Watch For Landing Rockets

This is a crude changelog of the website. Changes will be listed with the date in DDmmmYY format, a description of the change, and a text string that can be used to search for the change on the web page, using your browser's "find in this page" function.

I try to tweet updates at @atomicrockets.

I have not done this sooner because I am doing all this manually, not using any CMS. Translation: this is going to be a real pain in the posterior to keep up to date.

2010

10dec10: Added to Atomic Novels an entry for A. J. Stoner's novel Iceni Queen.

07dec10: Added a new page Online Calculators.

06dec10: Added to Advanced Design more notes on TransHab, a brief clarification in Life Boats, and some Wally Wood illustrations in Interior Arrangement.

06dec10: Added to Basic Design some Wally Wood illustrations in Structure.

06dec10: Added to Deck Plans another cheezy 1950's era space ship cutaway with ludicrous components.

04dec10: Added a new page Transhab Module Calculator.

04dec10: Added to Space Suits numerous additional images, space tug image made higher resolution, and some additional text.

03dec10: Added to Coil Guns Luke Campbell's method of calculating the length of the gun.

01dec10: Added a couple of notes to Rocketpunk and MacGuffinite

25nov10: Added a new page Rocketpunk and MacGuffinite.

14nov10: Added to Nuclear Shaped Charges additional details from a recent report.

10nov10: Added to Space Stations some images of a Soviet space station design copied by an SF book cover artist.

07nov10: Added to Realistic Designs a section about the Pilgrim Observer

07nov10: Added to Sidearms Energy Weapons Luke Campbell's designs for man-portable laser weapons

05nov10: Matthew Lam created new formatting for the website. You can find details about his work on this site here

11feb10: Added to Space War: Warship Design Ken Burnside's analysis on ship types.

06feb10: Added to Realistic Designs details about the starship from the movie Avatar.

2009

Nov - Dec

31dec09: Added to Sidearms Exotic details about the phaser for the Star Trek Phase II project.

19dec09:

  • Added to Slower Than Light a note about Charles Pellegrino working as scientific consultant on James Cameron's Avatar movie.
  • Added to Sidearms a new image.

17dec09:

15dec09:

  • Added to Art Gallery some of my artwork I discovered in the manual for a 1984 Atari computer game.
  • Added to Preliminary Notes an excerpt from the game manual for QUEST OF THE SPACE BEAGLE.
  • Added to Artificial Gravity a new image from Space Angel.

28nov09: In Art Gallery updated the entry for artist Charles Oines.

27nov09: Added to Art Gallery a section for artist William Black.

22nov09:

  • Added to Space War: Intro lots of links to Rick Robinson's Rocketpunk Manifesto.
  • Added to Surface to Orbit a link to "When Rocket Science Meets The Dismal Science"
  • Added to Engine a link to several of Rick Robinson's Rocketpunk Manifesto essays.
  • Added to Basic Design a link to Rick Robinson's Rocketpunk Manifesto essay on Spaceship Design.
  • Added to Life Support a link to Rick Robinson's Rocketpunk Manifesto essay on Life Support.
  • Added to Interstellar Colonization a link to Rick Robinson's Rocketpunk Manifesto essay on interplanetary colonization.
  • Added to Sidearms: Slugthrowers Zathras9's notes on the Magnum Research Lone Eagle.

20nov09:

  • In Gear updated the section on communciators.
  • Added to Sidearms: Energy Weapons images of Clyde R. Jones' props for "Starships"
  • Split Space War: Weapons and Sidearms into muliple pages, as they were getting too large to load on a Palm Pre cell phone.
  • Added to Respecting Science a link to Teach The Controversy t-shirts.

14nov09: Added to Common Misconceptions some notes about maneuvering in space.

June - Oct

22sep09: Added to Respecting Science a commentary by Simon Jester about scientific accuracy.

08aug09: Added to Deck Plans another interpretation of the interior of the Discovery from 2001.

21jul09:

20jul09: Added to Art Gallery a section for artist Rhys Taylor.

18jul09: Added more content to Space Stations

15jul09: Started to add content to Space Stations

04jul09: Added a new page: Embarking

03jul09:

  • Added to Deckplans a new section about G. Harry Stine's 3 man space scout.
  • Added to Deckplans higher quality images of the Tinsley photon rocket.

28jun09: Added to Artificial Gravity some notes on the conservation of angular momentum by Guido Lißmann.

21jun09: Added to Control Deck images of attitude jet thermal panels.

20jun09:

07jun09:

  • Added to Basic Design an observation by David Chiasson about using knitted metal mesh for decks.
  • Added to Worked Example a couple of new images of the Polaris.

March - May

28may09: Added a new page for twitter feeds.

16may09:

15may09:

  • Added to Sidearms the phaser from Star Trek Zero.
  • Added to Sidearms a small section on marksmanship.

10may09:

  • Added to Worked Example a couple of images of the Polaris.
  • Added to Advanced Design a note about the Apollo command module hatch.
  • Added to Beginning Design a comment by Akima about using trampoline decks to save on mass.
  • Added to Decks: Other some notes and images pertaining to cargo loading.

19apr09: Added to Space War: Defenses a comment by Jens Bartmann.

14apr09:

12apr09:

  • Added to Engine List more juicy details about Zubrin's infamous nuclear salt water rocket.
  • Added to Engine List an updated diagram of a nuclear lightbulb.

08apr09:

06apr09: Added a diagram of a pre-fab space station to Artificial Gravity

02apr09: Added a new section Surface To Orbit

30mar09: Added to Life Support some comments by NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen about living in the International Space Station.

29mar09:

Jan - Feb

26feb09: Added to Preliminary Notes Todd Boyce's explanation of the state of SF in Hollywood.

25feb09: Added to Space War: Weapons a section on Hafnium bombs.

22feb09:

08feb09: Added a new section Future Games

01feb09: Added to Suggested Reading a link to the incredible book The Saucer Fleet

24jan09: Added to Life Support a small note about Shmoos.

20jan09:

18jan09:

  • Added to Respecting Science a marvelous quote from James Nicoll.
  • Added to Space War: Defenses a heretical opinions by Isaac Kuo and Anthony Jackson about how it might be possible to add armor to heat radiators after all. This should cause a lot of screaming.

17jan09: Added to Space War: Weapons a small section on Nanotechnology.

15jan09: Added to Artificial Gravity a comment by Nick Dumas and Christopher Moore on the comment by Graham Baxter.

12jan09: Added to Artificial Gravity a comment by Graham Baxter on the Jovian Chronicle design.

10jan09:

  • Added to Artificial Gravity another image from the Jovian Chronicles.
  • Added to Sidearms comments by Thomas L. Nielsen.
  • Added to Sidearms further comments by András Bónitz.

08jan09: Added to Sidearms the Palm Pistol.

2008

May - Dec

27nov08: Added to Sidearms some notes on the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response rifle.

26nov08: Added to Sidearms even more notes from András Bónitz on futuristic rifles.

24nov08: Added to Future Language a mention of the Ithkuil language (thanks to David Freiberg aka The Forehead).

23nov08:

  • Added to Slower Than Light a clarification on Charles Pellegrino's Valkyrie.
  • Added to Sidearms some notes from András Bónitz on futuristic rifles.
  • Added to Sidearms some notes from Josh P on the Korobov TKB-022.

18nov08: Added to Atomic Novels some sample passages from John Lumpkin's novel Through Struggle, The Stars.

16nov08:

29oct08: Added to Sidearms an image of Kelly Freas' ray gun.

13jul08: Added to Spacewar: Defenses a correction to the section on carbon armor pointed out by Duane Oldsen.

12jul08:

25jun08: Added to Future Language a clarification about Lojban by Dennis Pejcha.

13jun08: Added a new section Thermodynamics

07jun08:

26may08: Added to Sidearms this image.

24may08: Added to Spacewar: Weapons Brian Smith-Winsemius's explaination of x-ray mirrors.

13may08: Added to Aliens Daniel Krouse's suggested excerpt from Peter Watts' Blindsight.

Jan - Apr

21apr08:

  • Added to Ring Raiders Isaac Kuo's comments on Jupiter as a colony site.
  • Added to Interstellar Empire Isaac Kuo's comments on Eric Jones's interstellar colonization model.

05feb08: Added to Advanced Design Myn.pheos' technique to use the Blender software to estimate a spacecraft's center of gravity and to place heat radiators.

03feb08: Added to Advanced Design a new section on Habitat Modules

02feb08: Added to Advanced Design an example of artist Myn.pheos using the Blender software to estimate the volume of a spacecraft.

30jan08:

28jan08: In Modeling History added a link to the computer game Aurora.

27jan08: In Common Misconceptions added some details.

25jan08: In Space War: Weapons added some details about nuclear warhead mass and density.

23jan08: In Artificial Gravity, Radiation, Worked Example and Deck Plans added select illustrative strips from the webcomic Outrim.

19jan08: In Sidearms added a mention of the US Army XM8 prototype modular rifle.

16jan08: In Space War: Weapons an analysis of R-bombs.

12jan08: In Faster Than Light expanded on the section "Establishing Limits."

07jan08: In Suggested Reading added a link to TV Tropes Wiki: Speculative Fiction

05jan08:

03jan08: Added to Astrogation Deck more details about mechanical computers.

01jan08:

2007

Nov - Dec

29dec07: Added to Sidearms a selection of weird real-world rifles.

28dec07:

14dec07: Added to Gear images samsung-wrist-watch.jpg.

11dec07: Added to Faster Than Light David Harris' analysis on statite mines.

09dec07: Added to Interstellar Empire SHADOWasianMAN' poem about Rome.

02dec07:

29nov07: Added to Future History the cultural chart from Omnitrend's Universe game.

22nov07: Added to Sidearms an amusing exerpt from a 1953 children's SF book about ray guns.

18nov07:

10nov07:

09nov07:

03nov07:

June - Oct

27oct07: Added to Sidearms a section on multi-function weapons.

26oct07: Added to Sidearms a menu, and images electronbeam.jpg, electronBeam01.jpg, electronBeam02.jpg, electronBeam03.jpg, electronBeam04.jpg, electronBeam05.jpg,

25oct07: Added to Sidearms an analysis of particle beam hand guns.

24oct07: Added to Spacesuits illustrations of a bayonet and snap joint.

05aug07: Added to Realistic Designs a section on PARTS Plasma Accelerated Resuable Transport System.

28jul07: Added an entirely new section Modeling History.

20jul07: Added to main page and index page a Google Search of this website.

18jul07: Added to Art Gallery a selection of artwork from Number 6.

17jul07: Added to Art Gallery a selection of artwork from Adam Burch.

14jul07:

09jul07:

07jul07:

29jun07: Added to Interstellar Empire a dissertation by Rick Robinson about extraterrestrial colonies.

24jun07:

16jun07: Added to Future History and Interstellar Empire a link between the Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map of the World and David Maurer's Explanation of history.

15jun07:

May

27may07:

26may07: Added to Gear a mention of rapid prototyping.

17may07:

16may07:

  • Added to Basic Design a section on WWII zinc chromate paint.
  • Added to Advanced Design a illustrations of the Aries 1B from the movie 2001.

14may07:

13may07:

  • Added an entirely new section Realistic Designs
  • Added to Future Language an excerpt from Poul Anderson's Brain Wave and an excerpt from Isaac Asimov's Second Foundation.

12may07: Added to Engine List images discovery2a.jpg, discovery2b.jpg, discovery2c.jpg, discovery2d.jpg, discovery2e.jpg.

09may07: Added to Future Language a section about James Gunn's The Listeners.

07may07:

06may07:

05may07:

02may07: Added to Future Language a section on the Pentateuch symbols.

01may07:

23 Apr - 30 Apr

30apr07: Added to Respecting Science image replicator.jpg

29apr07:

  • Added to Future Language images alt072.png, vree.jpg, curse.jpg; and a sample of year 3000 speech.
  • Added to Respecting Science a section about Unintended Consequences.
  • Added to Beginning Design a general rule about aerobraking. "The general rule is that aerobraking can kill a velocity approximately equal to the escape velocity of the planet where the aerobraking is performed"
  • Added to Future History a comment about the perils of writing science fiction that becomes swiftly dated. "And naturally, the more specific the details of your future technology that you describe in your SF story, the bigger the risk that it is going to sound quite silly in the decades to come."
  • Added to Suggested Reading a link to Rick Robinson's Rocketpunk Manifesto blog. "Rick Robinson has a blog that is trying to revive the old Heinlein-esque atomic rocket style science fiction."

28apr07: Added a curmudgeonly rant to Preliminary Notes, "And all you young whipper-snappers who think that science fiction was invented in 1977 with the first Star Wars movie, I have to inform you that you are sadly mistaken."

27apr07: Pretty much finished first draft of Future Language

26apr07:

25apr07:

24apr07: Added an entirely new page: Future Language

23apr07:

  • Added material to Faster Than Light about the FTL drive in StarForce Alpha Centauri.
  • Added material to Faster Than Light about designing a stardrive using Effects instead of Causes.
  • Added aditional material to Space War: Weapon to the section on the effects of a laser beam strike on the crew's habitat module.
  • Added to Preliminary Notes additional material on Burnside's Zeroth Law.
  • Added to Space War: Weapon a marvelously graphic and fact-filled description of the effects of a laser beam strike on the crew's habitat module.

1 Apr - 22 Apr

22apr07: Added to Beginning Spacecraft Design image shuttleHeatRadiator.jpg, "The life-system radiators on the Space Shuttle are inside the cargo bay doors".

21apr07:

  • Added to What's The Mission? images hohmann01.jpg and hohmann02.jpg, "Hohmann orbit to a superior planet".
  • Added to Landing In Lava two corrections suggested by Henry Cobb. Replaced "While landed, for extra safety, keep the gyros clutched and powered up." with "While landed, for extra safety, keep the reaction wheels clutched and powered up." Took "with the possible exception of a methane ocean on Titan" and added "Some of Jupiter's moons may have oceans of water, but these are covered by many miles of ice.".
  • Added to Life Support a section on the hazards of spirulina algae, "(Spirulina is) High in nucleic acid".
  • Added to Space Suits image spacesuit33.jpg, "Artwork by George Solonevich".
  • Added to Advanced Spacecraft Design image ionicTB.jpg and image ionicCrop.jpg, "Fanciful design for an ion drive rocket.".

20apr07: Added to Engine List image torchChartS.jpg and image torchChart.jpg, "chart from "To The Stars" by Gordon Woodcock".

18apr07:

17apr07:

  • Added to Beginning Spacecraft Design equation to calculate reactor radiation flux, "New reactors that have never been activated are not particularly radioactive.". Also added image reactor.jpg to same section.
  • Added to Advanced Spacecraft Design a link to Eric Rozier's structural calculator, Eric Rozier has implemented the algorithm below as an on-line calculator.

16apr07:

12apr07: Added to Space War: Defenses a discussion of Eric Rozier's models for kinetic point defense and missile point defense, along with links to online calculators. Added images ciws.jpg, RAMmissile.jpg, and drazi.jpg to the same section.

10apr07: Added to Beginning Spacecraft Design Eric Rozier's analysis of droplet heat radiators, and his online calcuulator, Eric Rozier has an online calculator for droplet radiators here.

07apr07: Added to Sidearms image spacePirate2.jpg, "Artwork by Ron Turner".

02apr07: Added to Aliens image aliens11.jpg, "Life discovered in the ice-covered oceans of Europa".

Jan - Mar

30mar07:

29mar07: Added to Respecting Science image catgirls.gif, "Sorry, it's just too bad about all the dead cat-girls".

25mar07: Added to Future History rare excerpts from "Range" by Sprague de Camp and Interstellar Empire by John Brunner. Added images lancelot.jpg, defiantAgents.jpg, spacebuster.jpg, and pickup.jpg to the same section.

23mar07:

22mar07: Added to Reactionless Drives image challenger.jpg "The Challenger, from Tom Swift in the Race to the Moon".

19mar07: Added to Space War: Weapons image gun3.jpg "In practice, a series of small pulses". Also added a new link to the Plagiarism entry in the Index.

19mar07: Added to Landing In Lava image crash2.jpg "This can happen if you have the misfortune to be landing on a slope".

15mar07: Added to Respecting Science image Gerard_O_Neill.jpg "First off, from the standpoint of probability".

14mar07: Added to Decks: Control Deck a new section on Cams, along with several images.

10mar07: Added to Interstellar Empire image senate.jpg "Galactic Senate, Star Wars III".

08mar07: Added to Suggested Reading a set of thumb-nail images for the Meteoris, A stunning scratch-built plastic model of an atomic rocket .

26feb07: Added to Preliminary Notes an amusing image I photoshopped: technobabble.jpg; plus handwavium.jpg and unobtanium.jpg

25feb07: Added to Space War: Weapons a link to a DARPA study on space fighters and this image spacecruiser03.jpg "In the 1970's, DARPA was looking".

21feb07: Added to Space Suits a section about pinchers instead of gloves on space suits with several images, "Artwork by Earl Oliver Hurst".

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