Orville Carlisle
Encyclopedia
Orville H. Carlisle a shoe salesman in Norfolk, Nebraska
invented the hobby
that would become known as model rocketry.
In 1953, Orville and his brother Robert were joint owners of a shoe store on 420 Norfolk Ave. Robert, a model aviation enthusiast, demonstrated his "U-control" planes for groups in parks and schools in and around Norfolk, to demonstrate advances in aeronautical technology since World War II
. He wanted a model missile
for use in his demonstrations, to illustrate rocketry technology (which would, in a few years, lead to the beginning of the Space Age
). He called on Orville, whose hobby was pyrotechnics
, to build him a rocket.
By 1954, Orville had developed his first rocket, the Rock-A-Chute Mark I. This model had an airframe of paper with balsa
fins mounted on long booms behind the body. Propulsion was achieved by a handmade solid rocket motor burning DuPont fffG black powder propellant. The engine was used once and then discarded. The same technology goes into model rocket engines produced currently.
Carlisle's second rocket, the Rock-A-Chute Mark II had a more streamlined design and is still a practical model rocket today. In 1958, he was awarded for his design of a "toy rocket". G. Harry Stine
, in an article published posthumously in Sport Rocketry magazine, wrote that the U.S. Patent Office should not have awarded Carlisle the patent because the design merely represented a reasonable extension of existing fireworks technology.
Prior to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, Carlisle read an article in the February 1957 issue of Popular Mechanics
by G. Harry Stine, then an engineer working at White Sands Missile Range
. The article remarked on the danger that individuals (mostly teenage boys), inspired by the birth of the Space Age, might experiment with rockets of their own design and end up seriously hurting themselves or even dying. Carlisle realized that he had a solution to this problem with his "Rock-A-Chute" models and engines, a few of which he boxed up and shipped to Stine.
Stine saw the potential in Carlisle's invention as a safe hobby, and together they formed the first model rocket company, Model Missiles, Inc., in Denver, Colorado
. Carlisle offered two kits from his new company: the Rock-A-Chute Mark II and a scale model of the Aerobee sounding rocket
. Soon, the demand for model rocket kits and engines exceeded the production capabilities, and Carlisle sought an external supplier for rocket engines. Vernon Estes
, whose family fireworks company was listed first in the Denver phone book, designed a machine capable of producing rocket engines every 5.5 seconds. Unwise business decisions eventually forced Model Missiles, Inc. out of business, and Estes took over production with his own company, Estes Industries
.
Orville Carlisle became the first member of the National Association of Rocketry
(NAR #1), founded in 1957 by G. Harry Stine. Later, he served as a member of the Technical Committee on Pyrotechnics of the National Fire Protection Agency.
Only two original "Rock-A-Chute" models survived, both of which are preserved in the National Air and Space Museum
.
Norfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Nebraska. It is the principal city of the...
invented the hobby
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
that would become known as model rocketry.
In 1953, Orville and his brother Robert were joint owners of a shoe store on 420 Norfolk Ave. Robert, a model aviation enthusiast, demonstrated his "U-control" planes for groups in parks and schools in and around Norfolk, to demonstrate advances in aeronautical technology since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He wanted a model missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
for use in his demonstrations, to illustrate rocketry technology (which would, in a few years, lead to the beginning of the Space Age
Space Age
The Space Age is a time period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events. The Space Age is generally considered to have begun with Sputnik...
). He called on Orville, whose hobby was pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
, to build him a rocket.
By 1954, Orville had developed his first rocket, the Rock-A-Chute Mark I. This model had an airframe of paper with balsa
Balsa
Ochroma pyramidale, commonly known as the balsa tree , is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a large, fast-growing tree that can grow up to tall. It is the source of balsa wood, a very lightweight material with many uses...
fins mounted on long booms behind the body. Propulsion was achieved by a handmade solid rocket motor burning DuPont fffG black powder propellant. The engine was used once and then discarded. The same technology goes into model rocket engines produced currently.
Carlisle's second rocket, the Rock-A-Chute Mark II had a more streamlined design and is still a practical model rocket today. In 1958, he was awarded for his design of a "toy rocket". G. Harry Stine
G. Harry Stine
George Harry Stine was one of the founding figures of model rocketry, a science and technology writer, and a science fiction author.-Education and early career:...
, in an article published posthumously in Sport Rocketry magazine, wrote that the U.S. Patent Office should not have awarded Carlisle the patent because the design merely represented a reasonable extension of existing fireworks technology.
Prior to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, Carlisle read an article in the February 1957 issue of Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
by G. Harry Stine, then an engineer working at White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
. The article remarked on the danger that individuals (mostly teenage boys), inspired by the birth of the Space Age, might experiment with rockets of their own design and end up seriously hurting themselves or even dying. Carlisle realized that he had a solution to this problem with his "Rock-A-Chute" models and engines, a few of which he boxed up and shipped to Stine.
Stine saw the potential in Carlisle's invention as a safe hobby, and together they formed the first model rocket company, Model Missiles, Inc., in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. Carlisle offered two kits from his new company: the Rock-A-Chute Mark II and a scale model of the Aerobee sounding rocket
Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...
. Soon, the demand for model rocket kits and engines exceeded the production capabilities, and Carlisle sought an external supplier for rocket engines. Vernon Estes
Vernon Estes
Vernon Estes , born January 4, 1930, is the founder and namesake of Estes Industries, the highly-recognized model rocket production company, headquartered in Penrose, Colorado....
, whose family fireworks company was listed first in the Denver phone book, designed a machine capable of producing rocket engines every 5.5 seconds. Unwise business decisions eventually forced Model Missiles, Inc. out of business, and Estes took over production with his own company, Estes Industries
Estes Industries
Estes Industries is a company based in Penrose, Colorado, USA that designs and builds model rocket and model aircraft engines and kits. They were the best known model rocket company during the "golden age of rocketry" in the 1970s and early 1980s, competing primarily with Centuri Engineering and a...
.
Orville Carlisle became the first member of the National Association of Rocketry
National Association of Rocketry
The National Association of Rocketry is the governing body for the sport/hobby of model rocketry in the United States. It was established in 1957 by Orville Carlisle and G. Harry Stine and is currently headed by Trip Barber. It is the oldest and largest model rocketry governing body in the...
(NAR #1), founded in 1957 by G. Harry Stine. Later, he served as a member of the Technical Committee on Pyrotechnics of the National Fire Protection Agency.
Only two original "Rock-A-Chute" models survived, both of which are preserved in the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
.
External links
- Orville H. Carlisle (February 1958) "The Do's and Dont's of Model Rocketry" The Model Rocketeer, Vol.1, No.1, Accessed 9 September 2010