Rocket man Builder of world’s largest model rocket visits WH science club

  • By Dave Mast
  • February 15, 2010
  • 575
                        
When you’re an amateur rocket fanatic in high school, getting a chance to hear the world record-holder for the largest model rocket ever launched is a big deal. Getting him to come speak at your high school is even a bigger deal. That’s exactly what the members of the West Holmes Science Club did last week, when they brought Steve Eves and his famous one-ton rocket story to West Holmes High School on Feb. 8. Eves painted a picture of dedication, drive and inspiration to the junior rocketeers in attendance, and drove home one singular point: No matter how big your dreams are, keep after them. “I had met him at previous shoots, and I knew about him, but we never realized he was so close,” said Michael Anthony, president of the West Holmes science club. “Once we realized that, we felt like we had to at least try to get him here to speak. He was more than happy to come and talk. This is monumental to those of us who have an interest in the sciences, and especially rockets. We got to take a quick peak at something that received national headlines.” Ben Grove, a West Holmes senior science club member, agreed, noting that the science club had been working hard to reach out into the community to make more of an impact, and bringing in Eves was about as big of an impact as they could have hoped to create. “He’s just your average guy who decided to reach for the stars and pursue his dreams until he achieved them,” said Grove of Eves. “That was inspirational. It makes you feel like there’s nothing that is outside of the realm of possibility when you put your mind to it. Stories like Mr. Eves can inspire us all to keep working toward whatever we want to achieve.” Indeed, Eves’ success story is endearing because he had no long pedigree of scientists in his lineage, nor did he have a wealth of finance backing him. He was a man with a vision who found ways to make things happen. From finding a warehouse full of what amounted to abandoned rocket parts which he purchased for a fraction of what they would normally cost, to making connections in the aeronautical field with people who could help him pull off the successful launching of a rocket which was four stories in height, had nine motors and provided 11,500 pounds of thrust, Eves simply wouldn’t let go of his dream of capturing the essence of the Saturn 5 launch. “What it came down to was, I had a dream: I’ve got a rocket, and I want to fly it,” said Eves. “How am I going to afford all of the things I need to make it fly? You can’t let that kind of thing stand in your way.” For a rocket of this magnitude to get off the ground, Eves needed a lot of help, and a lot of equipment. The aid he needed came from Rockets Magazine, which had found out about his project. They sent the word out through the magazine, and donations poured in from all over the U.S. Soon they had raised $13,000. They created T-shirts and NASA 40th anniversary patches celebrating the inaugural launch. In the meantime, Eves’ notoriety was growing. He was invited to Huntsville Ala., where he visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and dined with several Apollo astronauts. By the time April 25, 2009, rolled around, Eves was more than ready to launch, as nerves and anxiety mixed with the excitement of possibly doing something as worthy as a Guinness World Record. As the rocket was hooked up to a crane in the middle of a Maryland field, and hoisted 36 feet above the top of the launch pad, Eves watched as two years of his life were being prepared to either shoot skyward or burst into flames. As the rocket took flight, his thoughts went from “this is awesome,” to “How is this thing going to come down?” “That was sheer terror of eight seconds of flight until the parachute deployed,” said Eves with a chuckle. The rocket launch went off without a hitch, traveling 4,441 feet straight up, going from zero to 301 mph in 2.1 seconds, and breaking into nine perfectly choreographed pieces, which began fluttering down to earth. The rocket’s main frame landed one-half mile from the launch site — not far, considering the distance it traveled into the atmosphere was more than four times as high as the Eiffel Tower — and landed standing upright. The launch made worldwide news. The Rocket Man had carved his place in history. For Eves, the reward of being honored by NASA, the rocket world and his peers was far beyond any fairy tale dream ending he could have conjured up. “I got every reward I ever wanted and more out of this project,” said Eves. “It was a dream I had since I was 11 years old. It took me a while, but it happened. For those of you out there (in the audience) who have an interest, or a dream, go for it. You never know where a little hard work and dedication might take you.


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