You guys really got me reliving the good ol' days today. I had to hit the road after this morning's exchange and just got back, but a few thoughts/memories about 1969 linger. The summer of '69 included the end of JR high school and the beginning of that exciting and equally difficult time of my life, high school. My first romance (and first broken heart), my first kiss (and second broken heart), were more diverting than Apollo 11, but not by much. About that time I figured it might be more fun to build working rockets than plastic models, so my friend and I retired to the garage for some clandestine rocket design and construction. We did have a few from-scratch solid fuel rocket successes. (Ground match heads and sparklers for fuel, cardboard tube body, and dime with a hole drilled in it for a nozzle.) Our rocketry career only got about 20 feet off the ground, though - kind of hovered for a few seconds before descending into the Ellingson's yard and starting the dry grass in the backyard on fire. Funny, I remember it all in slow motion... So on my way to business meetings "up north" today I listened to a little Deep Purple. Although this tune dates from 1972, the lyrics are somehow appropriate for today: http://www.thehighwaystar.com/rosas/lyrics/machine/machine07.htm. Oh, Chuck, Rob: I still have my unfinished plastic model of a Gemini capsule. (Well, actually, I never started it.) I think I got it for Christmas in 1965. I thought it might be fun to finally build the Gemini model with my 7-year-old son. Kim
Ok, with all this reminiscing going on I'll add mine. I was in the air force stationed at Mt. Home in Idaho during the time of Apollo 11 but a couple of weeks before the launch I was sent to a military hospital in California for some minor surgery. Had a lot of time on my hands there so I sent a letter to the astronauts wishing them luck and noting something to the effect that when they stepped off on to the lunar surface it might be a small step for them but a really big one for civilization. Fast forward to 20 July and I was at home in Elko on medical leave and glued to the television for the landing. You might guess my surprise when I heard Armstrong say those famous words that sure sounded a lot to me like the words I'd sent him. So for years I went around thinking that just maybe I'd had something to do with what he said (see, I even had a ego back then <grin>). It wasn't until a few years ago that I heard Armstrong being interviewed about the mission and someone asked how he'd come up with his "One small step..." lines. I don't remember exactly what he said just that whatever he said it ruled out any connection with my letter. Sigh... Kim Hyatt wrote:
About that time I figured it might be more fun to build working rockets than plastic models, so my friend and I retired to the garage for some clandestine design and rocket construction. We did have a few from-scratch solid fuel rocket successes. (Ground match heads and sparklers for fuel, cardboard tube body, and dime with a hole drilled in it for a nozzle.)
Regarding the house in Elko I mentioned, to this day it has a dent in the front porch railing where one of my attempts at a home made rocket engine went awry. And I bet that if you look closely enough in the kitchen you might find evidence of the skillet full of home made rocket fuel that decided to ignite while I was cooking it on the stove. (Kids, don't try that at home!)
Our rocketry career only got about 20 feet off the ground, though - kind of hovered for a few seconds before descending into the Ellingson's yard and starting the dry grass in the backyard on fire.
Sounds like you and Robert Goddard have something in common. If memory serves, his first attempt at flying a liquid fuel rocket ended with the neighbor's field alight.
Oh, Chuck, Rob: I still have my unfinished plastic model of a Gemini capsule. (Well, actually, I never started it.) I think I got it for Christmas in 1965. I thought it might be fun to finally build the Gemini model with my 7-year-old son. If the box is still sealed you may have a lot of $$$ on your hands. Try EBay! :-)
Ok, Mr. Peabody it's time to set the Wayback Machine (http://www.toonopedia.com/peabody.htm) to 2005 so we can get home. Patrick
Thanks Patrick - loads of fun to learn mine wasn't the only misspent youth. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patrick Wiggins" <paw@trilobyte.net> To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 12:55 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] 1969 | Ok, with all this reminiscing going on I'll add mine. | | I was in the air force stationed at Mt. Home in Idaho during the time of | Apollo 11 but a couple of weeks before the launch I was sent to a | military hospital in California for some minor surgery. | | Had a lot of time on my hands there so I sent a letter to the astronauts | wishing them luck and noting something to the effect that when they | stepped off on to the lunar surface it might be a small step for them | but a really big one for civilization. | | Fast forward to 20 July and I was at home in Elko on medical leave and | glued to the television for the landing. | | You might guess my surprise when I heard Armstrong say those famous | words that sure sounded a lot to me like the words I'd sent him. | | So for years I went around thinking that just maybe I'd had something to | do with what he said (see, I even had a ego back then <grin>). | | It wasn't until a few years ago that I heard Armstrong being interviewed | about the mission and someone asked how he'd come up with his "One small | step..." lines. I don't remember exactly what he said just that | whatever he said it ruled out any connection with my letter. Sigh... | | Kim Hyatt wrote: | | > About that time I figured it might be more fun to build working rockets than plastic models, so my friend and I retired to the garage for some clandestine design and rocket construction. We did have a few from-scratch solid fuel rocket successes. (Ground match heads and sparklers for fuel, cardboard tube body, and dime with a hole drilled in it for a nozzle.) | | Regarding the house in Elko I mentioned, to this day it has a dent in | the front porch railing where one of my attempts at a home made rocket | engine went awry. | | And I bet that if you look closely enough in the kitchen you might find | evidence of the skillet full of home made rocket fuel that decided to | ignite while I was cooking it on the stove. (Kids, don't try that at home!) | | > Our rocketry career only got about 20 feet off the ground, though - kind of hovered for a few seconds before descending into the Ellingson's yard and starting the dry grass in the backyard on fire. | | Sounds like you and Robert Goddard have something in common. If memory | serves, his first attempt at flying a liquid fuel rocket ended with the | neighbor's field alight. | | > Oh, Chuck, Rob: I still have my unfinished plastic model of a Gemini capsule. (Well, actually, I never started it.) I think I got it for Christmas in 1965. I thought it might be fun to finally build the Gemini model with my 7-year-old son. | If the box is still sealed you may have a lot of $$$ on your hands. Try | EBay! :-) | | Ok, Mr. Peabody it's time to set the Wayback Machine | (http://www.toonopedia.com/peabody.htm) to 2005 so we can get home. | | Patrick | | _______________________________________________ | Utah-Astronomy mailing list | Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com | http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy | Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com | | ______________________________________________________________________ | This e-mail has been scanned by Cut.Net Managed Email Content Service, using Skeptic(tm) technology powered by MessageLabs. For more information on Cut.Nets Content Service, visit http://www.cut.net | ______________________________________________________________________ | |
Home-made rockets seem to be another connecting thread for this group, besides telescopes. I have a home-printed and developed B&W photo of a rocketry meet at Brighton High from sometime in the '70's, at which I won a second-place award with my own "boost-glider" design. This came only after several years of paper-towel-tube failures and punctuated successes, plus a few second-degree hand and finger burns! Commercially made solid fuel engines were a relief to my mother after my early designs using black powder (!) One success in particular- we lived on 13th east and 6th south in SLC, and I launched a 2-stage rocket from my front yard. My little brother and his entourage of neighborhood cronies were the "recovery crew". The first stage was recovered only a few yards away, but the second stage, with it's parachute, was being carried eastward, and quite high at that. The recovery team began their chase, and didn't return for about an hour- but when they came back they did have the upper stage with them. My brother said they had to chase it almost to University Village (student housing apartment complex) on the corner of Sunnyside Avenue and Foothil Drive, about 2 miles downrange! -Chuck "Von Braun" Hards ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
Chuck Hards wrote:
Home-made rockets seem to be another connecting thread for this group, besides telescopes.
For those who are interested (and who still have a full compliment of fingers, eyelashes and eyebrows) I still have my copy of a 1960 book by Kit and Evered entitled Rocket Propellant Handbook. Between the rocketry "expertise" shown here and Guy's knowledge of things that go BOOM, we could put together quite a 24th of July show. Patrick Patriot Act disclaimer: I'm just kidding!
I've lost so many other things over the years (hair, waistline, and billions of brain cells, for example) that I think I'll try to hang on to my fingers and facial features at this point. On the other hand... Patrick, maybe you, Chuck VB and I should collaborate on something really special? Launch a bowling ball into orbit? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patrick Wiggins" <paw@trilobyte.net> To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 11:27 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] 1969 | Chuck Hards wrote: | > | > Home-made rockets seem to be another connecting thread | > for this group, besides telescopes. | | For those who are interested (and who still have a full compliment of | fingers, eyelashes and eyebrows) I still have my copy of a 1960 book by | Kit and Evered entitled Rocket Propellant Handbook. | | Between the rocketry "expertise" shown here and Guy's knowledge of | things that go BOOM, we could put together quite a 24th of July show. | | Patrick | | Patriot Act disclaimer: I'm just kidding! | | | _______________________________________________ | Utah-Astronomy mailing list | Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com | http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy | Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com | | ______________________________________________________________________ | This e-mail has been scanned by Cut.Net Managed Email Content Service, using Skeptic(tm) technology powered by MessageLabs. For more information on Cut.Nets Content Service, visit http://www.cut.net | ______________________________________________________________________ | |
participants (3)
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Chuck Hards -
Kim Hyatt -
Patrick Wiggins