May-2005 - Week 2
First class of the day, ready to go!
Hamming it up for the camera, our first 3 are loaded and ready.
Thumb on the button, rocket in the air!
Right back at'cha, good buddy!
Everyone is looking up at the rocket except the boy who just LAUNCHED it!
Is this perfect form, or what??
Dark, overcast skies resulted in slow shutter speed and blurry pictures again today...
Perfect catch!
Perfect launch. If you look to the left and see the girl in the brick-red hooded shirt, she looks like she is holding a Triskelion that is as big as she is!
Don't let anyone tell you that model rocketry isn't an "active activity"!
Eyes skyward, the mark of a good launch
Posing before a launch. I am just amazed with the imagination used in painting these models!
A blurry streak towards the sky!
A better shot with the zoom lens
And she is OFF! Typical countdown is 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Launch! Run! as they attempt to catch their returning models.
Anticipation is a wondrous thing. Even after watching several Triskelion launches, their own launch is a most special thing!
Especially when you can recover it without ever leaving your launch position!
THIS is the definition of "Happy"!
It was a cool day, but look at the SLEEVES on that sweater!
Houston, we have liftoff!
Great shot of the Triskelion screaming off the pad
The upturned faces is so cool
The last student launch of this class. This was followed by having the teacher launch the Espresso.
After the launching was complete, I noticed that the kids had set all of their rockets down in one area for later retrieval. Very neat picture.
The second class of the day and the last one for this rocketry session at Pollard School
Proud rocketeers with their very own creations!
And a good reason to be proud. We were 100% on the day!
It seems to take forever for your model to come back!
"Happy" was the rule of the day.
WHOOSH!
Good catch!
"Hey, buddy. Wanna trade rockets?"
A good recovery after a great flight
Come to papa!
"pssst! everybody look cool, he's taking a picture!"
You can barely see the Launch Control Officer through the smoke his rocket is making!
So close, yet SO far!
Faster than a speeding... ...well, it's FAST, that's about all we can say!
Whoops! Next time I'm using more glue on the shock cord mount... However, he doesn't look too upset. Model suffered NO damage and should be ready to fly again in minutes.
As I explained on the main page, the students do all of the work, including hooking up the clips.
Have you ever seen a more proud group!?
Pandemonium as the rocket streaks into the air
Another very nice shot
And a very nice catch to follow!
Full chute means a soft landing. The kids were really surprised at how slowly the models came down with a fully deployed parachute.
It's hard to read, but the model on the right has the rockets name "Triskelion" on it. (see inset in the lower right) Very cool.
Great shot here. The Launch Control Officer (center) is concentrating very hard on her rocket while her classmates scream out "FIVE" as the countdown begins...
Here we have another near-catch
Focus, focus, that's it!
These kids learned so much these past few weeks, and it isn't over either. I discovered that tomorrow they will all be taking written tests about their model rocketry experience.
Igniters all hooked up, time to pose for a picture!
And AWAY we go!
This one drifted back a bit and landed in the adjoining ball field
But was STILL caught!
Pollard Elem School
May-2005 - Week 2