Ralph J. Coppola --- r_j_coppola<at>hotmail.com

SAS Disclaimer

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Sorry gang! This instalment will be another light one. I guess that I’m still in “vacation mode,” and it will be a bit before I can catch up.

Feature

Amateur Rocketry has come a long way since the days of Sir William Congreve, Robert Goddard and Wernher Von Braun

Amateur rocketry probably gained momentum in the late 50’s with the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik’s and with the appearance of About the Activities and the Trials of Amateur Rocket Experimenters in Strong’s June 1957 Amateur Scientist column.

Richard Nakka breaks Amateur Rocketry down into two main branches:

• Model Rocketry --- These rockets use commercial pre-built rocket motors.
• Amateur Experimental Rocketry --- The rockets are designed and constructed entirely from "scratch."

If you are interested in investigating either area of experimentation, it is advisable to join a local group. They can help you get on your feet and point you in the right direction to avoid many of the pitfalls and possible dangers associated with this hobby. Please read the SAS Disclaimer.

The following are a few links that I have collected that should help get you started.

• Amateur and Experimental Rocketry Network
• Glossary of Common Model and High Power Rocketry Terms
• The History of Rocketry
• The Reaction Research Society
• National Association of Rocketry!
• The Amateur Rocketry Society of America
• The Rocketry Organization of California (ROC)
• BlueSky Rocket Science
• Minnesota Rocketry Network
• The Northern Illinois Rocketry Association (NIRA)
• CARWeb --- the Canadian Association of Rocketry Website
• Fredericton Association of Rocketry
• Estres commercial rocket motors.
• Aerocon --- Supplies for rocketry experimenters.
• MARS – Advanced Rocketry Society of Great Britain.
• Tripoli High Power Rocket Association
• INFOcentral, the online hobby rocketry resource
• Rocket Instrumentation
• Amateur Rocketry Links
• Rocket & Space Organizations links
• e-Book --- Amateur built liquid-fuel rocket engines
• Book --- A Guide to Amateur Rocketry
• Book --- How to Make Amateur Rockets
• Book --- Amateur Rocket Motor Construction
• Rocket Space --- From Hobby Space
• HobbySpace --- Space access for the amateur.
• U.S. Homeland Security Act and Model Rocketry

Go Figure!

• Some of the components of amateur rocket propellants are restricted substances --- BUT --- you can buy black powder via the Internet.
• The larger commercially made amateur rocket motors are controlled --- BUT --- you can buy .50-calibre ammunition, also, over the Internet. These come in armour piercing, tracer and incendiary varieties.

Wanderings

The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) is an international movement of organizations involved in taxonomic research and biodiversity issues.

International LEGO Users Group Network (LUGNET) unites LEGO fans worldwide through discussion groups, web pages, and services.

Get the most out of your data recorder with the right anti-aliasing filter.

Convert between any units with OnlineConversion.com

The Kids Room

A MIT Scholar Brings LEGO Into the Digital Age.

A high school in Vail Arizona has scrapped textbooks in favour of laptops and multimedia presentations and the Internet. Is this the answer to obsolete, expensive and/or poorly written text books? Comments?

See --- Richard Feynman and The Text Book Selection Process and Carterville Georgia's Experience in selecting text books.

From The Far Side

The Ancient Secrets of Levitation

Levitation Links