of reloadables compared to single-use motors. The session will conclude with a look into the possible future of hobby rocket propulsion, followed by a short Q&A session.


Name: Will Marchant

Bio: Will is a L3 rated flyer with the NOVAAR and VAST NAR sections.  He enjoys all sizes and types of hobby motors. Will is a licensed ham radio operator and helps run the amateur radio facilities on board the International Space Station.  He works as an aerospace engineer at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. He was the launch site operator for NASA’s ICON mission. ICON flew to orbit on an air-launched Pegasus rocket.  He is now working on a science instrument that is expected to land on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Title of presentation: Air launching NASA’s ICON space weather mission.

Description: At the end of 2019, Northrop Gurmman’s Pegasus system is the only operational commercial orbital launch vehicle that uses an aircraft as its first stage.  Will served on the launch crew for both of NASA’s NuSTAR and ICON launches using Pegasus. Come and hear about this fascinating launch system and also get an overview of the competitors racing to get into the air launch to orbit market.

 

Title of presentation: Getting started with amateur radio in hobby rocketry.

Description: The ham radio hobby has a lot to offer the model rocket flyer.  But there is a perception that getting started is difficult. Come hear about the differences between the various radio systems used in hobby rocketry, the possible uses, and how to get started.  


Name:  Dr. Roy F. Houchin II

Bio: Dr. Roy F. Houchin II joined the faculty of the Air War College in 2006 following his retirement from active duty with the Air Force. He has taught previously at the School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Air Command and Staff College and in the Department of History at the US Air Force Academy. While on active duty, Dr. Houchin served as Director of Operations and Chief, Combat Operations, 607 th Combat Operations Squadron, Osan, South Korea. He also held various air battle management assignments in the Tactical Air Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Combat Command and HQ USAF. He is the author of US Hypersonic Research and Development: The Rise and Fall of Dyna-Soar, 1944-1963, Taylor and Francis Publishing, 2006, several chapters in edited works and numerous articles in professional journals. His forthcoming book, The Military Missions of Dyna-Soar: A Legacy to the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, is with ARA Press. He is an associate editor for Quest: the History of Spaceflight Quarterly and editor for the National Association of Rocketry’s Educator’s Newsletter. Additionally, he has been a Visiting Professor to several southern and east Africa professional military education institutions. Dr. Houchin holds a B.A. and M.A. from Western Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University.

Title of Presentation: 780 days in Orbit: Dyna-Soar’s Military Mission Legacy to the X-37B

Description: Growing up with Walter Cronkite’s nightly news reports was special for a lot of reasons. Often he would host unique shows…“You are There” was one of those special shows where he unveiled a remarkable new Air Force program called Dyna-Soar. I watched with fascination as Walter described each aspect of the program: its potential to boost an astronaut in to space, perform a mission, and land him safely on a runway. For a while, I asked my Dad (how was serving in the Air Force) about the project; but, eventually we didn’t hear any more about it. Years later, this early curiosity about the disposition of what would have been our nation’s first space shuttle inspired my dissertation research and eventually a book. This presentation will illustrate how the hypersonic missions of Dyna-Soar became a legacy to the X-37B and provide some insight on the X-37B’s five missions. A second book, based on this research, is being published by ARA Press.


Presenter name:  Trip Barber, NAR 4322 L3

Bio: Trip is the co-founder of TARC and has managed the program for the NAR and run the national TARC Finals for all 18 years of the program’s existence.  He is a former President of the NAR, a Level 3 high power flier, and an 8-time competitor on the US International Spacemodeling Team. Trip graduated from MIT with a degree in Aero Engineering and then spent a 41-year professional career in the Navy, including command of a destroyer and the Norfolk Navy Base.  

Title of presentation: The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) and How to Win It

Description:  Trip will briefly describe The American Rocketry Challenge program, and then will describe what successful TARC teams have done to make it to the top nationally.  He will also detail how to conduct a rigorous flight testing program with TARC rockets in order to understand and account for all the variables that influence flight performance.  By following these procedures, teams can greatly increase their chances of getting their TARC flights repeatedly onto the program’s performance targets so that they can first qualify for, and then win the national Finals.


Name:  Trip Barber, NAR 4322 L3

Bio: Trip is a former President of the NAR, a Level 3 high power flier, and an 8-time competitor on the US International Spacemodeling Team.  He is the NAR representative to the National Fire Protection Association committee that writes the NFPA Codes which provide national safety guidance to fliers and to local fire marshals.  He led several of the major safety studies that led to the safety requirements in these Codes. Trip graduated from MIT with a degree in Aero Engineering and then spent a 41-year professional career in the Navy, including command of a destroyer and the Norfolk Navy Base.  

Title of presentation: Safety in High Power Rocketry

Description:  Trip will review all the elements of range set-up, range operation, rocket construction, and pre-flight inspection that influence flight safety for high-power rockets, and discuss the lessons-learned and best practices for each of these that will minimize the chances of something bad happening that leads to damage or injury.  


Title of presentation: FCC part 15 rules

 Name: Tom Fagan

 Bio: Tom is a senior electrical engineer.  He retired from Hughes/Raytheon in 2017 where he was a design engineer specializing in EMI and Spectrum Management on DoD missiles.  He now works for a federal contractor supporting NASA, NOAA and DoD satellites. Tom is an Amateur Radio operator and volunteers his time taming interference problems and giving classes on antennas, lightning, EMI, grounding and spectrum management.  He is also a scout leader and has worked with SARA on many model rocket build and launch days for the scouts and their families.

Description:  

 

Title of presentation: Electromagnetic Interference

Name: Tom Fagan 

Description:  


Presenter name:  Amy Heidrick

Bio: 

Title of presentation:

Description:   

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