Space Cadet
The young man over on the right there is one starry-eyed space cadet. While spending the summer at his grandparents (affectionately known as Maw-maw and Paw-paw) this young fellow showed his parents, family and some neighbors what model rocketry was all about. While they had seen him build a few rockets, no one had ever bothered to go to see one of his launches except his little brother, but that didn’t count. That green tackle box is worn and beat up, but it holds the magical components that allow his rockets to take flight and return safely, just like the big boys at NASA. He’s getting ready to launch his current pride and joy - a Mars Lander. At the time this was one of the hardest rockets to build. Little does he know that the launch controller is not going to work. In a fit of desperation (and probably stupidity) this thirteen year old will launch that rocket by connecting directly to a car battery. It will have a beautiful flight, land safely and be ready to go again.
1981 was a very long time ago for me. Somehow, the bug just hasn’t gone away.