May 2023 Meeting

by Joel Cool-Panama, Secretary, RRS.ORG


The Reaction Research Society held its monthly meeting at the Compton/Woodley Airport location, 7:30 PM PST.

Agenda topics of the meeting were:

  • Symposium successes
  • Restroom operational
  • MTA improvements
  • Wolfram launch 5/20
  • UCLA launch 6/10

Past Events

It is with great pleasure that the Society declares the Symposium to have been a success. In all, there were 22 presenters present, and approximately 70 to 80 persons in attendance. Likewise, Mary Star High School has told us that they did well on their food service sales, and have already penciled us in to host the Symposium at their location again on April 8th, 2024.

However, there is much room for improvement. For example, we need to have better signage for the presentation room and food service at the next symposium. We could also take advantage of the large screens present in the gymnasium to keep attendees up to date on presentations. It was also noted that we should have a hard deadline for speakers to sign up, probably a few days in advance of the event, to prevent scheduling confusion. The older members of the Society are also in agreement that we should hire some of the students to help us setup and break down the Symposium. We could also Mary Star’s WiFi password, and maybe make it available upon request.

The Society was also pleased to receive a donation of eletrical match blanks from long-time RRS member, Steve Majdali. Our treasurer, Larry Hoffing, is to write a receipt for them.

Current Events

Prior to the meeting, Society President Dave Nordling had new keys made for the newly opened MTA restrooms. Six pairs of keys were made, the gold one being to open the restroom proper, and the silver to open the container door to the valves and switches.

In regards to the restroom, it was mentioned that the society should probably hire someone to clean the restroom. In the past, society members have graciously handled cleaning and supplies themselves with the porta-potties, but there is a desire to have the restrooms taken care of by someone else. The main problem seems to be the cost of doing so, and how we might extract compensatory fees from anyone who uses the MTA and doesn’t clean up after themselves. A deposit was suggested, but Frank noted that getting such from a school would likely be a hassle.

Thanks to the Society’s generous donors, we are pleased to announce that a 60-foot launch rail for launching liquid rockets, and prefabbed containers for the MTA, have been funded. Polaris has a design for such a launch rail, and the Society is considering hiring them to build it. Also, in light of the struggles around building numerous projects at the MTA, it is expected that the Society will pay contractors to make improvements to the site mifor the forseeable future.

It’s also been recommended that the Society should have portable launch rails at the MTA. Being portable means that they can be moved away when might be necessary, such as if a group’s view of another launch rail is obstructed. Wolfram in particular has requested 1515 launch rails, but others, such as members of ROC, might appreciate these as well, due to the difference between our height waivers.

Steve Majdali mentioned at the meeting that he has 1,000 ft of duplex wire, 18 gauge solid core, which he might donate to the Society for our use. He also apparently has multi-strand, fine gauge wire, and might even have some sulfur to dispose of as well.

In other news, Society Treasurer Larry has received 3 lbs of 400-mesh zinc powder from a supplier in India. The zinc isn’t of the fineness typically used for micrograin rockets, but Larry will test its use regardless. It should be noted that the zinc was bought at $4 per pound, which is a very good deal, and we might consider sourcing from this supplier in the future. US-based suppliers are not as common today as they have been in decades past.

Future Events

UCLA is currently scheduled to hold their Capstone project launch event at the MTA on June 10th. Likewise, Frank and Larry will simultaeneously be holding launch classes at the site. They will be having two launches, B and C motor model rockets, as well as Baby Bertha.

The Aerospace Corporation is also scheduled to use the MTA for their intern rocket launch event. As of now, there is no conflict on the MTA schedule with their event.

The Society is also receiving more requests for Vice-President Frank to teach more classes. Among past locations requesting his services is Nickerson Gardens.

Also, it has been noted that having underground cable runs between the launch rails and the Garboden Observation Bunker at the MTA would be very valuable. A pull string should be installed along with whatever conduit is put in place, and CAT9 wire should definitely be installed as a good starting point. This facility improvement needs further definition.

The next society meeting will be on June 9th, 2023, at the Compton/Woodley Airport location. Contact the secretary for details.


80th Anniversary RRS Symposium on April 15, 2023

by Dave Nordling, President, RRS.ORG


The Reaction Research Society is proud to announce our 80th anniversary symposium to be held at the Mary Star of the Sea High School in San Pedro on Saturday, April 15, 2023, from 8am to 5pm. We have 15 speakers and over 20 exhibitions which is on par with our last symposium four years ago before the pandemic.

Mary Star of the Sea High School is at 2500 N. Taper Avenue in San Pedro, California, 90731.

Gates will be open at 7:15AM for exhibitors to set up. The event will start at 8:00AM sharp.

The gymnasium will hold our exhibitors. Room 108 will have the presentations. Seating is limited. All speakers must be present at least 15 minutes ahead of their speaking time.

Below is a tentative list of our speakers. The list is subject to change without notice.

  • Opening and first session, 8:00-8:30am, Dave Nordling, President, RRS.ORG
  • 8:30-9:00am, by remote, Ichiro Ausin, et al, University of Michigan
  • 9:00-9:30am, Dr. Steven Chambreau, Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards AFB
  • 9:30-10:00am, Eric Schmidt, Exquadrum Inc.
  • 10:00-10:30am, Mark Ventura, Ventura Energy Systems
  • 10:30-11:00am, Dean Theodor, Federal Aviation Administration
  • 11:00-11:30am, Julia Woomer et al, USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory
  • 11:30-12noon, Blake Spahr et al., UCLA Rocket Project
  • Lunch Break 12:00-1:00pm
  • 1:00-1:30pm, Dr. Frank Chandler, California Polytechnic Pomona
  • 1:30-2:00pm, Dr. Jerry Fuller, Aerospace Corporation
  • 2:00-2:30pm, Tre Willingham et al, Compton Comet
  • 2:30-3:00pm, Caleb Phillips and Vijay Mepani, CALFIRE
  • 3:00-3:30pm, Jack Caldwell et al, Caltech
  • 3:30-4:00pm, Darrell Chua et al, UC San Diego SEDS
  • 4:00-4:30pm, Patrick Finley, Lander Challenge
  • Closing and thanks, Dave Nordling, President, RRS.ORG

Free tickets on Eventbrite are still available. Many thanks again to Peter Thorpe for his background artwork and to Mary Star of the Sea High School in San Pedro, California, for graciously hosting this event. Food/drinks/snacks will be provided by Mary Star High School.

For questions, please contact our vice president, Frank Miuccio.

vicepresident@rrs.org

Our April 14th monthly meeting will be also held at the Mary Star High School auditorium at 7:30pm. We will discuss a few items of business but largely we will be preparing the site for the next day.

Our latest flyer design for the 80th anniversary RRS symposium
Rough floor plan of the exhibition in the Mary Star High School gymnasium
Laminated impulse scale charts from the RRS will be available for purchase at the symposium for $10 each. Proceeds go to the society general fund.
Membership applications will be available at the symposium for those wishing to apply for associate membership. $20 per year for students. $40 per year for all others.

We look forward to celebrating amateur rocketry with the community.


80th Anniversary RRS Symposium

by Dave Nordling, President, RRS.ORG


The Reaction Research Society is pleased to announce we will be holding our 80th anniversary space and rocketry symposium on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Invited speakers are from universities, government agencies and local industries. We will have exhibitions and demonstrations throughout this all day event starting at 8AM and ending at 5PM.

Mary Star High School, San Pedro, California

The symposium will be held at the Mary Star High School in San Pedro, California.

https://goo.gl/maps/112MqaEXF6VSqM3GA

More details will be forthcoming including our list of speakers and our fundraising projects.

The society had a successful series of symposiums from 2017 through 2019 until the pandemic forced us to cancel the 2020 Symposium. After three years, we’ve decided to relaunch just in time to celebrate eight decades as an educational and research focused organization. The prior symposium was such a success that we have already begun to confirm speakers including Aerospace Corporation, Northrop Grumman, Ventura Energy Systems, Cal Poly Pomona, CALFIRE and the FAA.

Contact our vice president, Frank Miuccio, for information. We look forward to sharing our past, present and plans for the future at the symposium.

vicepresident@rrs.org