Ye Olde Rocket Forum - More designs

The following is a business proposal draft that I felt was necessary when I started thinking about all this model rocket business stuff. I wanted you folks to read it and give me some feedback, please. None of this was lifted from any other sources (excluding, of course, researched info), straight from the Brain.

****

SKY AYE Rocketry
A Business Proposal

The invention of the modern rocket is still less than a century old. Robert Goddard’s original ‘Nell’ design paved the way for the successful utilization of modern rocket technology - whether for peace or strife. But even before the invention of the rocket, writers, artists and engineers conceptualized upon and dreamed about the excitement of space travel.

The advent of rocket technology spurred a huge cultural interest in space travel and science-fiction (as a vehicle for the imagination), culminating in an actual Space Race by the end of the 1950’s. The world was mesmerized in 1959 when the Soviet Union reported the successful launch and orbit of the Sputnik satellite. Visionary Arthur C. Clarke’s 1945 prediction had become reality.

But the United States responded, flexing its rocketry muscle and winning the race to the Moon with the Apollo 11 manned moon landing. Again, the world was mesmerized…

Even though rocketry is associated more with government entities and sci-fi storylines, for more than 60 years the ability for the average person to build and fly actual model rockets has been in existence. The history of the development of model rockets and model rocket motors is a winding one, and dates back to the late 40’s and early 50’s. Harry Stine (the father of modern amateur rocketry) legitimized the kinds of safe materials and construction techniques still used today, and Vern Estes designed and built the first automated model rocket motor fabrication machine.

And that history is one of impressive safety considerations. To date, there have been 250 million model rocket launches around the world, and there has never been a single death due to commercial model rocket motors or their use. Over the years, fathers and sons and friends have painstakingly breathed life into their boxes or bags of balsa and cardboard (and nowadays, plastic) and produced not only a scale model of a real military missile, but one that can function like the real thing! For decades, schoolchildren have been introduced to model rocketry, and - by default - scientific principles. There are resources available to help teach with rocketry, and many vendors offer bulk pricing for school groups. And let’s not forget the important lesson that can be learned by creating something worthwhile with your own hands!

People who flew model rockets in their youth have discovered a fervent and enthusiastic community online (known as BARs, short for ‘Born Again Rocketeers’), re-igniting their own past interest. There are a number of companies producing either low-power, mid-power, or high-power kits, motors and/or other accessories for rocketry. Electronics have been used to measure altitudes, flight characteristics and other kinds of information about aerodynamic performance; inexpensive digital cameras have been used during flights for some spectacular video footage; and some of what the big-money boys have achieved in this ‘hobby’ is nothing short of stunning. One ‘amateur’ broke a record and put one of his creations up to 96,000 ft., while another constructed, launched and successfully recovered a 1/20 scale Saturn V monster! And hopefully some youngster somewhere is putting a lizard in the payload tube of his new model rocket for its first taste of altitude adjustment…

Many have bemoaned the state of space exploration, with budget cuts and politics constantly short-shrifting planned space activities. But while NASA and similar entities have had to take it on the chin, the advent of privatized and commercial space activities is upon us, and soon we will be seeing an unprecedented level of activity from these entities as they offer services including - but not limited to - delivery of satellites, ferry services to orbital installations, and space tourism. A number of the vehicles built by these private concerns have already been made into model rocket kits. There will be more inspiration for kit design as these private aerospace companies go after the final frontier. Other nations are starting their own space programs, and inspiration for model rocket design will undoubtedly be drawn from these areas as well.

Ultimately, all this means is that there is a future in helping people keep up with the coming New Space Age by letting them get involved in some exciting way – and model rocketry is one way to do just that, and has been for years.

But scale models of existing technology are only part of the fun. Designers have created many futuristic and singular kits over the years. Many excellent fictional designs from days of yore (like the Estes Interceptor) have become bonafide classics in the world of model rocketry, and there are vendors who cater to those wanting to ‘clone’ one of these OOP (‘Out-Of-Production’) kits by supplying cloned parts, instructions and decals for the task. And then there are the amateur designers who have the ability to realize their own flights of imagination in glassine-coated body tubes, plastic or balsa nose cones, and balsawood or basswood fins.

This is where SKY AYE Rocketry comes in. We have a fervent interest in model rocketry, especially in providing rockets that offer unique designs and performance parameters. Vendors are available to provide even custom parts for any project, and the internet is flush with information, sources of materials and designs to utilize or adapt. Along with the design and implementation of rocket kits, we want to provide other sources of rocketry interest and fun (such as our Rocket Surgeons comic strip concept), as well as creating a corporate look and design sense that we want to instill in everything we do, whether it be kit materials, clothing, and other related items. We have access to internet design software, 3D design and imaging abilities, rocket design-and-performance software, and the capability of social networking to get the word out.

We will secure the SKYAYEROCKETRY.COM domain and immediately set up an interim Flash-designed web destination for visitors to learn more about SKY AYE Rocketry, with the idea to eventually present our SKY AYE catalog and merchandise. Our corporate blurb: FOLLOW YOUR IMPULSE!*

We are in the process of determining which of our current designs meet the qualifications for kit roll-out. One design we are pursuing involves a performance parameter never seen in model rocketry before. Vital information about each of our kits must be ascertained and finalized (length, weight, altitude, engine types, etc.), and we will need to acquire simple equipment to make these determinations. We will send out test versions of kits to selected online hobbyists and vendors for reviews and opinions. And there is always the possibility of other vendors carrying our products, if we don’t outright market and ship them ourselves.

We envision a schedule of kit releases (called ‘Squadrons’), consisting of four models each. We will have to create packaging materials, instruction sheets, decals and shipping processes for our kits. Press releases will be issued, advertising can be secured on various online rocketry sites, and a grass-roots e-mail campaign to every possible enthusiast that has an online presence will be mounted to raise awareness of our products, a campaign that worked well for a previous online project.

It would seem that the future for model rocketry could be rosy, and if so SKY AYE Rocketry hopes to position itself favorably in the hobby. Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal, and we hope you will follow your impulse!

*Impulse being a term referring to the propellant energy of a model rocket engine.