I’ve seen a few posts in rocketry forums where people ask for help naming a rocket. I never seem to have that problem. In fact, right now, I have a surplus of potential rocket names saved up that I’ll probably never get around to using. So, I thought I would offer them here for the taking.
Shortly after moving to Orlando in 1994, I visited a local hobby shop where I bought a copy of Sport Rocketry magazine. A large model of the Space Shuttle adorned the front cover. Reading the article, I discovered that the rocket had been built and flown by students of University High School, close to where I worked.
I wasn’t yet back “into” rocketry at the time, but I was intrigued. So, I called the teacher, Rob Catto, and he invited me to come see some parts of the rocket.
What I found most surprising, other than the idea of an I motor (the largest I had seen up to that time was a D), was how lightweight the parts of the shuttle model are. Rob handed me one of the SRBs to hold. It weighed just a few ounces. The secret to such light weight is that the model was constructed more like a model aircraft than a typical rocket. Instead of building things in and around a central body tube, the rocket was constructed using lightweight spars and ribs covered by a thin film.
Shortly after reading the magazine article and meeting Mr. Catto, I purchased an Estes Saturn V kit. That was when I really got back into the rocketry hobby.
Eventually, I’m going to move the launch photographs and “Tools” from PayLoadBay.com to RocketReviews.com. That won’t leave much of interest here, so I’ve decided to turn PayloadBay.com into my personal rocketry blog.
I’m currently in the process of moving the photos from the PayloadBay.com gallery to the RocketReviews.com Photo Albums. It’s a bit of work, so I’m just moving an album or two at a time when I get the chance.
