For my rocket project, I have several payloads already lined up for the first flight. Two of them are cameras to capture footage of the flight. One of the cameras is the amazing GoPro HERO5 Session. But this post is about the other one, the X5 360° Panoramic Sport Action Camera. Indeed, in addition to a directional view shot by the GoPro (aft), I want a panoramic view. The ideal position for such a camera is at the nosecone top. However, in my design, this won’t be possible. So, the problem to solve is how to intersect a sphere (in fact, a sphere embedded into a cube) with a cylinder, maximizing the field of vision while minimizing the drag. I went ahead and did some modeling and 3D printed a prototype to scale. The result is encouraging and proves that a solution – I am satisfied with – exist. The remaining question I need to answer is if I should drill the window into the airframe directly or cut out a section and fill it with a 3D print. Because of the complex geometry of the windows (yes, the airframe has a width :-)), the latter option seems to be the easier to implement. The next study is the integration of the GoPro.

 

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