LIFE Magazine, April 7, 1958, showcases Alpha 1 rocket

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From The Archive by LIFE Magazine

Sunday, May 01, 2011

"In its regular business, Experiment, Inc. of Richmond, Va. engages in serious research on U.S. missile programs. Now it has come out with a by-product that the missile age has made necessary, a toy rocket that satisfies juvenile scientists without imperiling them. Alpha 1 is a scientifically designed 10-inch plast rocket that soars 200 feet, using a harmless mixture of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.

"The toy, now manufactured by Scientific Products Co., sells for about $5, has its own launching pad and aiming shaft. The user fills the rocket chamber with citric acid and water, adds the bicarbonate, counts out 60 seconds to let the mixture generate carbon dioxide gas, then pulls a remote control cord which frees the missile from its base. The fuel cannot explode, ignite or even cause any harm if swallowed," read the opening two paragraphs of the April 7, 1958 issue of LIFE magazine article on amateur rocketry.

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Reader comments:

#1 Re: Article: LIFE Magazine, April 7, 1958, showcases Alpha 1 rocket

Yes, I had one of these rockets and I remember the Life magazine article. The toy Alpha looked like a classic rocket. I thought it was difficult to screw the baking soda cap (the cap had slits in the top that you were suppose to cover with your fingers) into the the rocket while the baking soda was leaking down into the chamber and fizzing away. Then you had to pull on the string hard to release the rocket. This meant that the launch pad had to be spiked into the ground real good while the user pulled on the string. I even had the later two stage version, i.e., the sequel 2-stage version. I finally got it to work. It seemed like the first stage went up maybe 15 feet, but the second stage went out to sight. I remember I had one of those water/air pumped 2-stage rockets and it did the same thing. The first stage went up only a few feet, but the second stage went considerably farther.

aerostadt on 05-01-2011 07:04 PM

#2 Re: Article: LIFE Magazine, April 7, 1958, showcases Alpha 1 rocket

I had several Alphas I. About ten years ago, someone was advertising one for $60.00. Bought it, but it was not in flyable condition. Nevertheless, at first glimpse, I got all misty.