History records that 88 rockets launched to space in 1991. That count, it would seem, is off by one. <\/p>\n
Granted, it was a really small rocket. <\/p>\n
The world's first model rocket to soar into space did so on April 5, 1991. Standing just 7 inches tall (18 centimeters), the one-stage rocket lifted off, not by the thrust of a black powder engine, but rather on the space shuttle Atlantis. [Student Model Rocket Launches for NASA (Photos)] <\/p>\n
Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, that model rocket has landed at The Museum of Flight in Seattle just in time for NARCON 2015, the National Association of Rocketry's annual convention. On Feb. 21, the man behind the rocket and the astronaut who flew it to space will be in Seattle for the meeting and to help dedicate an exhibit on the history of model rocketry. <\/p>\n
\"The convention's featured guest speaker will be astronaut Jay Apt, who carried a special Astron Scout model rocket belonging to Vern Estes into orbit on STS-37. That model and a host of other rocketry artifacts will form a permanent exhibit in the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery,\" wrote Pat Fitzpatrick, vice chairman of the Museum of Flight space flight committee, in an email to collectSPACE. <\/p>\n
During the shuttle program, astronauts were able to fly a number of mementos for individuals and organizations that supported their mission. Apt, on the first of his four flights, chose the Estes Industries' Astron Scout for the role that model rocketry played in shaping his future. <\/p>\n
\"I got my first Estes [rocketry] catalog from a friend at my 13th birthday party in 1962,\" Apt recounted in an interview with collectSPACE. \"My first kit was an Astron Mark, with the second a Scout. Estes Industries was a portal into the future.\" <\/p>\n
\"Whenever the red tubes containing motors or the boxes containing parts arrived, I was able to learn and practice the skills and sense of wonder that took me off this planet when I was an adult,\" Apt said. <\/p>\n
In fact, Apt noted, all of his STS-37 crew mates had flown model rockets as teenagers. <\/p>\n
\"Rocketry played a critical role in stimulating our interest in engineering, science and exploration,\" he said. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
See the original post:<\/p>\n
First Model Rocket to Fly in Space Lands on Museum Display<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" History records that 88 rockets launched to space in 1991. That count, it would seem, is off by one. Granted, it was a really small rocket Continue reading