Crowds watch rocket launches at Sheboygan's South Pier
Hundreds of spectators watched as two dozen rockets were launched
SHEBOYGAN — Hundreds of spectators watched as two dozen rockets were launched from Sheboygan's South Pier on Saturday.
The 29th annual Rockets for Schools event was held at Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center with rocket launches occurring from the South Pier. Despite the wind off Lake Michigan, participants and spectators were treated to sunny skies. The event was successful with some rockets reaching as high as 2,500-feet before falling into Lake Michigan. Astronaut John Herrington, who logged nearly 14 days in space aboard the International Space Station in 2002, was the keynote speaker on Friday.
Rockets for Schools provides an opportunity for middle and high school students to learn about aerospace technology, scientific experiments, and space launches. Student teams construct a rocket equipped with a powerful motor that lifts it to high altitudes. Besides constructing their rocket, students design a payload experiment to fly in their rocket. This year’s event attracted students from six states including Wisconsin.
The Sheboygan Fire Department and the United States Coast Guard were on hand while crews from Dumper Dan's assisted in retrieving the rockets from the lake.
In May 1996, the first Rockets for Schools event was held with 240 student participants. NASA Administrator Dan Goldin addressed the public along with Astronaut Mark Lee at the Sheboygan Armory. Students were briefed on the different aspects of the launch and were given a tour of the different launch stations. An estimated 12,000 spectators were in attendance to watch the first-ever sub-orbital rocket launch in Wisconsin when the Super Loki Rocket launched from the South Pier.
For more information, visit rockets4schools.org.
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