M.A.G.P.I.E.
M.A.G.P.I.E. - Mining, Android, Geological, Prospecting, Ion-Engine
SCALE: 1/1 FULL SIZE!
What's a M.A.G.P.I.E.?
The Story
It’s approximately the year 2161. Technology and the Global Space Program has progressed and Earth is now mining asteroids for minerals, precious gems, etc.. The MAGPIE, with it's inexpensive mass produced toy like Ion Engine costs little more than a digital watch did in the early 1980's. Reliable, cheap and disposable, the MAGPIE is a single use probe, and composition analyzer. Because of it’s size and ease of use/deployability, an Earth based mining ship can carry thousands of MAGPIES!
Mainly used by the Earth Astro Mining Corps, (E.A.M.C.), They are shot like corks from bottles, by a launcher similar to the American “Hedge Hog” depth charge launcher from the ancient WW-II era. Tens, hundreds, even thousands even can be sent out to a prospective ‘ROID’ where they are maneuvered into individual prospecting positions using laser guidance. Upon reaching it's designated coordinates, the MAGPIE unfolds it's tripod legs, and using laser it's own laser triangulation landing guidance, lands. Using a combination of it's ion engines and using laser ranging, it lowers itself as low as possible, keeping it's body as parallel to the surface as possible. Once in position, it fires a propellant charge, which sends a projectile ram probe from it's extremely strong and lightweight ceramic tube, into the rock, while simultaneously utilizing the recoil 'back blast', to keep from flying off into space. The probe has several orifices the material blasted away from it's forceful penetration enters. Within fractions of a second the material is analyzed. After the analyses is complete, several seconds later, the MAGPIE relays the composition of the mineral sample back to the main ship, where Geologists determine whether the area should, and is able to be mined proper. The simple and ingenious MAGPIE alleviates the unnecessary risky job of prospecting, once done by Space Miners themselves, saving billons in mining, labor and safety costs!
Magpie model is in ZIP format
Three older versions of the MAGPIE with a much simpler construction specifically for model rocketry use, are on the 'Flying Rockets page', under 'original designs.' The 2 versions in picture at left, were made specifically for the NSL 2008 Sport Launch. A version 1.37, not shown, has the design of the above Magpie (version 2.0) but with the simpler model rocket specific construction. All are in one ZIP file
The featured MAGPIE on this page, version 2.0, will also give outstanding model rocket flights, if you pull the legs straight down. (the ram tube is already 13mm motor sized). For those of you who know my work, and model history, you didn't really think I wouldn't make it to fly, or not put hidden clues on how to do so in the instructions, did you? :)
