Garage chemistry used to be a rite of passage for geeky kids

I have strong feelings on the subject, in essence: putting the worlds future in the hands of morons with no scientific knowledge, background or experience, who more often than not are trolling for votes and try to curry votes by playing to these sentiment/fears in poorly though out bills, or worse yet distort, displace it with pseusoscience or ignore it completely; well its our future.

We just got sideswiped by such a phenomenon for commercial motors, and many would prefer to keep EX under the radar. For the record I owned a couple of chem sets as a kid, never managed to blow anything up much to my disappointment. Are pyros made vs born–at four I was collecting the charcoal or what i reckoned was such off matchheads, and knew the rough percentages of BP recipes? Did I succed, not a chance, but more importantly had my parents said NO or forbade me from looking at my dads anatomy books, might just have lost interest entirely in science.

I received my first chemistry set when I was eight (back in 1961). I still collect old chemistry sets, oldest one from the 1920’s. HAD TO EDIT WHAT WAS HERE ON MY FIRST POST DUE TO THE MORONIC, PARANOID MOOD RAMPANT IN OUR COUNTRY, VERY SAD, FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS GONE NOW, TOO–READ THE ARTICLE, CAN’T BELIEVE UNITED NUCLEAR WAS TARGETED I, too, saw ads for Estes and Centuri rockets back in the 60’s and have been shooting them ever since. Definitely, the safer alternative. Preferred Centuri because they were stronger. Anyway, before that, I’d spend my summers using potassium nitrate and various fuels, mostly sugar. I’d experiment with different things. I grew up in a small town and went to the family pharmacist and asked for it, uh, for the neighbor’s dog. 😀 Neighbors didn’t have a dog, by the way. That didn’t go on for long, so my Dad had to intervene. I’d go through 3-4 pounds of the stuff over a summer. Made my own fireworks, bottle rockets, fountains, etc. I have an old Zeiss-lensed microscope (I have this thing for pond scum), a 10″ SCT telescope and bunches of ground support equipment for it, an electronics lab… It’s what makes me tick; it’s what makes me me. I need to know the how’s and the why’s of things hands-on. I’m just curious. I can’t imagine keeping the real world from children of today. Someday when I have grandkids, you’d better believe they’re going to get hands-on science when they come to visit, even if I have to collect potassium nitrate naturally from caves, or mix gunpowder with water to remove the KNO3, burn willow bark for charcoal, and get sulfur samples from rock shops, or, hell, go to Yosemite and get it for myself! None of this virtual stuff. I still smile at potassium permanganate and glycerin. 😀 Guess that’ll be just a memory in a short time. Any government or society that takes that away is no longer free, or worthy of having good, inquisitive, and inventive citizens. No wonder other countries are surpassing us in technology. How many von Brauns are we losing to real free countries out there? Or even worse, how many are we turning away from science? If all of this is because of terrorism… then the terrorists have already won. I guess I have strong feelings about this, too. I haven’t been this upset or sad in a very long time.

Ahhh yes Playing Mad Scientist in my parents basement with the HUGE lab kit I got for Christmas when i was a kid. Was probably only about 8 or 9. That was about the same time I really got into rocketry as a kid. I definitly agree that taking away all this very cool stuff is bad for the development of our youths potentials. The problem Lies in that the majority I like to call the sheeple (like people but sheep) call upon the mighty law makers and rights takers to protect them from anything that can go Boo or may be not PC or could be oh no not safe. What these people dont realize is that they themselfs are to blame for any inccidents that happen cause they dont get involved the right way in their kids life. yea a chem set may be unsafe or so can a rocket. BUT thats where supervision from the parent comes in. And I agree that once you start giving up those rights they just keep heading that direction and they are pretty well impossible to get back because of the knee jerk what if people and lawmakers out there. But for me on a positive note My daughter just had a graduation from the 8th grade (ohhh no a High Schooler now!!) and not only did she pass she did it on the Honor role with a very high A+ B grades But she was one of 5 kids of the 130 to graduate to recive the honor of the Presidents Award only given out to kids that show specific interest and extreme abillity in specific subjects. Her’s was Science!!!. Well now off my soapbox and proud parent Speach.. lol

Conway

But for me on a positive note My daughter just had a graduation from the 8th grade (ohhh no a High Schooler now!!) and not only did she pass she did it on the Honor role with a very high A+ B grades But she was one of 5 kids of the 130 to graduate to recive the honor of the Presidents Award only given out to kids that show specific interest and extreme abillity in specific subjects. Her’s was Science!!!. Well now off my soapbox and proud parent Speach

You have every right to be proud! I did the same with my daughters, both have science degrees, and the younger is going back this fall for a masters in geology. And, my older daugher still has her purple Big Bertha she made in the 80’s. 😀 But, hey, look who our kids had as dads? 😀

Thanks!!!! Danielle and I are very excited to get back into the rocket rage again. she is going to be doing her Jr. L1 on her BSD 3″ Thor. Me I just got a big box of parts for my L3 rocket today. I could only hope that here eagerness and abillities has been due to some of my influnce as a Dad!!!

Oh there is no about about being up to the task this weekend. I am so excited about it i cant even begin to say the words.. But beings that I am still waiting on my all glass Talon 4 to arrive and I just got the parts for my L3 project all I have to fly is a measly lil Endeavor to fly on some H motors. LOL. BUT its fun no matter how big. I cant wait!! Now Im not sure about making the Saturday launch but I will definitly be at the CERG following that. If I go out saturday it will be in the morning and probably to say hi to those I havent seen in a while. But either way this weekend I am flying a rocket!!! Be it Saturday or at the CERG flight.