General

Hi,

I recently visited the Worcester Ecotarium recently and met with the CEO (Noreen Smith) and some of her staff. The Ecotarium is a science/nature museum with exhibits/programming for kids and adults, and they are doing a significant expansion under Noreen's leadership. For example, they're re-building their observatory and will have it linked to their planetarium, which will give visitors a real-time view through their telescope. They also have a fall/winter lecture series on astrophysics.

The Ecotarium is planning to participate in the observance of the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard's launch of the first liquid fueled rocket. (The City of Auburn will separately be doing a launch re-enactment, and the City of Worcester has some events planned as well). The observances will be in March 2026. The Ecotarium is looking for help from model rocket experts to set-up a display/table on model rocketry, and also perhaps to do a demonstration launch of a model rocket (the Ecotarium has a field that's 250x250 feet in size, so maybe big enough for an A- or B- engine launch).

I would be excited to participate in this personally, but I don't have any experience in rocketry education and engagement with the general public. I'm hoping there are members of CMASS who have had experience doing this kind of thing in their communities, who would be willing to help me.

I am happy to pay for any materials or other expenses that might be involved.

Thanks in advance for any help the CMASS community can provide.

--Bruce

(if you want to contact me directly, my e-mail is bruce.fishbein@outlook.com)

This sounds like fun and something worth doing. I'd be willing to help out however I can. I'm in NH so much would have to be remote work, except for any attendance next March. Ya, any actual rocket flights would have to be limited to B impulse rocket motors like Bruce mentioned. Can a (small) replica of Goddard's rocket fly on a B solid rocket motor? Can it be simulated in RockSim?

Alberton Berry

NAR #74527 L1

Hi Alberton,

Thanks for your interest in this project! Have you had any experience engaging the public on model rocketry? For example, through scouts or school groups?

Let's see if there is additional interest in this from CMASS folks over the next week or so, and then I'll set-up a video call to consider what we could propose to the Ecotarium.

I think remote engagement on your part should be okay.

Thanks again for your interest.

I have very little experience at all with engaging the public with rocketry. Interestingly, FlisKits offers a model rocket kit of Goddard's Nell rocket, but it seems to be out of stock. Anyone know of an available kit?

If you reach out to the owner of FlisKits and explain the situation, he may be willing to put a few kits together. Mention CMASS.