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Old 06-10-2008, 12:33 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
rocket dinosaur
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: My Old Kentucky Home
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June 1958

6/58 MMI Ad(Denver 4,Colorado) in American Modeler magazine; Features Aerobee-Hi $7.95; 6 pak motors $2.50 (same Ad as May 1958)

6/58 J.(Del) Delano Hitch(NAR #3), develops and flies first successful cluster model rockets.

6/58 1st Central Rocket Co. ad in American Modeler magazine. Under the category Rocket Kit Rocket Makers Kit. Complete parts,fuel,extra tubes,fuse,parachute,instructions, $2.00. Central Rocket Company Box 221AM, Waupaca Wisconsin

Central Rocket company sold Amateur Rocketry supplies like zinc/sulfur chemicals to such future model rocketeers as Semroc's Carl McLawhorn. By the early 1960's Central became only the 2nd company in the US to have a license to sell Orv Carlisle's Rock-A-Chute motors manuufactured by Lawrence Brown of Brown Manufacturing/Zenith Fireworks.
Central also later sold Estes Industries,Inc model rocket motors as early as 1960. Central Rocket company was owned by a man by the name of Richard Goldsmith, who also had published a treatise on fireworks.

6/58 MMI releases Aerobee-Hi Kit 001-C, Economy Kit which contains a 2-piece 36" launch rod with no motors.

There is some "back story" to this last entry. When Dick Keller and Family was brought into MMI in December 1957, one of the first issue of contention was the 36" launch rod.

Dick related to me that the disagreement centered on the costs of the "custom" box that was required and the additional costs incurred in the shipping of these oversize boxes. As numerous boxes were returned from customer via the US mails dues to damage to the boxes and their contents, it was soon replaced by the 2 piece launch rod which was an innovation from Dick Keller. Dick stated that initially he wanted a launch rod that was patterned after a telescoping and collapsible radio antenna of the day. It was this disagreement that lead to G. Harry Stine's father-in-Law, William Kaluth, selling out his stake in MMI thus consolidating the Keller's as the majority stockholders of the company.



Amateur Rocketry Headlines

6/58 Christian Science Monitor It's Here--Rocket Mail!

6/58 American Modeler magazine article Young Rocketeers Meet shows the explsoive side of Amateur Rocketry. There's no doubt that coverage such as this, soured the public on Amateur Rocketry. See attached June 1958 article jpegs.

6/58 Chicago Tribune Danger in Homemade Rockets Teen Groups Given Aid by Experts as Casualties Mount There's Danger in Rockets STORM WARNINGS are being posted all over the country this summer, as parents and public get wind of a perilous new teen-age pastime: Firing homemade rockets.
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