Rocket Motor

IMPORTANT INFORMATION & SAFETY PROCEDURES (Rocket Motor)

1. FIRST and MOST IMPORTANT! Do not add or substitute other chemicals either to-or-for the chemicals described in this topic! Specifically do NOT use POTASSIUM CHLORATE, SODIUM CHLORATE, POTASSIUM PERCHLORATE, SODIUM PERCHLORATE, POTASSIUM PERMANGA?nJ-ATE, AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE, PHOSPHOROUS, MATCH HEADS, ALUMINUM, MAGNESIUM, or ANY METALS AT ALL! All of these substances will form DANGEROUS and EXPLOSIVE […]

Some Interesting History (Rocket Motor)

Like all of the things that exist in nature, the most primitive form of jet propulsion was not invented by anyone. It was observed by many people in many cultures at many different times. Toss a handful of chestnuts into a campfire. and if you are lucky, you’ll see what 1 mean. As the moisture […]

Accidents During the Fifties, and the Events that Followed (Rocket Motor)

I was born in 1946. and readers of my generation might remember a series of 5 to 10 serious accidents that happened to people making homemade rockets in the late 1950s. These were the early years of the space program, and the news media was so attuned to anything involving rockets that, when these accidents […]

The Attempted Destruction of Amateur Rocketry (Rocket Motor)

Professionals in the fields of science and engineering often begin their careers without the benefit of formal training. They at first study on their own. not with the thought of earning a living, but from an natural interest in the chosen subject. Hermann Oberth was entirely self-taught when he worked out the mathematics of rocket […]

The Reaction Research Society (Rocket Motor)

An encouraging spin-off of the rapidly growing interest in high power rocketry has been a renewed interest in the truly advanced forms of the hobby, as embodied by the Reaction Research Society. Founded in 1942. the RRS has grown in recent years from a couple dozen members to about 250. It is based in Los […]

The Tripoli Rocketry Association (Rocket Motor)

By 1991 a well organized group called the “Tripoli Rocketry Association” had taken over activities at Lucerne. When I drove out to photograph one of their events in October of that year. I found more than 600 people in attendance. By the Summer of 1992 there were more than 1.000. Launches sponsored by Tripoli carry […]

Can I Sell the Rocket Motors that I Make?

You can sel I the rocket motors that you make only with the proper licenses. To do otherwise violates both Federal and State laws, and the penalties for breaking these laws are severe. If you want to sell your rocket motors, you must contact the Bureau of Alcohol. Tobacco, and Firearms in Washington D.C.. and […]

About Black Powder (Rocket Motor)

Because of its profound effect on the development of warfare, mining, and thereby heavy industry, black powder, also called “gunpowder”, is considered by scholars in all fields to be one of most important inventions in the history of civilization. It is one of the oldest pyrotechnic mixtures known, and though its exact origins are uncertain, […]

What if a Serious Accident Happens? (Rocket Motor)

Though people concerned about the future of amateur rocketry are understandably reluctant to think about it. somewhere, someday, there’s bound to be an accident in which someone is injured or killed, either by a rocket or while making one. In a society of 250 million people, all activities (including golf!) experience some level of injury […]

What is the Safety Record so Far? (Rocket Motor)

As of the \ ear. 2000. since the 1984 publication of my first topic, my company, the Teleflite Corporation, has sold 10.000 copies of that topic, and enough cardboard tubes to make 250.000 homemade rocket motors. Of course not everyone who buys the topic actually makes a rocket motor. But if just a tenth of […]

← Previous Entries