February Raffle Winner

Attendance at the February SARA launch was great! Maybe rocketeers just wanted to get away from all the other big events going on in the area that weekend.

Special thanks go out to those who participated in our very successful raffle that included two rocket kits and five back issues of Extreme Rocketry magazine.

Congratulations go out to Taylor Thompson (pictured on the left), the winner of the grand prize, a Flip Video MinoHD Camera. Also pictured is Lexi Thompson (holding Flip camera) and Rachel Relitz.

February Launch Report

The SARA launch on Saturday, February 25 began with clear blue skies, pleasant temperatures, and a slight wind. It was the kind of day that reminds us why we love the Tucson climate (at least until June rolls around). Fears that the winds would increase as the morning wore on, as they often do, were unfounded this day. In fact, the winds slowly decreased throughout the morning, providing perfect conditions for flying rockets large and small.

134 flights were launched, with 120 model rockets and 14 rockets using high power motors. While every flight is special to the builder of the rocket, a few launches particularly stood out. Steve Lubliner launched two different rockets that used helicopter recovery; both flew beautifully and landed as light as a feather, drawing applause from the assembled crowd. An usual high-drag design made from a plastic champagne glass flew well on its maiden flight. Rent-a-rocs were also popular, helping to introduce new fliers to this exciting hobby.

The breakdown of motors flown includes some clusters and two-stage rockets, which is why the total number of motors is higher than the total number of flights:

1/2A – 2; A – 28; B – 14; C – 41; D – 17; E – 8; F – 9; G – 6; H – 3; I – 7; J – 3

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Science In The City - Downtown Tucson

SARA will be participating in the Science in the City event presented by 2nd Saturdays Downtown (yes, we know this is the 3rd Saturday) and the Arizona SCITECH festival on February 18, 2012 from 2:00 – 6:00 pm. We will be in the "Interactive Park" on Congress between Scott & Stone, and there is no admission cost.

Don't miss this opportunity to discover the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) innovation and education happening in our Tucson community.

Bring the family and participate in an afternoon of interactive science and technology activities.

•engage in exciting discussions and see fascinating demonstrations hosted by Downtown merchants and Tucson education and technology organizations.

•connect with schools, colleges, and educational organizations and see innovative K-12 science, engineering & technology student projects and school programs.

•meet some of Arizona's amazing science and technology innovators working at the cutting edge of science and technology and get immersed in interactive science and technology activities such as Zero Gravity, rocketry, and the Mathematics Road Show.

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Arizona Daily Star Launch Photos

The Arizona Daily Star posted a collection of photos of the January SARA club launch on their azstarnet.com Web site. The photos were taken by Arizona Daily Star photographer Alfredo Araiza.

The photo collection is featured in the Galleries and multimedia section of the Web site. Many SARA members and spectators are included in his coverage, including Andrea Byrne, Kris Chang, John Comiskey, Steve Lubliner, Jesse Mains, Juliet Mains, Mariah Mains, David Peters, Eddie Peters, Steve Peters, Steven Peugh, Ashlyn Ptashkin, Brad Ptashkin, and Cayden Ptashkin.

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