Pack 4019 fun activity – ROCKETS!

The pack will set up some launch pads with blast plates and controllers so we can have more than 1 kid setting up and launching at a time if enough people show up. This means you do not need to purchase the launch pad, but your cub will probably want their own rocket. As cubs we can certainly be friendly and kind and share rockets, but in our experience, kids really like having their own rocket – they range in price from very cheap to holy moly! 

You might enjoy picking out a rocket of an appropriate skill level for building with your cub (typically beginner rockets require no real building, just rolling the parachute, maybe putting on some stickers; intermediate level rockets require some building/assembly; and they get more complicated from there). Rockets can be purchased often at toy stores/model shops, but can also be purchased online. Estes Rockets makes some great rockets and has a good variety and you can order from them directly online. So...place any orders for rockets and/or engines ASAP so you have them on hand before our rocket launch on Sunday 5/15! And remember, the pack will have “standard” engines – check your rocket before purchase to make sure you have a compatible rocket or be sure to purchase your own engines.

The pack will have at least one engine per cub, starters, starter plugs, and recovery wadding on hand, but we encourage you to bring some of your own engines/starters (they come together) if you’d like to do multiple launches. You can learn more about engine types on this NASA image, but we will have “standard” 18mm engines on hand. We’ll mostly have A8-3 standard engines because they don’t go as high and thus won’t drift too far away from our launch zone. If you purchase your own engines, be aware that generally speaking, the higher you go up in letter and number, the longer the rocket will burn and the higher the rocket will go, so you might have to chase the rocket down. Our host at the Northwest Soccer Fields has asked us “Please try and avoid having anything land on the turf fields or leave the park area, ie roads, buildings and the field to the south.” So we will stick to smaller engines at first and only size up if it is clear that we can do so while avoiding the turf fields or causing any of the problems listed above.