What is Model Rocketry?

One thing that I get asked a lot when I tell people that I fly model rockets is, "What is model rocketry?"  Model rocketry is a fun hobby that was started during the Cold War and the Race for Space.  I'm not going to go into that kind of information here, if you want to know more I recommend watching October Sky.  Essentially, when the Russians and the U.S. entered the Cold War, everyone started looking toward the skies and NASA started making rockets.  When NASA started making rockets, civilians began to try to make their own mini versions of the rockets and tried to fly their models., which is where model rocketry got its start.

Now, as you can imagine, this was incredibly unsafe.  People were using gunpowder and matches to launch their rockets, which is extremely dangerous.  Three men stepped forward in different aspects of the hobby in order to make it more safe and practical.  These men were G. Harry Stein, Orville Carlisle, and Vern Estes.  Vern and Gleda Estes (pictured above) are probably the most well-known because they are still actively involved in the hobby and show up to the national competitive event frequently.  Vern and Gleda are responsible for the safe motors, Estes Motors, and some model kits as well.  For more information on the founders of rocketry, check out this article: Where Did Model Rocketry Really Start?

Model rocketry later began to develop and create laws to regulate safety.  The organization in charge of these safety protocols is the National Association of Rocketry, or NAR.  The NAR ensures the safety of its members and spectators by providing a pink book with safety guidelines and regulations.  Check out their website for more information on the organization and membership information.

The hobby has developed from its Cold War beginnings and is now a family friendly hobby.  People all over the country and all over the world are flying model rockets every day.  These rockets are typically made out of cardboard tubes and balsa fins and nose cones.  There are kits that can be purchased from several companies, or some people like to build their own rockets and create their own SAFE designs.  Safety and fun are key in model rocketry.

Model rocketry is also very educational.  There is a lot of science and math behind the hobby.  My mom is a principal at a Catholic school and she used to be a fifth grade teacher at the same school.  She needed a science unit for the end of the school year and she decided to do a unit on model rocketry and enlist my dad's help because he had been flying rockets since he was about thirteen years old.  He was able to get fifth grade students to understand trigonometry because of model rocketry.  Below, I have a video with some different models of rockets and a flight to help you get a better idea of what this hobby is.  I made this video a couple years ago for a presentation to a fifth grade class.

This hobby is for people of all ages.  I see people from five years to around eighty years old out on the rocketry field every year.  We do our best to make this a fun and safe hobby that everyone can enjoy and learn something from, too!

Next time, I'm going to give you a little bit more information about how I got started in model rocketry and my experiences.  Until then, fly high, stay safe, and have fun!