My Stuff: Rocket Man

One of the best things about seventh grade was Shop Class. Two of the best things about Shop Class were CO2 race cars, and solid stage rockets. We made them from scratch (parachutes too) and launched them suckers. Probably seems silly, but it was quite a rush to press the button on the electrical ignition system and light something into the air, something YOU built.

 

Years later, in college, when I was working at a youth program, I remembered those rockets when I was planning for projects. I went scouting at our local hobby store, and sure enough, they had engines, parachutes, and ignition systems. You could buy pre-made rockets too, but seeing as how I was planning the rockets for a sorta science/crafting unit, I figured out how to make them from scratch, and taught kids how to make them. They were a big hit. The kids got the same charge I did at building something, then launching it into the sky. A couple years later, I adapted the rockets to make ignitable RACE cars. They failed, but they failed in spectacular fashion, which was almost as fun.

 

A few years ago, Madi and I made these rockets over the summer. We never got to launch them, however, because my ignition system was old, and the fuses old, so the rockets didn't fire, and we really didn't have the cash to splurge on a new ignition system. This summer, however? WE'RE GO FOR LAUNCH, MISSION CONTROL....