My poor puppies Einstein on the left and Maggie-May on the right, buried in an avalanche of Thank You cards from my wonderful Danville Elementary rocketry students! I enjoyed a nice hot cup of coffee as I sat at the table and read each and every one of them!
While I can't possibly post all of the cards, I selected two at random just to give a feel for these wonderful notes
This one was very colorful and gives an example of how great these cards are! Thank you to all of the students and teachers that were a part of this program!
Our first class of intrepid rocketeers ready to go!
I had each pair of students pose for a picture with their rocket before flight (always a wise thing to do :) )
In our VERY small field, we had incredibly good luck with recovery!
One of the rare launch photo's and even so I had to lighten it up quite a bit.
Chasing your rocket is as natural to kids as chasing each other. Some question this practice sighting concerns for safety. There is NO safety danger from catching a 1.9 ounce paper and balsawood model floating under a parachute. There MAY be some danger in the act of "running", but no more so than running after the kick ball, Frisbee or butterfly, as children are apt to do and encouraged to do.
Proud young rocket scientists!
And more still. Clearly, rocketry is no longer a male only activity!
OFF SHE GOES, into the wild gray yonder (remember, it was overcast today...)
Honest, it really wasn't THAT chilly out...
Perfect position!
WOW, look at her go!
Casual girl on the left, the next Vanna White on the right!
The most fun comes from seeing just how LOUD you can get these kids. When they are encouraged; no, INSTRUCTED to countdown as loudly as possible, you get pictures like this at T-Minus 1...
At T-Plus 1, it's a whole 'nuther story...
Careful attention to detail gets your rocket in the air. As I explain to these students, I am only the observer. I tell them ONCE how to prep their model for flight, put the model on the pad, hook up the igniter clips and launch/recover their model. If they listen then they will know how to do it. If they do not, then they don't. It is as simple as that.
They listened and are now ready for the launching on their models!
The rocket on the right in the previous picture was the FIRST to land in a tree, BUT... ...It didn't stay there for long. Before the end of this class the rocket had dropped to the ground and was retrieved!
Concentrate, concentrate, DANG these clips are small!
All of these photo's, and this one in particular, show what I like most about building rockets from a bag of raw materials. Every rocket looks different and every rocket owner if PROUD of the work they have done!
And when THEY do well, their ROCKETS do well!
Houston, we have a problem! It seems our recovery crew is looking left when he should have been looking right!
These young ladies KNOW how to pose for the camera!
They know how to build and fly rockets too! Who'd'a'thunk it?
Put your right clip on, take your right clip off...
....you put your left clip on, and shake it all about....
...you do a funky countdown and you launch it all around. And that's what it's all about!
Even the littlest Who in Who-Ville did a fantastic job!
And looks so darned cute too!
Run like the wind!
5...4...3...2...1
LIFTOFF!
You can see masking tape on these fins. We did this on several models where the fins broke off while waiting to fly. Done properly, this is perfectly adequate for the motors used but the students were instructed on how to properly re-attach the fin and make it stronger for its next flight.
My word, they look so Proper and all!
This is what happens when you don't glue the engine mount in properly. Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks provide the strongest of all lessons learned!
"Man, this is just like NASA!"
We bad.
Putting the Zing in your zing-zang!
And another successful recovery!
Lockheed should HAVE such a group of dedicated aerospace engineers!
"Oh lordy, I hope this thing flies!"
I just can NOT get over the colors and imagination that went into finishing these models. Look closely at each one. It would make a rainbow jealous!
Ok, the ultimate insult. The worse case scenario when you don't glue your engine mount in properly... A flare on the pad followed by a LOT of smoke then the ignoble ejection of your parachute on the pad. You don't even get to see a cool lawn-dart!
The only thing missing would have been Wile E. Coyote with a sign reading "Yikes!"
Each student learned so much this day.
And put that knowledge to good use too!
Proud as peacocks, they are!
Perfect catch!
Youngsters doing something for the VERY FIRST time is a very special thing to behold.
Even the parents got into it, many having never seen rocketry before!
Darker colors for these lads.
WOW, look at THAT!
At the beginning of each session I launched a Rhino on a B6-4 motor so that they could see a larger model fly. The field was much too small for most anything else.
Check it out, silver and yellow - yellow and silver!
Use the Force, young Jedi!
Patriotism is alive and well in Danville, NH
Her T-shirt reads "La la la, I can't hear you! La la la"
Well, she may not have heard, but she certainly LISTENED (and learned!)
Although I missed the rocket in this picture, I captured the look at T-Zero!
Near twins on the pads!
Perfect up and perfect down!
The enraptured class looks on, waiting for their chance at the launch button!
Honest, it really wasn't THAT cold out!
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane! No! It's Triskelion!
Black followed by Pink. It's a beautiful thing!
Oh, ick, ick, ick. MUD!
This is SO cool!
The rocket on the right shows a simple but very well applied paint job while the one on the right shows much more complexity.
Whoosh! It was very hard getting decent pictures in the low light.
Probably my best launch shot of the day was this one!
Some inspiring paint jobs here!
At one point we had many dozens of onlookers enjoying the space race at Danville!
How he slid THIS way in the mud while running THAT way is beyond me, but this sure slowed everyone else down a bit!
The last two rockets of our second class of the day, ready for flight!
Class #3 shows the world that THEY are "The Right Stuff" (a book reference, kids. Go to your library, check it out and read it. You will be glad that you did!)
The pre-class Rhino launch. I missed the launch due to a dirty micro clip that ignited the rocket moments after this shot was taken. You can see the parent at the launch table doing the honors.
See the T-shirt? See? I told you it wasn't that cold out!
Up, up, and away!
Perfect catch!
I always make a point to get a few shots of the group looking skyward
OH! Just by the fin-tip! Almost caught!
Now, this little boy had the time of his life with the rocket and out here on the field!
Needless to say, he was thrilled to get his rocket all hooked up and ready to go!
At the launch pad, his teacher gives him a hand with the launch button. Much to his delight, he had a perfect flight and recovery! Well done!
He said to squeeze this clip to open it and put it... HEY! Son of a gun, it works!
Who'da gal, who'da gal!
Teachers, parents and kids alike. When it comes to launching rockets, we're ALL kids for a moment!
Along the tree line, but a safe recovery!
Almost done!
Too cool for words!
Teacher and student with an unusual learning experience
High Five!
High Triskelion!
Good catch!
Buds out launching!
It's back, way back, near the wall! And in a rare display of determination we have Shilling off the mound and out to field his own rocket!
Another perfect recovery!
The last two rockets of this session, the last two rockets of the Danville launch, the last two rockets of the year.
Bitter-sweet