SARA Night Launch October 11th

[goldlizard]

Southern Arizona Rocketry Association (SARA)

Rocketry Club Ready for Rare Night Launch


TUCSON, Arizona USA - On Saturday October 11, dozens of rockets will light up the night sky west of Tucson at the Fall 2014 Night Launch hosted by the Southern Arizona Rocketry Association (SARA), Tucson's own rocket club. Best of all, it's free!



Rockets are not fireworks; they must return safely to ground, usually on one or more parachutes, to be flown repeatedly. The motors that propel them into the night sky burn as brilliantly as fireworks, though, and the rockets are festooned with lights to track them as they float back to earth. From simple strobes to rockets that have literally thousands of lights, the Night Launch has it all. Even light sabers and illuminated cat toys have been known to fly thousands of feet into the air!



Night launches are rare, and require special permission from the FAA for even the smallest rocket. SARA prides itself on having the best Night Launch in the country, often outstripping what even the national rocketry events offer.



There is no fee for spectators, and even the parking is free. The Fall 2014 Night Launch will be held at the TIMPA field just west of Tucson in Avra Valley, at 3250 N. Reservation Road. The launch will begin at dusk (approximately 6:30 p.m.) and continue until 9:00 p.m. TIMPA has running water and clean bathrooms, but spectators should bring lawn chairs or a blanket to lay on the grass. SARA would like to extend a special thanks to Tucson Water for making the TIMPA land available to SARA and other hobby groups.



Come enjoy this unique, family friendly event in the cool desert evening. More information about SARA, the Fall 2014 Night Launch, and monthly rocket launches may be found at the SARA website, www.sararocketry.org (or enter "Tucson rocketry" into your favorite search engine).







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SARA LogoAbout Southern Arizona Rocketry Association



SARA is a National Association of Rocketry (NAR) section formed in 1994. In 2005 SARA also became a Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA) prefecture. The club members promote model and high power rocketry, educate themselves and the public, and have fun. SARA has members with a wide range of interests and skill levels. Some are beginners building their first model rockets, while many others build and launch high power rockets.



Our website at www.sararocketry.org outlines information about all of our activities including our monthly launches and detailed directions to the launch site. Sean Keane, Club President, can be contacted for further clarification on any details contained in this press release by email at [email protected] or by phone at 520-760-0341.









COMMUNITY SUPPORTJerry King

Events like our Fall 2014 Night Launch not only help us achieve our mission, but also serve to involve more parents and students in activities that underscore the many possibilities in the areas of science, math, and engineering for future study.



Find out more at www.sararocketry.org

 

[terryg]

Working like mad to get my latest creation "Painted with Light" done for the night launch. Designed with premise that any thing worth doing is worth overdoing. See you all there.

 

[goldlizard]

A few photos from SARA's night launch. I am not the greatest rocket photographer, but these are some of my better shots.

View attachment 187076

Photo 2 is a low power CATO.
Photos 4 & 6 are low power unstable flights.
I don't know why photo 3 came up twice.

 

[scsager]

I really like #3... not so much for the one on the way up - I like the the one on the right of the frame - coming down

 

[terryg]

Another successful Night Launch at SARA. These are so much fun! Its not about how big or how high you go, its how creative the lighting is on the rocket is and it is as much fun going out to the pad and talking about it afterward as it is flying! It's all about "bling". I wish more clubs would realize how much fun can be had with a night flight and start up their own. My Glow Light express had flight number 35 on an H170 Metal Storm which produces a fountain of light and is much more spectacular at night then in the daytime. I wish Aerotech had more of these in their motor line up. It is a 6 foot rocket, lit by two 15 inch cyalumes, twenty 10 mm multi color flashing LED's and a 300 LED strip light. My newest creation "Painted With Light" made its debut at this launch. It is a Mercury Engineering "Grave Danger" kit that I won at a club raffle. It has a translucent plastic nosecone that I placed a 3 watt "NiteBow" lighting module in. The body has bands of blue, yellow and green led strip lights covering every available surface of the rocket. It has a grand total of 922 leds on it and I was still soldering on it up till the day of the launch. Flew great on a G80 Skidmark. My "Cat Toy" had another good launch on an H210 redline. It takes off like a bat out of hell and because it is so draggy just stops and hangs there till it starts to fall and the chute deploys. My fourth rocket did not fare so well. After many flights I was finally bitten by an E12 cato on my three engine modified Richter Recker. Catos really are more spectacular at night! With the current unavailability of Q2G2's I do not know if I am going to rebuild the destroyed lower section of the rocket. The upper section lit by a 300 green LED strip light survived fine (and nicely lit up the smoldering ruins of the lower section and the melted parachute). All in all, a great rocketry evening.

 

[g zilla]

Come on Terry 922 leds thats it. Tell me when you got 3300 leds.

 

[terryg]

That will be next year when I build the upscale "Solar Flare"! :smile: