Scouting, Volume 63, Number 3, May-June 1975 Page: 10
42 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Standing shoulder to
shoulder around the long
work table, 10 boys and a
den mother were busy at-
taching fins to their model
rockets.
"There, that fin is on," de-
clared a Webelos Scout in a
rich, South Carolina accent.
"Oops, it fell over."
"Sometimes the glue
doesn't stick right away,"
Mrs. Winnie Mae Smith told
him. She was cutting two
small slits in the side of one
of the rockets.
"Y'all have to hold it in
place," advised a Cub ex-
pert who had already as-
sembled two and was now
decorating them. "Hold it
tight against the rocket tube
until you count up to 30
chimpanzees — like, one
chimpanzee, two chimpan-
zees, three —"
"OK, OK, we get it," said a
couple of voices, "you don't
have to count all the mon-
keys for us."
The fact was that Cubs,
Webelos Scouts and leaders
all had learned their lessons
well in a short time. Pack
597 of North Spartanburg,
S C., was going to have a big
rocketry contest on Satur-
day and their first look at
their rocket kits came on
Thursday. This was already
Friday afternoon, but the di-
rections in the package
were simple and almost all
the Cubs had managed to put
together at least one of their
two rockets. They finished
up quickly, eager for action.
Next afternoon, four dens
of the pack assembled at the
Pinewood School, which
most of them attended. The
elementary school fronted a
large field, big enough for
several ball fields and play
areas. Grassy, spacious and
surrounded by tall trees, it
made a perfect location. The
day was beautiful, too, cool
with ceiling unlimited.
THE
GREAT
ROCKET
MEET
BY STAN PASHKO
Two sturdy, long tables
were set up near the far end
of the field, more than a hun-
dred yards from the school.
As the Cubs and a sizable
audience excitedly looked
on, a couple of test rockets
were fired to try the launch-
er the den and pack leaders
had assembled. Whistles,
cheers and shouts of sur-
prise met the first blastoff.
Five - four - three - two - one -
launch — and pfftl It was
gone, out of sight.
"There it is," came the cry
a moment later as a dozen
hands pointed to the puff,
high in the sky, indicating
that the crepe streamer,
which substituted for a para-
chute, had ejected.
60 feet away. The closest to
the center would win the
first trophy. There were also
two gold and three silver
medals for runners-up.
Since Pack 597 is spon-
sored by the local volunteer
fire department, the spon-
sors added to the festivities
by appearing in a fire truck
so that its public address
system could be used to
make necessary announce-
ments, count down and lead
cheers.
Rocket after rocket went
up. Only twice did a launch
fizzle and each time the Cub
was given another try. Once
there was a dramatic sky-
picture when the contrails of
some big super jet, really out
I
L
(Top) Cubs assemble,
decorate their own
rockets. (Above)
Cubber Leroy Searcey
places rocket on
launch pad. (Far
right, top)
Telephoto camera
lens makes it look as
if Cubs are closer to
rocket firing than
16 feet minimum
distance. (Right)
Cubs' eyes track
rocket as it
soars out of sight.
Down, down it came and
everyone learned something
right then. Way up there was
a fair little breeze. The rock-
et drifted back, back, into
the woods behind the tables.
So, the launch rods were
aimed slightly toward the
distant school. Now the rock-
ets would fall in the firing
range ahead of the launch-
ers.
The first event was a land-
ing accuracy contest. Each
boy tried to land his model
into a 20-foot circle about
10
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 63, Number 3, May-June 1975, periodical, May 1975; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353554/m1/12/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.