Mounting a video camera to your rocket 

I can testify to the need for this ;-)

Hahaha did the same thing boss

I actually had one of those, and they really worked as long as the rocket flew properly.

@@taraswertelecki7874 you said it. As long as the rocket flew

_@peccatumDei_ -- The original Astrocam to which you refer was a still camera that shot a single photo near the apogee of the flight. The camera was not located in the body. Rather, it was integrated into the nose cone. But the subject of this video is mounting and using a VIDEO camera---not a still camera. A better vintage comparison would be to Estes' Cineroc. It was an actual video camera that launched on a two-stage Omega rocket (each stage used a D engine). The Cineroc shot about 20 seconds of 8mm movie film at about 30 frames per second. I had one and enjoyed it very much (I still have a couple of films). Like the Astrocam, the Cineroc was integrated into the nose cone, with a side-pointing lens and a 45° mirror in a small external shroud. Eventually, my Cineroc was destroyed when the second stage of my Omega failed to ignite, causing the rocket to crater into the ground. However, Estes released a second "Astrocam" (007308) a few years ago that _is_ a digital video camera. Like the cameras shown in the above video, the new Astrocam is a USB-based video camera with audio. Estes designed a custom nose cone to house it. It has a shroud into which the camera plugs, enabling it to point downward. So Estes abandoned the mirror technique. Sadly, the video quality of the new Astrocam is quite poor and the custom nose cone / mount is a kluge and is only designed for small rockets with a 25 mm body tube diameter. Nowadays, a much better solution would _not_ be a return to mirrors. Rather, an HD digital camera module should be removed from the circuit board and mounted in a shroud on the side of the rocket. The camera modules are so tiny, that it could easily fit inside the shrouds used by the vintage Astrocam and Cineroc. With all the spycam tech available today and the high frame rates available (60 and 120 fps), I'm surprised someone like Apogee Components hasn't done this already.

We are interested in making a clear nose cone. But not for a camera. The reason is you can't look downward with the camera from the nose cone. You'd have to look out the side of the rocket. Unfortunately, there isn't much interesting stuff going on, because you end up with a lot of video of the sky when you aim out the side. But thank you for the suggestion.

I agree, a clear nose cone to fit my Go Pro Sessions would be just the ticket.

Yes. Most rockets don't need it because they have a lot of mass already. Only a small skinny rocket might need it.

Thank you for answering my question. I enjoy your videos, keep them coming!

In the 80's, Estes made a rocket that had a built-in camera but it only took still shots. Can't remember what it was called, but I saw one on ebay recently. But yeah, i would put something of equal size on the opposite side to balance it, at least.

@@ToyotaGuy1971 snapshot

yes. You'll find a couple here on our web site. www.apogeerockets.com/Electronics_Payloads/Cameras

I don't know. Did you ask Mobius Mini? They should test their cameras with our shrouds.

Maybe you can ask the camera manufacturer for their recommendations. We don't sell that camera.

On our website at: www.apogeerockets.com/Electronics_Payloads

@@apogeerockets thanks!

You can do anything you want. I'm all for experimentation.

We sell them on our website. Go check it out. The link is in the description of the video.

@@apogeerockets thanks you

I insist that you buy ours... Of course you can use your own camera. Have fun with it.

@@apogeerockets thank you very much!!!

You can do anything you want! Go for it.

+General Ripper1964 It also helps to isolate the camera from the vibrations of the rocket, and helps to reduce the shakiness of the video.

+General Ripper 1964 -- And it is *unfluoridated* as well...《grin》

+RocKiteman_ _2001 No bodily fluids involved either. ;-)

General Ripper1964 Only distilled water & pure grain alcohol...LOL