Ye Olde Rocket Forum - View Single Post - Significant events in clustering and staging...

My time line and notes so far - I welcome any comments/corrections/additions!

1957 - First rocket "kit" - Orville Carlisle's (NAR #1) Rock-A-Chute Mark II
(October) - 6 days after launch of Sputnik, Model Missiles, Inc (MMI) incorporated. 18x70 mm motor size created because it was same tube used by the "Buzz Bomb Helicopter" firework made by Brown Manufacturing, which produced initial rocket motors for MMI. Original Carlisle motors were ~13 mm in diameter.

"Green Mountain Proving Ground", a former WWII ammo dump, was established as MMI's launch site in late 1957. Stine refers to this as the "world's best" rocket range. Launches were held on Saturdays. It is not an exaggeration to say model rocketry was born there. Lost in April 1959 because of a dispute with a turkey farmer, who claimed that the rockets were disturbing his many thousand turkeys.

(December) - Model Missile Association established. 1st Safety Code written. Became the National Association of Rocketry at the end of 1958.

1958 - 1st 2 stage models appear at "Green Mountain Proving Ground" in first few months. MMI produces the 1st mass-produced kit, the Aerobee-Hi model rocket (April).

1959 - Vern Estes creates "Mabel" and starts manufacturing motors for MMI (Mabel could produce a motor every 5.5 seconds).

(July 16) - NARAM-1: 21 rocketeers from state of Colorado at the "Hogback Rocket Range". Available rocket motors were Type A, Type B and Type B Booster, made by Estes for Model Missiles, Inc; equivalent to A.8-3, A.8-4, B.8-4, and B.8-0. "Honest Ivan" 7 engine cluster flown just after 2 in the afternoon by Bill Meller. Norman Mains, Jr. (NAR #61) was 1st U.S. National Champion with 33 contest points.

1961 - 2 stage "Pee Wee" by Tom Rhue (NAR #50); plan only. Estes releases their first kit, the Scout. Centuri Engineering founded by Lee Piester.

1962 - Centuri Black Widow 2 stage kit

1963 - Estes 2-stage Apogee and Ranger 3 motor cluster kits, Centuri 3-stage Aero-Dyne

1964 - Estes Apogee-2 and Farside 3-stager

1965 - Parallel staging successfully demonstrated by Pat Artis at NARAM-7

1971 (April) - 1st successful demonstration of flashbulb ignition by John Langford.

1972 - Competition Model Rockets (CMR) introduces the Marcus 'strap-on booster' kit
(June) - 21 motor cluster "UPrated Igor" is successfully launched via flashbulb ignition (NGRM-3 in Atlanta)

Motor notes:

A.8-4 would be equivalent to a A4-4 in today's notation. B.8 would be B4.

1962 Centuri catalog shows the B3-0 and B3-5, roughly equivalent to a B14

Estes B14 discontinued in 1980 due to safety concerns; Centuri B14 advertised until 1981.
B8 introduced in 1980; discontinued 1997
B14 - peak thrust of 7 lbs. 0.35 sec duration; B8 - peak thrust of 5 lbs, 0.6 sec duration.
C5 introduced by Centuri in 1977; discontinued by Estes in 2001 (C5-0S went away with Centuri in 1983).
C5 peak thrust of around 5 lbs (21.8 newtons)

No "heavy lift" 18 mm BP booster since 1997.