The History of Rocketry in Minnesota

Current Organizations:

  • Minnesota Rocketry Network is an on-line resource of information about rockety in Minnesota
  • MASA is a local National Association of Rocketry chapter for the Twin Cities in Minnesota.  See NAR Sport Rocketry Mar/Apr 1999.
  • Tripoli-Minnesota is the local Tripoli prefecture
  • Tripoli-Southern Minnesota is another
  • INSciTE's Minnesota Rocket League.
  • The International Experimental Aerospace Society. Private citizens reaching for the stars!


    • Past Organizations:

    BARS, Bricelyn Amateur Rocket Society

        This organization included my father and most of my uncles on both sides of my family.  See my BARS History page.

    ARS, Austin Rocket Society, Minnesota based in Austin High School, launched a mouse
        Read Art Gibbens' article in the MASA Planet
        TRA-SMN was researching this too:   Gary Brown has info: garybrown@efjohnson.com 507-835-7883

        Per Brownsdale County Historical Events register:

    1957 - ABC’s TV’s Huntley Brinkley filmed the launch of 35 rockets made by students from Brownsdale and Austin Pacelli. The group was known as the Austin Rocket Society. They launched a 4 ft. ten in. rocket with a fifty cent anesthetized mouse as a passenger. The rocket reached an altitude of 1,642 ft with a velocity of 221 mph. The mouse did not survive and was buried on the launching site. The launch was widely covered and the humane society pressed charges. The students had to appear in Mower County Court. The charges were, however, dropped.
        Other publications that wrote about ARS and "Mousenik": North Star (Minn NAR chapter 1965)

    Zenith        (Minn NAR chapter 1965)

    SOBCA, Scientists of Battle Creek Area, St. Paul, (unaffiliated)  1974-77 Jeff Hove Pres

    CMAR, Central Minnesota Association of Rocketry, NAR
        Precursor to MASA though no direct link

    The Rocketeers (unaffiliated) There was a club in the SE metro area just before MASA called The Rocketeers. Club president was named Chris ? and he lived in Prescott, WI.   When he went to the Air Force Academy the club folded. I was the "Senior Advisor", and he and I went before the City of Cottage Grove board to get special permission to fly at the city parks for two summers. They had a rule on the books saying that there would be no "untethered" models of any kind allowed in the city parks. Russ, Mark and some other MASA folks were at some of our launches and came to a couple of our meetings. I saw Chris about 4 years ago at the Chanhasen dinner theatre and he was doing well, but didn't know about MASA. I gave him my e-mail address at the time, but he never wrote. That's the extent of what I know. Hope it helps. (It was never a NAR section.)

    one of the early NARAM's (back in the 60's) was held in Minnesota.  Mankato (or Rochester?)

    University/Colleges:
       The University of Minnesota was active in high altitude "Sky Crane" balloon launches from Flemming field in South St. Paul and the old UofMN Airport.

    Companies:
     


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