3…2…1…LAUNCH!

Hope Lutheran Students shoot for the stars with our first after-school Rocket Club. During the first 2 sessions our Eagle Rocketeers not only built their own Estes Alpha III model rockets, they also learned about the history of rockets, Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion and watched video of what happens when good rockets go bad (a class favorite!).

Session 3 was all about taking to the skies! On a beautiful Friday afternoon launch pads were readied at Westcrest Park and each student successfully launched their own rockets to the “ooohhhs & aaahhhs” of the other students, teachers and parents. As each rocket shot several hundred of feet into the air we all waited with baited breath for the “pop” of the final stage and to see the parachute deploy to float the rocket back to earth. Students had just as much fun chasing the rockets down as they floated back down. While some rockets weren’t able to find their way home many students were able to launch and recover their rockets two or three times.

Pizza and drinks were provided to add to the fun. All-in-all, Rocket Club 2014 was a resounding success and we’re already looking forward to 2015!

(Story submitted by Larry Marion)