Astrocam

A mirror held in a hood is used like a periscope to enable the camera to look forward.

The camera needs to be manually advanced and "cocked" by pulling a string attached to spring-loaded shutter taut.

Stock models of the Astrocam were intended to take their photographs after the rocket had begun to descend after reaching apogee.

However, in the Winter 1993 issue of the Estes Educator News magazine, two sets of instructions (Lookdown Astrocam, and the Lookdown Astrocam MK11) were included describing how the camera could be converted to look back down the length of the rocket before reaching apogee, or upon a staging event.

Estes catalogs showed some of the photographs from these modified rockets, but they never produced a version designed to look down, or capable of being switched at will.