Just Because They Like To Blow Things Up...

...does not mean they're a "cult"! (OK, maybe under defn. #5)

...AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

A Cult of Backyard Rocketeers Keeps the Solid Fuel Burning

At a cultural moment when billionaires like Paul G. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, and Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Atlantic chairman, are getting into the space business, the members of the Tripoli Rocketry Association are the ultimate do-it-yourselfers — backyard versions of Burt Rutan, the legendary engineer of the first privately financed manned rocket.

From Florham Park, N.J., and as far away as London, 100 launchers came — plumbers, paint contractors, firefighters, bankers and Silicon Valley techies united by their passion for building rockets capable of blasting 94,000 feet into the air, at nearly three-and-one-half times the speed of sound, as one record-setter did this weekend.

Members of a gonzo subculture, the hobbyists have been known to launch Weber grills, Port-A-Potties, bowling balls and pink flamingos. But once a year, on this bleak, 400-square-mile dry lake bed, they meet for the Indy 500 of rocketry, with waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration.

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I didn't post on it at the time, but I am a regular visitor to the spring and Labor Day "cult" launches of Kloudbusters, the regional amateur rocketry association. A few times a year the members gather at their launch site near Argonia, Kansas for launch events. There's just nothing quite like watching enthusiastic fellow citizens launching everything from Estes kit rockets to homemade Delta rockets up into a clear blue sky. Or Lego rockets, for that matter! Some go up somewhat slowly at first, then accelerate out of sight. Others use such fast-burning propellant that you see a spark, and then they're GONE. Occasionally one will even "lawn dart"--lose direction and plunge into the turf nose-first still under power.

They launch high enough that many are equipped with radio beacons for tracking, because the chutes open so high that they can be completely missed from the ground on a totally clear day, even with good binoculars. Some even carry video recorders with multiple cameras. Some of the videos are amazing, and remind me of the early space program films.

The rocketeers might or might not resent the "gonzo" and "cult" labels. Safety is a primary concern. There are stringent certification requirements for any but the smallest rockets, and advanced propellants require a BATFE license. But there's no doubt that some of these folks are truly obsessed with their hobby. Many are actual rocket scientists, and this is their idea of fun off the job. And when the national and international competitions come around, they do some of the darndest things. A few years ago Discovery Channel did a special on the Argonia National Rocket Challenge event. Sadly it has not been re-run for a while. (If it does, give it a look if only to catch the improbable outhouse launch.)

And I always wonder what the assorted Highway Patrol and law enforcement officers think when an SUV goes trundling by on the interstate, with what looks for all the world like a rack of Hellfire missiles strapped to the top ....

(You don't see the two photos above in the NYT slideshow because they're mine, taken at Argonia over Labor Day. Copyright retained by me, contact for any permissions.)