TONEY, Alabama USA — A 10-foot rocket decorated with scenes from "The Wizard of Oz." Some high school students almost 700 miles from home on the afternoon of their prom.

SLIDESHOW: Dorothy's finish is a vinyl wrap like seen on NASCAR race cars. Photos: Clark Word, Word Associates.

Now, it boils down to the launch of Dorothy and the deployment of more than 100 crepe-paper balls, including one known as "Toto."

Just before liftoff, a chemistry and physics teacher from Nebraska standing on the next launch pad says, "Dorothy, it's an honor to fly next to you."

For much of the day, the teacher, Jim Sherwood of West Point, Neb., has been giving away Dum Dum suckers. Passing out another one, he says, "Don't be a dum dum - learn about rockets."

On Saturday, most of the 100 or so people at Bragg Farms in Toney want to know more about Dorothy, perhaps the most-discussed rocket at NASA's Student Launch Initiative, where high school teams from 10 states brought rockets to launch.

Dorothy is the name for the rocket produced by the members of the Cougar Rocketry Team at Yough High School in Herminie, Pa.

Amy Rene Bickerstaff, the team leader, chose the name because "The Wizard of Oz" is her favorite movie.

"She knows just about every word of that movie by heart," says her mother, Daveen.

When Amy is asked why she likes the movie, she sounds like she's talking to the Tin Man when she says, "It teaches you there's no place bigger in your heart than the one you have for family."

As she and her mother prepare for the launch, to be held in the middle of a barren cotton field, the Bickerstaffs are surrounded by their rocket family.

There's Don Gilbert, the physics and gifted class instructor at Yough High. Because he's the rocket team mentor, the other members of the team call him "The Wizard."

There's Eric Haberman, who describes himself as the "flight control engineer and mentoring friend to The Wizard."

Amy Bickerstaff, also known as Dorothy, and four other students comprise the Cougar Rocketry Team at Yough, a small high school in the coal-mining country south of Pittsburgh.

"One is not here," said Amy Bickerstaff, "because she wanted to go to the prom."

For Bickerstaff, though, picking the launch initiative over the prom was an easy choice.

"This is my last chance," she says. "I can never do this again. Not many people can say that they did this. This will be bigger than any prom."

The Cougar Rocket Team is one of 16 teams representing 10 states. Some are from as far away as Wisconsin, Michigan and New Hampshire.

This is the team's second appearance at the rocket initiative. Last year, Dorothy crashed after the rocket's parachute failed to deploy.

This year, the rocket is officially known as Dorothy II. Its mission is to deploy 101 maple seed pods - the "whirlybirds."

When Dorothy releases the whirlybirds, the team's experiment is to track how far they disperse. One of the pods, known as "Toto," has a device that measures temperature and humidity.

It's 2:25 when Dorothy is positioned on the launch pad, ready for liftoff.

"We have five more minutes till Toto," Amy Bickerstaff announces.

"No, Toto is active now," says Don Gilbert, "The Wizard."

After about 10 minutes, Dorothy is launched.

"We have flame," says Bill Cook, the PA announcer.

"And Toto, too," says someone in the crowd.

The launch is flawless. Dorothy disappears into the clouds, and the team members wait for the whirlybirds to be released.

"There they are," says Haberman, watching Toto and the other crepe-paper balls fall from the sky.

Dorothy, The Wizard and the others walk into the field and collect the rocket's parachute.

Later Saturday night, they'll celebrate the rocket's success at their own prom at the Holiday Inn downtown.

"We're going to have an Ipod that's going to be our disco ball," Amy Bickerstaff says. "It'll pulsate and rotate to the music."

Copyright © 2008, The Huntsville Times.