May-2005
A class full of happy rocketeers!
"Anticipation"
And success!
Here's what it looked like from his point of view!
Posing with their rockets. I was thrill to again see many young girls delving into this hobby that used to be so male dominated!
The launch pictures are not the best as it was dark and overcast resulting in slow shutter speeds...
Here you can see the Launch Officer (with the LifeGuard shirt) as her rocket streaks to the sky
Even though it was overcast, we had a perfect launch day!
Many of these rockets provided much needed color on this drab day.
I was very pleased with the number of perfect deployments we had this day!
Now the guys can show their stuff!
And they do, too! One perfect flight after another!
More happy rocketeers as the second class poses for a picture
This boy hooks up his micro clips as my adult helpers look on. I am a big proponent of "do it yourself" as I require each student to do all of the prep work on their models.
Here is a picture of the waiting line of rocketeers. The ones at the table are the 3 with rockets on the pad. You can see the one girl in the pink jacket with her thumb on the launch button as we begin the countdown.
"WHOOSH" was the sound of the day as we launched over 100 rockets!
Proud as peacocks with rockets as colorful!
Ahhh, the beauty of a full 'chute!
Here you get a good idea of how fast model rockets come off the pad. The young girl launching the rocket has not even begun to look up as her rocket soars into the sky!
Then all faces are turned up as they watch the flight of their creations
Near-field landings were the norm for today, with only one rocket being lost to the trees.
Concentration is evident in the taunt facial muscles of this young girl as she hooks up the igniter clips
Now, are these happy rocketeers, or what??
One of the big thrills of the day was going out and try to catch your rocket as it comes down!
A *very* pretty rocket turns in a very pretty flight!
The excitement was evident all day long. (Note the glue bottle and masking tape for quick field repairs)
And AWAY it goes!
Fingers outstretched, she closes in on her rockets as it drifts downward.
This young lady ran just a *tad* too far and had to lean back to catch her prize!
Getting 30+ people screaming a countdown leads to something like this!
Followed by this...
You can just FEEL the excitement in the air as these young rocketeers near the conclusion of their efforts!
FIVE, FOUR, THREE...
Great position, good catch!
Stripes and polka dots, you gotta love it!
Presenting, the Rocket Boys of Plaistow!
Up, in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's a Triskelion!!
Found it!
"Oh man! Lookit that thing GO!"
Got'cha!
Now, that's an extra effort, there!
Clutching their own rockets, the entire class watches the latest flight
"We're the GREATEST!"
Perfect flights!
Perfect landings too!
Lean, lean, LEAN!
Smiles like this make it all worthwhile!
With all the near field landings, many students were able to catch their models. It was wonderful!
Sprinkles started (as you can see by the umbrella), but that didn't diminish the fun nor the enthusiasm
It amazed me how fast these kids could make it out to the recovery area when it was THEIR rocket coming down!
Houston, we have ignition!
Straight as an arrow and a whole lot more fun!
Anticipation as the count nears zero!
Smiles light up even the most overcast day!
And now we know why they're all smiling!
Come to mama!
Whoa, I don't think she expected her model to go so fast and high!
Thumb on the button, rocket in the air!
And the ultimate conclusion to a fun segment of learning
Out of 100 rocketeers, we had 100 perfect flights.
And 100 thrilled participants!
Nearing the end of our launch.
But no end to the fun and excitement!
Squinting to see, the smiles are all around!
ALMOST!
The last group for the day
Heck, he didn't even have to work for this one!
The end of a perfect day. Back again next week for more fun!