"Yes, I am a rocket scientist."
T-shirts emblazoned with this statement are worn with pride by the dozen or so members of the North Dakota Rocketry Association, a group of "geeks" that frequently gather to launch their homemade rockets that take up to a few months to build. The group took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather Saturday, as more than 30 rockets of all colors and sizes were launched into the still air near Larimore, N.D.
UND graduate student Tricia Johnson launched her new rocket, dubbed "Kiss the Sky," 4,600 feet into the air. The loud launch went smoothly, and the rocket appeared to travel as planned - except that Johnson was predicting a launch height of only 2,300 feet. The two-parachute rocket also hit a snag 600 feet above the ground, when the bottom section separated and fell to a nearby road.
Although the cracked rocket shell was a minor setback for Johnson, an earlier launch was even more problematic. One of the larger rockets self-destructed on lift-off, spraying rocket fragments into the surrounding field.
"That was not good. That doesn't happen very often," said John Nordlie, who works at UND's Regional Weather Center. "That's probably a $50 casing that just got turned into scrap metal."
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The explosions likely induced a headache in the rocket's owner, but it served to highlight the safety of the hobby: even though the launch produced the worst possible scenario, the bystanders were safe because of the distance between themselves and the launching pad.
"We haven't had any serious injuries or anything like that yet," Nordlie said. "We try to be fairly proactive on that."
'Hard to describe'
The group, composed mostly of university professors and students, invests a lot of time and money into the hobby. Amateur rocket science is also as complicated as it sounds - phrases such as "ammonium perchlorate," "overpressurization of the motor" and "Chad staging" were commonly used as NDRA members commented on the finer points of the hobby.
In spite of these costs, the group members still spend their downtime launching the rockets in the summer and building new ones in the winter.
"It's hard to describe why we do it," Nordlie said. "It's an interesting hobby. You have some smoke and fire, and after that, something flies in the air."
The rocket launches are a great social opportunity as well. The group members spend the down time between launches talking to each other about their dream rocket engines and bodies, a topic of conversation not commonly found elsewhere. And the get-togethers offer a chance to make fun of others' rockets in a friendly way.
When the rocket exploded, group members made jokes about how the owner would have to buy a new ignition wire, which was slit during the incident. The rocket owner even joked about "finally having something to do this winter."
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UND graduate student Dean Smith received his fair share of ribbing for his "garbage rocket," constructed out of everyday items.
"I wanted to see how cheaply I could make a good rocket," he said. The rocket achieves this goal admirably: the toilet paper tube-body, plastic Easter egg nose cone and paperclip turned engine holder create a functioning rocket.
"The material isn't exactly strong," Smith said as he pointed to a burn mark on the rocket, "but it's been launched at least a dozen times."
The group was founded in 2000 by Tim Young, a UND physics professor. The NDRA is a part of the 80,000-member National Association of Rocketry, which has been around for 50 years.
Although the current group members have a lot of experience with the hobby, they said people of all skill levels are welcome to join.
"Anyone is welcome here. If you don't have your own rocket, you can come out and help us out to see if you want to get involved," Nordlie said.
More information on the group is available at their Web site, www.geocities.com/nodakrockets .
