by Don Irving

Rocketry is enjoyed by people throughout the country every day . The smallest rockets are just a couple inches long. The largest ever built by hobbyists just set an unofficial altitude record of over 100,000 feet! (That's basically outer space!) Between these two extremes the hobby includes rockets of every size and shape you can imagine. This Web site tells you all about it! Hint: Photo images on this page lead to articles, more Web pages, and illustration sequences. Click 'em!

Rockets, Rockets, everywhere...

Small model rockets can be purchased as kits in most hobby stores. They are made of thin cardboard, and can be assembled with glue. Children can build them, and launch them with parental supervision in almost every part of the country.

Rockets, Motors, and Classifications Article with lots of illustrations.

Large model rockets are available in larger hobby stores and through dozens of special, mail order companies. They are great fun for adults and older children. No personal certification is required, however launch permits may be required depending on motor size and weight.
High-power rocketry is geared for adults, and the sky is the limit. Personal certification is required (although not hard to achieve), and launches require government waivers. Nevertheless, high-power clubs all around the country have mastered the permit process and host launches several times per year.




Payloads, Deserts, and other fun stuff

Rocket payloads may include automatic cameras, radio transmitters, altimeters, and other telemetry devices. This is a photo sequence taken by an automatic camera on a high power rocket.

Rocket Payloads

Black Rock Desert

We have dedicated a whole Web section to the amazing Black Rock Desert and the AERO-PAC high-power launches there. Check this place out!

We have built about fifteen rockets so far, although some of them have worn out, crashed, or burned up. Here is what is in our present inventory.

Our Rockets

Igniters and Radio Waves

My own research article about Igniters in the Presence of Strong Radio Waves, which starts to probe the question of whether using radios transmitters at launch sites poses a danger.

Rocketry Resources on the Internet and elsewhere. There are national associations, regional clubs, dozens of manufacturers, hundreds of Web pages, and a newsgroup and FAQ to take advantage of. Here is an index into some of what's available.

Rocketry Resources

Irving Family Web Pages

Don Irving ([email protected])