Club Meeting and Officer Elections on Thursday

2016 Meeting #1

December Club Meeting Synopsis

Hello HARA Members, and Happy Holidays. We find ourselves at the end of another fun, safe, and exciting year for our little rocketry club. And, there is more to be excited about next year with NASA Student Launch, and the National Sport Launch.  Our next club meeting will be on January 7th where we will hold 2016 officer elections, and continue our discussion of some pending bylaw amendments. All officer positions are up for grabs, and please, don’t be shy about stepping up for the big seat either ;-). But, without further delay, below is a summary of the meeting discussions from December 3rd.

HARA 2015 News Letter #12

NSL is coming to the Rocket City

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Well, close enough… HARA is going to host the National Sport Launch on 2016 at Manchester TN launch site Memorial Day weekend. Look for announcements on the HARA website and the NSL website in the near future.

An Active October Sky

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My October weekend calendar worked out quite miraculously to be totally full of rockets. The first Saturday had the club launch in Manchester scheduled but it was rained out and doesn’t really count. On the second Saturday I gave two talks on rocketry at the Space and Rocket Center for 4-H Space Day. In the 45 minute sessions I covered the origins of model rocketry, basic launching and egglofting with a pitch for TARC. Besides the 4-H families I was addressing I was also heard by incidental museum visitors who sat down for the show thinking it was part of their admission ticket. On the third weekend in one of the more exciting events of the year, HARA supported a UNA TARC workshop directed by Lee Brownell. This build and blast was an introduction to rocketry for 26 pending teams in north west Alabama. All the student rockets flew well. Bill Cooke gives details in his blog at http://billsrockets.blogspot.com/2015/10/tarc-session-at-university-of-north.html

On number four I was back to the SARC where I presented awards at the Reach For the Stars Ceremony as seen in the image above taken by Alan Lowrey, the Regional Director of AIAA. This chore is usually handled by Homer Hickam, but he was tied up on a book tour that day and asked me to cover this honor for him. The RFTS program brings the national winners of their model rocket contest to Huntsville every year for a memorable finale. Lastly, we had an impromptu Halloween launch on the fifth Saturday to burn off the final motors of the year. Bill covers the trick or treat action with spooky photos at http://billsrockets.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-short-halloween-launch.html  Next month I’m back to having too much ‘life’ happening on weekends to do rocketry, but I was fortunate to get in a rare run for the end of the year.

Thank you WLRH!

For two years now, WLRH has allowed HARA to reach new audiences and people from across the Tennessee Valley have come to our meetings and launches as a result. Thank you WLRH for helping our club reach new heights.

We encourage members to make a donation (of any size) to show our support and appreciation here, and listen for our Public Service Announcement (PSA) on WLRH. I heard it again this morning.

NSL Kit Design Competiton

Hello fellow ROCKETEERS! We have been talking about building a club kit for years. Now is the time! Starting on November 5th, HARA is kicking off a NSL 2016 rocket kit design competition.

I made this video to tell you about the competition, the rules, and how it will be judged. There will be prizes for the winners. 1st place will also get to name the kit, and be credited on the packaging for the design.

Come to the Kick-Off meeting on November 5th!

Boy Scouts Rocket Academy

New Scouts that sign up in 2015 will receive their very own model rocket courtesy of the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center. All Scouts are invited to attend one of our six exciting Rocket Academies to “Blast Into Scouting”! Scouts will have the opportunity to participate in crafts and stations that will culminate in the launching of their model rocket! The best part about this event is that it is FREE for Scouts who joined in the Fall of 2015 and only $5 for any Scout that wants to attend. Come and join us for this half-day adventure and let your cadet take orbit! You may attend at any location. Event is from 8:30-12:00.

September 19th –

Camp Sequoyah (Anniston) & Camp Jackson (Scottsboro)

September 26th –

Camp Westmoreland (Florence)  & Camp Comer (Mentone)

October 3rd –

Huntsville Space and Rocket Center & Oak Mountain State Park

REGISTER by TEXT! Text blastoff to 24587

Or register online.

 

Schools Like HARA Demos

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HARA has an active presence in the community with many schools. Here are some notes we have received about our presentations. Read more

July Meeting & Launch Newsletter

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July 9th Meeting
HARA’s attendance was a bit larger than average Thursday night as we hosted the Russellville TARC team for some congratulatory snacks and to hear about their experience at the Paris Air Show and the international Rocketry Challenge where they took 1st place. The team members shared their individual storied and answered questions from club members about how they approached TARC and ultimately managed to become the 2015 world champions. Something that stood out was that the team had over 60 launches on their TARC rockets and had very well characterized their rocket and its sensitivity to changes. That work would pay off. Now, their team members are talking about starting an SLI team. Read more

Launch Tomorrow in Manchester (July 11th)

Hello rocket fans! HARA will hold a rocket launch in Manchester TN tomorrow. The range will open at 10 AM. Our waiver will permit flights up to 10,000 ft.

The weather reports show it to be hot (90s) and winds 5 – 10 MPH. There is a 40% chance of T-storms in the early afternoon.

We are not bringing some of our usual launch equipment. Our equipment trailer is not road worthy at the moment. If you have special launch needs, please contact Daniel, the club president at president@hararocketry.org.