MAGDALENA, New Mexico USA — They are a select group of fifth- and sixth-graders at Magdalena Schools who give up their free Friday mornings to participate in a class conducted by teacher Jim Sauer.

It's an opportunity for them to build and blast off model rockets, and possibly launch themselves toward careers in the aerospace industry or some other scientific field.

"It shows them that learning can be fun," said Sauer, who oversees a group of 13 students for three hours each week.

The kids agree the most fun comes when they get to shoot off their rockets. Once a month Sauer takes a bunch of the kids to a launch site in Rio Rancho where they really have a blast.

On Oct. 23, the six sixth-graders will launch their biggest rocket yet. As part of the Starbase La Luz Academy, a project managed by the United States Air Force, the students built a rocket that stands 6 feet tall and is 4 inches in diameter.

Last week, the students were working on a different project. Split into two teams, the young rocketeers were building a pair of Big Bertha rockets, 2-foot tall projectiles that will be used to conduct experiments.

"One group is doing an experiment that will measure drift, and the other is doing one that is more a measurement of time," Sauer said. "If we take it up 500 feet, how long will it take for it to come down? It's a math problem."

In preparation for the launch, the students did research by studying from a stack of model rocket magazines. When the rocket kits arrived, they followed detailed directions to assemble them.

"Like anywhere else, you have to read here," Sauer said.

Not only do they get a chance to apply science, math and reading, the Rocket Kids also learn how to work together. Team leaders are appointed, and the sixth-graders mentor the fifth-graders.

"Now kids are starting to be leaders," Sauer said.

Sixth-grader Bluefeather Secatero is one of the team leaders. He said the experience has got him thinking about becoming a rocket scientist or a teacher when he grows up.

"I like building rockets and showing people how it's done," he said. "Right now I'm helping fifth-graders to build rockets and showing them how to measure things."

Secatero participated in the class last year, "but we were using little rockets about 6 inches long and 1 inch wide," he said.

Secatero explained that their mission was to achieve three successful launches. That means the rocket must take off successfully, its parachute must deploy and it must return to the ground undamaged. Having achieved that, the group advanced to a larger rocket.

"After that, we looked on the Internet (for model rockets) and picked that we liked. We found parts and started building our own rocket," he said.

The group is taking it a step further this year. They'll conduct experiments with the Big Bertha model, which is scheduled to launch next month.

"We're thinking of putting ping pong balls inside and whenever we launch the rocket, we'll time it to see when it comes down," Secatero said.

Another team leader, Michael Guin, has previous experience with model rockets, having attended "Shuttle Camp" at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

"It teaches about the stars and how to build bigger rockets," he said of the weeklong camp.

Guin, who is considering a career in the military as a rocket designer, said he finds Mr. Sauer's class beneficial.

"It helps me in math," he said. "Last year I had trouble with centimeters and fractions and stuff. Now I understand them a lot better."

Copyright © 2008, El Defensor Chieftain.