DTH Rocket Endeavors started with one individual (me) who looked to the skies. Up in that big, blue expanse the Lord's wonders were displayed, which put a fascination for it in me. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." ~Psalm 19:1. I decided that I wanted to fly, and explore the vast firmament that God created.
I began by building model rockets. The first ones I made were pretty bad: I made them out of duct tape mostly, they didn't have a recovery device, and almost all of them were unstable and thus spun loop de loops in the sky when ignited.
It wasn't until I checked out a book at the library called "The Handbook of Model Rocketry" by G. Harry Stine that my rockets began to improve. I learned about static and dynamic stability, how to put a recovery device into a rocket, how to build a good motor mount, about engine selection, and even advanced topics such as multistaging, cluster ignition, and altitude prediction. Then I learned about high-power rocketry (HPR), and that's when I really decided to pursue rocketry.
Currently I am building large model rockets, which are defined as between 16 and 53 ounces in weight, using no more than 4.4 ounces of propellant, creating no more than 320 N-seconds of Total Impulse. The motor classification ranges from size E to G.
The first large model rocket that I built and flew was for my clay animation short film "The Curious Squirrel from Earth," and in it I built a cockpit for a small clay squirrel. At the time it was the most successful rocket I had built, and the flight was observed and greatly cheered by several enthusiastic spectators. Here is a video of that amazing flight:
Already I am taking on ambitious projects, like breaking the sound barrier, and building high-power rockets (although I can't fly them until I am 18 and have a certification).
When I get older I plan to major in aerospace engineering, then start a real aerospace company, or work for the US Air Force, or something along those lines. But in the meantime, I'll keep on learning on my own.
But whatever I do, it's all about God. I strive to honor him in all I do. What better a place than the heavens to marvel at his magnificence?
"...Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." ~1 Corinthians 10:31
