The September/October issue of LAUNCH Magazine is scheduled for release early next month.

NEW YORK CITY, New York USA — LAUNCH Magazine celebrates its one-year anniversary with an in-depth look at the legacy of Sputnik 1, and the beginning of the Space Age. The 96-page issue—the magazine's largest yet—also includes science fiction writer Ben Bova's look at what to expect in the next 50 years.

Also in LAUNCH: Full coverage of the Tripoli Rocketry Association's annual national high-power rocketry launch—LDRS 26, held at Jean Dry Lake, Nevada, with outstanding photography published, as always, on the industry's highest quality paper stock.

The issue includes, as well, an advance look at IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, a remarkable new documentary about the Apollo Moon missions. The feature film presented by Ron Howard and directed by David Sington, debuts in theaters nationally in September. (Copies of LAUNCH will be distributed at the film's premiere in New York.)

Sington tells LAUNCH: "It was such an extraordinary experience for them (the Apollo astronauts) to be separated from the home planet, and I believe it took them years before they really understood the implications of it themselves."

The film's debut and LAUNCH's one-year anniversary come nearly 50 years after Sputnik 1 became the first man-made object to orbit the Earth. Sputnik's launch, on October 4, 1957, is generally regarded as the beginning of the Space Age.

Other highlights in the September/October issue of LAUNCH:

• Writer James Oberg delivers a behind-the-scenes report on Bigelow Aerospace's plans for an orbiting hotel, and an eyewitness account of the company's Genesis II launch in Siberia.
• In this issue's Viewpoint column, former astronaut Walter Cunningham makes a case for the Saturn V rocket as "the most valuable player" of the entire Apollo program—and wonders whether NASA will be able to match its accomplishments in the new Constellation program.
• In the magazine's Space Modeling column, Contributing Editor Mario Perdue pays homage to the success of the Mercury Redstone program by showing readers how to build and fly a 1/12th-scale model of the rocket. The article includes photos of the successful launch of Perdue's rocket at the National Association of Rocketry's annual meet (NARAM-49) this summer.

The September/October issue will be available nationally in September at 490 Barnes & Noble stores, 170 Borders stores, 35 Hastings stores and at hundreds of hobby shops. LAUNCH is published bimonthly by MM Publishing Inc. in New York City.

To subscribe, visit: http://www.launchmagonline.com/

09-05-2007 05:56 PM  #1
Sailorbill Certified Level Two   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 40	I see that the magazine is available at several different retailers. Any way to find out which of their stores will be carrying the magazine or is each retailer carring it in ALL of their stores? I would like to find out if I can get it locally.

09-05-2007 06:21 PM  #2
Steve_Shannon When in doubt, ask Keenan   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1819	Hi Bill, The last part of the article says that 490 Barnes and Noble stores will be carrying it. From the investor information page at Barnes and Noble I see that they have 793 stores in 50 states. So, about 62% of their stores will be carrying it. I did not go through the exercise for the other bookstores that were listed, but you can always call your local store and ask them to get a copy in for you and hold it for you. If they say no you are no worse off than if you don't call. An even better option would be to subscribe. It's a very well done magazine with interesting articles. http://www.launchmagonline.com/ Good luck finding it.

09-05-2007 07:34 PM  #3
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 2548	Quote: An even better option would be to subscribe. It's a very well done magazine with interesting articles. Some people might look at the shining star that is LAUNCH Magazine and wonder how it is that a brand new magazine who covers many segments of our hobby can become the overnight sensation that it has become in one short year. Leadership. Vision. Hope. Opportunity. Excitement. Standards. Insight. Desire. Passion. Perspective. Timing. The people at MM Publishing are driven by a passion that has capitalized on the timing of our hobby as it interfaces with the fledgling private sector space race. By thinking outside of the box, selling hope and opportunity, they have capitalized on the excitement of what rocketry is and have purposely avoided the albatross that looks like a lawsuit and smells like a dead rat. The leadership that Mark and Deb have provided and the high standards which they applied to their own work is evident in every copy you pick up. Hobby rocketry has been paralyzed by 'the lawsuit' for far too long. LAUNCH shows what's possible in our market space by people who are willing to ignore what to everyone else has become an impassable roadblock. Reading LAUNCH I sometimes have to remind myself that it covers the same hobby.

09-07-2007 12:42 PM  #4
msm0202 New Member   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 2	Thanks! Darrell, Deb and I appreciate the incredibly kind comments about LAUNCH and our company. I have to say that our goals for LAUNCH are very similar to what you've done with Rocketry Planet. This is an extraordinary website. And I'm well aware that it doesn't happen by accident. Kudos! As for LAUNCH, it has been a wonderful year, mainly because we have had the chance to meet so many great people in the hobby and in the space industry. We appreciate all the support we have received. It has made the hard work very worthwhile. My thanks also to Steve and Bill for their posts here. Our goal for the next year is to have LAUNCH in every major bookstore, newsstand and library in America (and many internationally as well) and we're working hard to make that happen. We have been very pleased at the response so far at Barnes & Noble and Borders, in particular. I would also encourage anyone who can't find it in their local store to contact the manager and ask them to place an order for LAUNCH through their distributor. They can also contact us directly through our website (launchmagonline.com). Thanks again! Mark

09-07-2007 01:24 PM  #5
Steve_Shannon When in doubt, ask Keenan   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1819	Quote: Darrell, As for LAUNCH, it has been a wonderful year, mainly because we have had the chance to meet so many great people in the hobby and in the space industry. We appreciate all the support we have received. It has made the hard work very worthwhile. Thanks again! Mark Hi Mark, As long as you are reading our comments, how about a request? I really miss the How-To articles for high power that used to appear in High Power Rocketry and I think others do also. I realize they would not appeal to quite as wide an audience as some of your articles but if you and Deb could find it in your hearts (and magazine) to publish some similar articles, geared towards high power, I would enjoy them. I intend to renew my subscription anyway (there goes my leverage )

09-07-2007 01:54 PM  #6
msm0202 New Member   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 2	Steve, You definitely have leverage! Throughout the next year you'll see a lot of high power rocketry articles in LAUNCH, beginning with the just published September/October issue, which devotes 18 pages to LDRS 26. The issue also includes Mario Perdue's Space Modeling column on the build and launch of a 6-inch-diameter, 1/12th scale Mercury Redstone. Mario launched it for the first time at NARAM-49. Many more high power articles are planned, including full coverage of the upcoming BALLS 16 launch. The coverage from the Black Rock Desert will include a build and launch article on Team-SCAM's attempt to reach 84,000 feet (16 miles) altitude with a rocket that LAUNCH is sponsoring. Anyway, lots more coming up. And your suggestion for additional "how to build" high power rocketry articles is well taken. We'll consider publishing more of them. Mark

09-07-2007 03:21 PM  #7
Steve_Shannon When in doubt, ask Keenan   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1819	Great! I look forward to the articles. I'll look into submitting articles also. Thank you,