Are there any tips on building and flying the AstroCam 110?
The AstroCam is the source of continual threads on r.m.r. The following is a distillation of nearly half a megabyte worth of AstroCam discussions I’ve archived: GENERAL TIPS Jim Cook (jimcook@aol.com): Some observations from myself and C.D.Tavares (cdt@pdp.sw.stratus.com): * The film is quite grainy, hence a lot of people move on to 35mm cameras. * Underexposure is a problem – the pictures are lousy if you launch in anything other than bright sun. Of course, there’s also the usual problem of forgetting to open the safety shutter before launch. * Overexposure is a problem several ways: – The shutter cord can get tangled in the shroud lines, taking multiple exposures or one long exposure. – A hard impact can take another shot. At the least, landing impact will close the safety shutter making you wonder if you forgot to open it before launch. – Problems with sun and heat on the pad make some folks drape it with aluminum foil until final countdown. – Adjustments on the pad are always a sou
