History of Model Rockets and
Model Rocketry
A Model rocket is a small rocket capable
of being launched vertically by a hobbyist or amateur, to sub-atmospheric
altitudes (usually to around 1000-1500 feet for a 1 ounce model) and recovered
by a variety of means.
According to the National Association of Rocketry, (NAR)
Safety Code[1], model rockets are constructed of paper, wood, plastic and
other lightweight materials. The code also provides guidelines for motor use,
launch site selection, launch methods, launcher placement, recovery system
design and deployment and more. Since the early 1960s, a copy of the Model
Rocket Safety Code has been provided with most model rocket kits and motors.
Model rocketry historically is a very safe hobby and is often credited as
the most significant source of inspiration for children who eventually become
scientists and engineers.
While there were many small rockets produced over the
years for research and experimentation, the modern model rocket, and more
importantly, the model rocket engine, was designed in 1954 by Orville Carlisle,
a licensed pyrotechnics expert, and his brother Robert, a model airplane enthusiast.
They originally designed the engine and rocket for Robert to use in lectures
on the principles of rocket powered flight. But then Orville read articles
written in Popular Mechanics by G. Harry Stine about the safety problems associated
with young people trying to make their own rocket engines. With the launch
of Sputnik, many young people were trying to build their own rocket engines,
often with tragic results. Some of these attempts were dramatized in the fact-based
movie October Sky. The Carlisles realized their engine design could be marketed
and provide a safe outlet for a new hobby. They sent samples to Mr. Stine
in January, 1957. Stine, a range safety officer at White Sands Missile Range,
built and flew the models, and then devised a safety handbook for the activity
based on his experience at the range.
The National Association of Rocketry was founded
in 1957 to help promote not only the hobby, but to promote the safety of the
activities related to model rocketry.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
