Rondayview

Taylor wins the Space Derby!

Taylor placed first in his Cub Scout den, and then first overall in the pack finals! Last year he came in a close second, and this year he's thrilled to be the champion. He'll be receiving a plaque at the next pack meeting---he keeps asking "What's a plaque?", though, because Thomas told him it was the stuff that eats your teeth.

Our Rocket Building Tips

Taylor's rocket won by a margin that surprised even me. We didn't really do anything special, just used a lot of common sense at each step. For those interested, here are our rocket building tips.

• Inner Surface: Operating under the assumption that the faster we can make the propeller spin then the faster the rocket will go, we sanded the inside surface of the rocket---the area where the rubber bands spin---before gluing it together. In the unassembled kit, the inner surface is very rough; lots of small splinters and rough surfaces that could slow the rubber band as it unwinds. We sanded it smooth with the finest sandpaper we could find---1000 grit from a hobby shop---and then coated the entire inner surface with powdered graphite.
• Body: Both this year and last year Taylor was entirely responsible for the shape of the rocket, using a rough sandpaper to shape it, and then ultimately making the balsa surface almost shine with the extra fine sandpaper. I suggested that he work toward a round and skinny body, but he preferred it more square. I did trim 5mm of wood from each side of the rocket before he started, so even though the final rocket he created could have been more aerodynamic, it was very light and the surface was incredibly smooth.
• Paint: We noticed last year that paint can add a lot of weight to the rocket. This year we used high gloss model rocket spray paint, and put on only a single coat. Taylor did the paint job himself. He also used some black high gloss model rocket paint to put lightning bolts on the sides of the rocket. Overall, I think the paint job actually helped the rocket, because it smoothed the surface even more but added virtually no weight.
• Fins: Dad did the fins. Last year we had large fins, but this year we went for small ones. Since the rockets fly by hanging from tight wires, only the barest minimum of stabalization from fins should be necessary, and smaller fins mean less weight. I also ran the front edges of the fins through a knife sharpener and then smoothed them with sandpaper. The fin material is just under 1mm thick, but still presents a vertical surface if not sharpened. I have no idea if sharpening the front edges of the fins made a difference or not, but I guarantee we'll be doing it next year anyway.
• Propeller: As it comes in the kit, the propeller has a lot of rough edges and spots to it; things that could cause air friction and slow it down, as the propeller is very light. We used the extra fine sandpaper to smooth all the rough spots off the propeller, hoping to make the prop cut through the air with as little resistance as possible. Finally, we used powdered graphite to lubricate all the places where two surfaces might touch.
• Hanger Mounting: Last year we mounted the hanger so that the rocket was perfectly balanced. This year, we mounted the hanger so that the rocket was slightly front heavy. The thought is that as the propeller turns, it lifts the front of the rocket, and so with the hanger mounted further back, the rocket should be better balanced during flight when balance actually matters.
• Rubber Bands: All competitors are required to use two official rubber bands and all rockets get the same number of winds on the rubber band, so there's not a lot to mention here, but we did learn one important thing: you must use a liquid lubricant on the rubber bands. We broke two sets before our first race because we tried using powdered graphite only; it just didn't coat the rubber bands enough, and as they wound tight, the friction apparently caused uneven stretching, and so they broke at weak spots. After that we started spraying the rubber bands with a liquid teflon lubricant, and we never broke another set.

Well, those are our tips. We look forward to even an more competitive event next year!

Click here for a printable version of the tips!

Taylor takes a trip

First down the stairs, and then to the ER . . .

While "walking" down the stairs this afternoon, Taylor took a dive into an end table in the living room; he struck the table's sharp corner on the upper bridge of his nose, right between his eyes in the middle of his face. Neither Ritina nor I saw the event, but Thomas described it for us in graphic detail---ah the benefits of having a ten-year-old with a million dollar vocabulary.

Once we got the bleeding slowed---it never stopped due to the severity of the wound---we found that Taylor had put a rather deep hole in his head, one that would require at least a few stitches. Taylor was quite calm about the whole thing. He did cry for a moment after his fall, but he composed himself within twenty seconds. Amazing. We kept asking him if it hurt because he wasn't acting like it, and we thought maybe he was dazed or had suffered a concussion. Apparently he's just one tough kid! I mean, he's got a hole in head about about 4mm across and 6mm to 7mm deep, bleeding profusely, and on the way out the door to the ER he grabs his Gameboy.

Ritina's the one who took him. She returned in just under two hours with Taylor sporting three stitches and acting like it was all in a day's fun. Thomas emphasized to me several times how brave Taylor was when he was getting shots and stitches; he never even flinched. Doctor's orders are no gym or horseplay for a week, cleaning the site daily, and the stitches come out on Friday.

We are relieved, of course, that the injury was not worse; a centimeter or two in either direction and we might be dealing with a truly serious eye injury here. But, those of you that know Taylor will understand when, after all was said and done and Ritina and I were having a quick private discussion about it, that we both admitted having the same first thought when Ritina headed out the door with Taylor to the ER: "Wow, I can't believe it took eight years for him to end up in the ER to be stitched up." (His daddy had accomplished this by age three.)

As I'm writing this, I hear Ritina upstairs: "Boys, have you already forgotten what the doctor said!? No horseplay!" That's our Taylor!

Looks like Fall's over early this year

Awoke this morning to the season's first three inches of snow. The poor scarecrow in our front yard must be feeling very out of place at this point.

I will not forget

I live in freedom upon the blood and sacrifice of men and women whose faces I do not know, people in whom the principles of this nation were and are more than vague notions of a dusty parchment, for whom liberty and justice are more than half-hearted words uttered by ignorant school children, but are beliefs lived for, fought for, and died for. On this Memorial Day and every day that I live free because of those who have laid their most beloved upon the altar of freedom, becase of those who have given their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, I will never forget your precious sacrifices offered in the name of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that, free and independent, the United States of America shall remain the greatest country that has ever been.