Amateur Rocketry

Some rockets at LDRS 22 in Argonia, Kansas

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Overview

Rockets have been around for centuries, ever since the invention of black powder. Primitive rocket engines were made by people in ancient China for use in lofting pyrotechnic devices. Only in the past 100 years or so have rockets come into wide use as tools of research, and (unfortunately) as tools of delivering destructive payloads upon our enemies.

Research into developing rockets for spaceflight actually began as an amateur venture. Early researchers like Robert Goddard and Wernher Von Braun worked almost entirely as individuals, but did have some help from various institutions later in their careers. In the 1950's, with the advent of the space race, all sorts of people began building their own rockets, in an attempt to emulate their bigger brothers in the US government. Many of their rockets became quite advanced, reaching altitudes over 60,000 feet. Unfortunately, there were also many failures. Uninformed people, trying to build their own rockets frequently killed and maimed themselves while mixing hazardous fuels, or loading the fuel into the rockets.

Finally, a safe alternative to mixing homemade fuels came in the late 50's and early 60's. Orville Carlisle and G. Harry Stine came up with a new concept, involving pre-manufactured rocket engines and lightweight rocket airframes. This eliminated the number one safety hazard associated with rocketry, and a new hobby was born.

Model rocket hobbyists eventually grew beyond small rockets in the A, B, and C class engine sizes (each letter denotes twice the impulse power delivered as the one preceding it). Motors eventually grew to to include those all the way up to "N" in size! This is large enough to push a 50lb rocket thousands of feet into the air!

Meanwhile, many individuals wanted more out of their hobby. Simply stuffing a pre-made motor into a rocket was no longer as rewarding to them as it had been. Thus, the concept of Experimental Rocketry (EX) was born. This involved the mixing of fuels and construction of motors in the home laboratory. This time, unlike in the 1950's, there was much more information out there, and the introduction of relatively insensitive Plastic-Bonded fuels made EX rocketry much safer than it had been before.

There is something for everybody in amateur rocketry. Whether your interested in flying small rockets at a local field or testing a space-shot design in the desert, there will always be something for you to explore. It is great for schools and as science projects, or for plain fun on a Saturday afternoon in the park.