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Theme Launches Revisitedby Lynn Kissel, LUNAR #009I thought that the theme launch idea put forward by Larry Baskett in the January, 1997 issue of LUNAR'clips had a lot of merit. Larry's theme launch schedule called for a focus on mini-motor rockets at the February LUNAR launch. I was so excited by the idea that it prompted me to buy and build two Boyce Aerospace
micro-scale rockets -- an Apollo Saturn V and Apollo Saturn IB. As is my want, I spent an inordinate amount of time finishing the kits and building custom display cases. My first choice of using inverted pasta jars as the display cases had the flaw of being only about 0.1" too short to contain the largest of the two models - the Saturn V is 10.7" tall; the pasta jar was 10.6" tall. I seriously considered shaving the top of the Saturn V's Apollo capsule escape tower, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. In the end, I bought some 3" diameter acrylic tubing from Tap plastics to fabricate the cases. Reasonably pleased with the result, I however have a couple of spare pasta jars. Of course, I didn't fly the kits at the February launch - I didn't want to scratch them. I think that Robert Taylor would have had a coronary if I had actually flew anything that I built. But, I digress. My point is that the idea of theme launches caused an old rocket dog like myself to actually get up off my big behind and do something. I noticed some other mini-motored rockets at the launch. I fantasize that others had also responded to the call. However, it appears that the theme launch concept is in danger of dying under its own weight. The coordination of an actual contest with judging and awarding prizes is too much effort. So, I have a modified proposal to make. Let's dispense with "events", serious prizes and official judges for our theme launches. Instead, I will prepare some award certificates - first, second and third place, maybe some honorable mentions. An ad hoc committee of judges (club officers, board members, newsletter editor, launch volunteer workers) will be arbitrarily selected from those present to distribute the awards based on what ever criteria strike the judges fancy that day. The awards can be stored with the materials at the membership table so that anyone present can retrieve and distribute the awards. I'll add the themes to the LUNAR calendar in future editions. The theme for the next launch (March, 1997) is "classic rockets/fantasy ships". I'm not sure that I'll have anything ready, but I might try -- how about you?. I'd argue that Jack Hagerty's drawings of his space liner would be sufficient for an award. Lord knows I'm not one for requiring that it must fly!
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