By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Oxford Twp. — We have liftoff.
On Sunday members of the Oakland County 4-H Sport Rocket Club sent their rockets upward at the Seymour Lake Township Park, 2795 Seymour Lake Road. The event attracted 22 rocketeers and about 50 spectators who watched about 30 rockets head to the heavens with most safely returned to earth.
“Some were lost in trees or experienced high speed reentry and some carried out of range,” said Jordan Schwarz, leader of the Oakland County 4-H Sport Rocket Club, a group for area youth ages 8-19 focused on STEM education and career development, with model rocketry as the focal point.
“Modern rocketry touches areas of physics, chemistry, and mathematics, to build and design real aircraft and spacecraft,” said Schwarz.
Many of the rockets soar to an altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 feet racing up at more than 200 mph. Some return via parachutes others glide back and even helicopter back to earth.
“It’s an inexpensive hobby, that once you learn the basics it’s up to the designer to utilize robotics or payloads, there’s no limit where it can go. There’s a lot of creativity to accomplish a mission.”
Rocketry today is in a very innovative era, he said.
“Many careers can grow from rockets, and the sport rocket club is a great place to start,” he said.
From the early Apollo rockets to the Space Shuttle and now the Mars landing, rocketry continues to grow new experts in a variety of careers.
The 4-H activities are open to the public and follow the rules of the National Association of Rocketry. The club uses per-manufactured rocket engine, electronic launching, and keeps safety first. The Oakland County 4-H Sport Rocket Club meets at 10:30 a.m. the first Saturday of each month at The  Clarkston Independence District Library, 6495 Clarkston Road, Clarkston.
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