How long has model rocketry been a sport?
Technically, the practice of building rockets started with the Chinese, hundreds of years ago. Generally credited with the invention of gunpowder, they packed this powder into tubes and made simple rockets that were used in military actions and during celebrations. Now, we fast forward to the beginnings of the sport in the United States…. In the U.S., model rocketry really got it’s start in the late 1950’s. Rocketry and space travel were very much on the minds of people in the era of Sputnik and the Mercury rockets. Many wanted to share in this by building and flying rockets of their own. Some of the early experiments in creating scratch-built rockets ended in disaster, as the builders often made bombs, not rockets. The sport really got its strong start with the development of safe and reliable motors that could be purchased commercially. We now have rigorous standards that define how these motors are manufactured and used. Today’s hobby is as safe as any if you follow some basic saf
