Model rockets have been a favorite holiday gift for kids and rocketry hobbyists for over half a century. Today the Seattle Museum of Flight received the news that hobby icon Vernon Estes has made a generous gift of historic model rocketry artifacts to the permanent collection of the Seattle Museum of Flight, so that rocketeers past, present, and future may enjoy them.

The donation includes the first three Estes Industries kits produced, the Astron Scout, Mark, and Space Plane along with a complete set of Estes Industries catalogs from the 1959 edition, consisting of a single mimeographed sheet, to the 2014 example. These artifacts will join the Estes Astron Scout which flew into orbit on the Space Shuttle, iconic early Estes rocketry artifacts, and the G. Harry Stine Collection in the Museum's permanent collection of hobby rocketry.

The National Association of Rocketry and Museum of Flight will dedicate the first permanent exhibit of past and present model rocketry technology, during NARCON 2015, February 20-22, 2015 at the Seattle Museum of Flight.

http://www.narconseattle2015.com

This is great news and certainly seems to be in keeping with generous and forward thinking man that we found Vern to be; whether it is something as important this or even the very small things like asking (and receiving) personal answers from him on rather minor historical questions about the history of Estes or a particular past kit.

The world needs a few more Verns.


Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970