Author: davew6dps

The May launch will be on Saturday, the 9th, and we will be holding a trailer cleaning on Sunday, May 10.

To encourage people to camp over Saturday night and come to the trailer cleaning, we will be keeping part of the range set up for NIGHT LAUNCHING on Saturday night! (weather permitting, of course)

REVISION: The weather should be warm and fairly calm. The high around 76°F and sunny. Sunrise will be at 5:51AM, and the UV index high, at 7 out of 10. There is a forecast for temperatures in the 60s on Thursday and Friday, with possible showers Friday afternoon. The lakebed is currently dusty and dry, so unless there is a lot of rain we should be good for the weekend. Camping Friday night might be interesting… Bulletins as things develop!

Hats, sunglasses, and sunblock are very important this time of year in the desert! Bring plenty of water and sports drinks, and be sure to drink them! Caffiene can increase the chances of dehydration, so coffee, tea, and soda should be avoided.

Set up will begin about 7:00AM, and launching will begin as soon as the range is set up. More hands make light work, so please plan to arrive early and help out.

At major launches, such as ROCstock in June, there are a number of additional opportunities to help out.

For example, we would like to have someone volunteer to run a raffle at the lakebed,

We always have need for folks to help out as Launch Control Officer (LCO), Pad Manager, and at registration. Each of these is easy, and easy to learn. We are happy to train volunteers.

Also, if you are certified Level 2 or 3 we can always use help as Range Safety Officer (RSO).

You can find descriptions of these on our launch page.

We rely heavily on volunteers at every launch, but even more so at a larger launch like ROCstock.  Please plan to help out!

If anyone on this chat or who attends ROC launches wants to write an article on a “how to” or detailing your experience in a specific area, we would love to increased the practical information on our website!

No need to format for the web–I can get it ready when I publish it. Brevity is usually good, but if there is a bunch of information, please feel free to be thorough.

Information based on real-world experience is the best, but if you have a rocketry related term paper or doctoral thesis that would be okay too. We just may have to add section for “Really Advanced”!

We are always looking to improve and update our webpage. Look over the stuff in our “Learn” menu, and then please add your expertise…

Ideas for what you would like to see are welcome, too. But it might take a while for someone to develop and interest and find the spare time to write it.

Of course, anything we publish must be free of copyright restrictions, and effectively becomes open and free use under a GPU license.

David Smith

NAR 79889, L2

Amateur Extra, W6DPS

ROC Board Member (who occasionally breaks stuff on the web page)

To encourage/reward folks for staying over Saturday night and helping with the Trailer cleaning on Sunday, May 10, we will be keeping part of the range set up Saturday night for NIGHT LAUNCHING! (weather permitting)

We will have our normal monthly launch schedule during the day, with set up starting about 7:00 AM and launches starting as soon as we are set up.

We need to get the trailers and equipment ready for ROCstock in June, and more hands helping out makes it easier and faster! We have scheduled the clean up for the day after the May launch so everything will be fresh and ready in June. We will also be planning our usual night launches on Friday and Saturday at ROCstock, of course!

Please plan on joining ROC for the weekend of May 9 and 10!

Mark your calendar!

We will be holding our semi-occasional trailer and equipment cleaning session on Sunday, May 10. That is the day after our regular May launch on Saturday, May 9.

Time and details will be posted as they are finalized, but please plan on joining us to get things ready for ROCstock in June.

Many hands make light work!