SOMERSET, Pennsylvania USA — Newton's third law states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The rocketry club Tripoli Pittsburgh spent Saturday proving that law, launching experimental rocket ships thousands of feet into the air at Mountain Ridge Trails ATV park.

Rockets of all sizes, shapes and fuel sources took to the skies starting at 9 a.m.

“I just got back into it,” said Hooversville resident Scott Kissenger, who was quickly corrected by his launch partner, and son, Kian Kissenger.

“You got back into it Dad, I just got into it,” the younger Kissenger said.

The father and son team were spending the day launching everything from small rockets to larger ones, known as level one rockets. There are three levels of certification in Tripoli, with level one being an entry level. Level two is for medium size ships and level three is a nearly unlimited certification.

Yough High School students Amy Bickerstaff, 17, and Ashley Wiley, 16, launched research rockets that demonstrated a knowledge of rocketry and ballistics beyond their years.

“I am a fan of the movie ‘October Sky,'” said Bickerstaff, while preparing a rocket that would successfully lift two eggs as part of their research. “I started by helping raise money for the club at school, then joined the program three years ago.”

One of their projects was a rocket called “Dorothy.” Standing nearly 10 feet tall, the rocket was part of NASA's Student Launch Initiative. Bickerstaff and Wiley helped create the science experiment, a device called a “whirlybird,” which visually measured the difference between winds at ground level and higher.

“I just though it was cool,” Wiley said when asked about rocketry and her part in the project.

The girls, along with the rest of their team, also were honored with a visit to the state capitol. “Dorothy” was a guest of honor in the legislative chambers.

The event attracted many spectators.

“This is really cool,” said Shippensburg resident Larry Strite. Strite, who is a member of the informal club the St. Thomas Tree Sharks, is moving up to high power from the smaller model rockets.

“Spectators actually out numbered fliers at this launch,” said Tripoli president Dave Rose.

Not all launches went as planned. As the rockets get larger, they also become more complicated.

“We had some good flights, and some times you have a bad flight,” said club member Ernie Walters of Uniontown. Walters' rocket, “Captain,” experienced an electronics failure during its flight, causing the recovery system to fail. The rocket broke the speed of sound on its way to the ground and buried itself by more than half its length.

One vendor of rocket components, Ken Allen, owner of Performance Hobbies, was on hand to meet the rocketeers' supply needs.

“There are not a lot of big sites on the East Coast,” he said. “This is a premier site. This is an almost unlimited site.”

The club will be launching again today, but today's launches are restricted to large, high power rockets.

Tripoli Pittsburgh will return to the site September 8 and 9.

Copyright © 2007, Daily American.