I’VE BEEN HEARING for a long time that youth involvement in rocketry is in decline. After hearing a lot of discussion and reading through several threads on the discussion forums, I think I need to share a few thoughts. I wasn’t too aware of the problem until recently during some discussions in the chat room. The people I was talking with wanted to know what I thought would help the major organizations interest kids. It took me a lot of thought, but finally I came up with my answer.

We've all been there: the sun is blazing down, and we're standing in line to launch our rocket, only to discover we're assigned to fly from rack twelve, and they're currently on rack number three. Let's see... it's taking twenty minutes or so for each rack, and it's mid-afternoon already... To heck with this, I'll be back tomorrow!

Group projects often struggle for uniqueness, so why not do something different to make your project really outstanding? Summit City Aerospace Modelers of Fort Wayne, Indiana, did just that, making their latest project really unique by going with a very unusual theme.

Paul Gray, a 15 year old high school student from outside Denver, Colorado, is is a member of the Colorado Rocketry Association of Space Hobbyists (CRASH), and has been involved in rocketry for eight years. He's put together a pretty good website too, sharing the basics he's learned with anyone else who cares to dive in.

San Francisco is a beautiful city of much renown but to a rocket-head, there is only one weekend destination to see: SF-88, the historic Nike Missile Site. Located in the Marin Headlands near Fort Barry, on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and the beautiful bay that it spans, SF-88 is nestled in the hills facing the ocean where it enjoys a wide-angled view of any unforeseen danger to the city.