For those that are new to model rocketry, a great place to begin is with a starter set. A starter set provides all the parts needed to create a model rocket and launch it. There are variations on the contents of the available packages; some come with motors, others come with two rockets. Whatever [Continue]

If you have been launching rockets for a while one thing you have noticed are the standards in diameter sizes.  Estes and other model rocket manufacturers use a code to describe the various diameters.  BT-5, BT-20, BT-50, BT-55, BT-56, and so on are the codes used.  Below is a table of the BT [Continue]

NASA scientists recently weighed in on the controversy of the World Cup ball. While players kick around a dusty Adidas Jabulani ball, it can be seen that the ball moves around a lot due to its aerodynamics. The ball was made especially for this World Cup tournament and has 8 panels instead of the [Continue]

One book that totally engrossed me was “Failure Is Not An Option” by Gene Kranz, former NASA flight director.  Gene had the fortunate opportunity to be with NASA from almost the beginning.  He witnessed American space firsts in the Mercury program and was part of the team that brought [Continue]

Recall, if you can, the first time you successfully flew a kite. The day was windy or, more probably, there was a steady breeze; your friend helped launch the kite whilst you ran a bit to get it up in the air. Suddenly it felt different, there was a steady pull on the line and [Continue]

Rocket Gliders and Rocket Boost Gliders For the model rocket enthusiast who is looking for a real challenge rocket gliders and rocket gliders are hard to beat.  Some will not be familiar with the terms rocket glider and boost glider and what they are and how they work. A rocket glider (Figure 1) [Continue]

Attempting to become only the 10th nation to have space launch capabilities, a South Korean rocket exploded 137 seconds after launch. The rocket named Naro-1, built with Russian help, flew 70 km up before the explosion. This is South Korea’s second attempt at a space launch. Their first one [Continue]

Looks like US president Obama’s goal of promoting private space flight is taking off. Today from Cape Canaveral, the Falcon 9 from SpaceX took to the sky and reached orbit nine minutes later. SpaceX was formed by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk and has so far spent $400 million (USD) on the [Continue]

The Akatsuki spacecraft on a mission to Venus blasted off aboard an H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima spaceport in southern Japan. In addition to the Venus probe, the H-IIA rocket carried five piggy-back experiments into space. These include a small satellite to practice the technique of sailing on [Continue]

So there you are in the store about to purchase a model rocket. You look at the clerk and ask him/her, “Where do you keep your model rocket engines?” Or maybe you ask “Where do you keep your model rocket motors?” Let’s face it, rocketry is about being exact. Building [Continue]