MASA Rocket Day Review

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MASA Rocket Day

Date: Oct 28, 2023

www.masa-rocketry.org

I would like our two grandkids to get into the sciences as profession. Why? Because it is typically 9-5 job and no weekends. Says granddad who has been known for going into an Engineering Lab at 2AM on a Saturday night to restart a robotic heart tester. But hey I was back in bed by 3AM and we pulled in test time.

Any way part of a science career begins at an early stage. We have a first grader and a preschooler grandkids, boy & girl. It is the perfect age to introduce them to rockets, which we did on Saturday.

There are two rocket clubs in town The Masa group which stands for MN Amateur Spacemodeler Assoc. They shoot off the Estes Rockets many of us remember as a kid.

Then there is the Tripoli MN Rocket club that shoot off what most of us call the Big Boys.

The MASA shoot off rockets that cost about $15 for a reusable rocket with a $3 engine. And they go out of sight.

The Tripoli Club shoots off rockets that the engine may cost $25-$30 each and there may be multiple engines on a rocket. They are going to the height that the FAA should be notified for low flying planes.

Both events are free and open to the public. We were going up to the last Tripoli launch of the year but weather cancelled it. But also in cancelling they mentioned the MASA people had a launch day the same day. So we diverted to the MASA event.

We like taking the grandkids to things we believe they should know about. And this was one. Brings out the science mind. That does NOT mean they always want to go.

Our grandson wanted to stay in the warm house and play with his computer so we had tears for the first ten minutes. Those tears ended as we pulled into the launch parking lot as a Rocket flew up in front of us. At which time I heard: "Cool Grandpa let's go see!"

There was a dozen plus guys and a few younger people standing at the edge of a parking lot near some soccer fields in Otsego by Elk River in the North West Metro, having a great time shooting off rockets.

They were all super nice to us all and told us they had a program for kids. They took my grandson & daughter to a box in a trailer that was full of assembled rockets. They each got to pick one out and then watch as a nice man tell them about putting in engines and preparing the rockets for launch.

After assembling the rockets each grandkid got to carry their new free rocket to the launch pad and connect it up. And then each got to push the button to launch them. They & us were absolutely thrilled about the great things these rocket people were doing.

After the launch my grandson ran out to the soccer field and recovered both as we all thanked the group and got back in our SUV on a morning the was cold to the bone. We probably spent 30 minutes at the event and three days later they are still talking about those 30 minutes.

Well with spring we plan on getting a family membership in the club for about $20 and spending a few days assembling rockets and launching them.

It is a great place to get young men & women interested in science. We'll be back to see the great people and club.