LAUNCH Magazine May/June issue due to hit the stands on April 30.

NEW YORK, New York USA — An exclusive, never-before-published interview with the late model rocketry pioneer G. Harry Stine, a report on the new suborbital tourism race, and a look back at the life of legendary astronaut Gus Grissom are among the highlights in the upcoming, jam-packed May/June issue of LAUNCH Magazine.

The issue also includes: An in-depth feature on what we've learned from NASA's extraordinary space probes; a James Oberg exclusive on the requirements for riding aboard a Russian Soyuz; an ode to hobby shops; the history of multi-stage model rockets; a step-by-step column on building a flying model Vostok, and an update on Space Elevator research.

For hobby rocketry enthusiasts, the feature on G. Harry Stine is a must-read. Just months before his death in 1997, Stine-widely regarded as "the father of model rocketry"-sat down for an in-depth interview with the Smithsonian Museum's Robert Craddock. It is being published for the first time in LAUNCH.

"There has been so much written and said about Harry Stine," says LAUNCH Editor Mark Mayfield. "But Bob Craddock truly breaks new ground in this article. I interviewed Harry twice myself back in the 1980s, but I learned a lot I didn't know in Bob's article. It will certainly add to the official record. It was also Harry's last major interview-and probably his most candid. "

Contributing Editor Mario Perdue returned to Gus Grissom's hometown of Mitchell, Indiana for a feature on the life of an American legend. The article includes interviews with two of Grissom's close friends-and never-before-published anecdotes about Grissom, forty years after his death in the Apollo One fire.

Among the Grissom "stories" that Perdue reports is one regarding the astronaut's penchant for flying an Air Force jet low over Main Street in his hometown. Grissom buzzed so fast and low on one occasion that a woman dropped her groceries on the street, startled by the jet.  Asked just how low he was, Grissom later told his friend Bill Head: "I don't really know how low I was when that lady dropped her bags, but I was low enough that I could see what was in them."

In the magazine's report on the new suborbital space race, LAUNCH focuses on the Benson Space Company's plan to get there first. The company has hired veteran Space Shuttle astronaut Robert "Hoot" Gibson to pilot its SpaceDev Dream Chaser vehicle on suborbital missions. At least half a dozen other companies have also announced plans to offer suborbital flights-most of them intending to be operational within two to three years.

For model rocketeers, writer Dan Wolman's look back at the history of multi-stagers is also a must-read. Tracing staged rockets from the very first one designed by Orville Carlisle, Wolman chronicles the history not only of the models, but the motors as well.

And for all those readers who miss the days of the Mom and Pop hobby shop on the corner of the street, editor Mark Mayfield takes a look back in a Journal called "Another time, Another Place."

The May/June issue of LAUNCH debuts on newsstands April 30 and subscribers will begin receiving it at the same time. To order a subscription, go to http://www.launchmagonline.com or http://www.magazines.com. LAUNCH is also available at most Barnes & Noble stores, nearly half of all Borders stores, three-dozen Hastings stores, and hundreds of hobby shops and selected newsstands.

To advertise in LAUNCH, please contact Tom Madden at 212-239-5523, ext. 12 or via email at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . If you have a question, suggestion or idea for the editors of LAUNCH, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

LAUNCH is published by MM Publishing Inc. Address: 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5410, New York, NY 10118.

04-24-2007 10:29 PM  #1
dwmzmm Certified Level Two   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 57	Great read! Can't wait to get my next issue!

05-03-2007 01:22 PM  #2
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 2585	Quote: Great read! Can't wait to get my next issue! No doubt, the best one yet!

05-04-2007 09:02 PM  #3
dwmzmm Certified Level Two   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 57	LAUNCH & Sport Rocketry Still waiting on it (as of 5/4/07). Seems like most everyone from around the US (and overseas) has already received theirs. Also, some reported they've received their latest Sport Rocketry, too, something that I'll have to "wait" on as well! Anyhow, even if mine had came in, I'd be a little too busy preparing my models for the Moon, Mars & Beyond Regional Meet @ JSC tomorrow & Sunday. Trying to play "catch up" on those last minute builds/repairs for the events planned....

05-05-2007 12:06 AM  #4
rocketguy101 Frustrated Aero   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 25	Quote: Still waiting on it (as of 5/4/07). Seems like most everyone from around the US (and overseas) has already received theirs. Also, some reported they've received their latest Sport Rocketry, too, something that I'll have to "wait" on as well! You're not alone--must be a TX/OK thing...it amazes me Australia gets their mags before we do!!! As I stated elsewhere, last issue never showed up, and I emailed Launch--got a nice reply and a replacement issue 4 days later. It will be a drag if I have to do this again. Seems like Launch and SR used to come at different times, so it was like getting a magazine each month. Now they come the same month?!?

05-05-2007 08:36 AM  #5
dwmzmm Certified Level Two   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 57	Quote: You're not alone--must be a TX/OK thing...it amazes me Australia gets their mags before we do!!! As I stated elsewhere, last issue never showed up, and I emailed Launch--got a nice reply and a replacement issue 4 days later. It will be a drag if I have to do this again. Seems like Launch and SR used to come at different times, so it was like getting a magazine each month. Now they come the same month?!? Perhaps the publishing/shipping cycle must have gotten screwed up. I was looking forward to getting Sport Rocketry one month, then LAUNCH the next so the wait (and anticipation) will go to the wayside. You have to remember the Sport Rocketry staff(s) are volunteers and unpaid, so that makes a big difference. Still, they (SR) have done a remarkable job over the years in producing an excellent magazine with the resources they have; LAUNCH stepped in at the right time to provide an alternative media and coverage to help enhance and highlight model rocketry and space exploration in general in ways SR couldn't.

05-09-2007 07:07 PM  #6
rocketguy101 Frustrated Aero   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 25	FINALLY got mine today! SpRocketry showed up Sat, so I was feeling a little paniky (again). Mark asked me to be patient until Mon or Tue, still no joy. But man it was nice to see that issue in the mailbox this evening!! Gonna savor it...

05-09-2007 10:38 PM  #7
dwmzmm Certified Level Two   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 57	Got mine yesterday. Great articles and, even more so, great ads! We're already hitting the high road and headed in the right direction...