Friday, April 30, 2010

That's one small step...

Our first model rocket launch together was a success. So were the next 4.

Rocketry seems like a pretty good use of time:

  • She may learn a bit of physics and aerodynamics.
  • She may gain some appreciation for precision and attention to detail, e.g., as flight patterns are affected by the alignment of the fins.
  • This might point her in a direction of a career path she should pursue.
  • It may become a hobby.

Of course, it may turn out to be something we do a few times before she loses interest completely.

However it turns out, building things that we can launch a thousand feet up in the sky, recover, and launch again is a whole lot of fun for us both right now. But it's more than a way to kill time. It's got her wheels turning. It's got her thinking about things she'd never thought of before: she created a launch vehicle that goes high in the sky and returns for another round. It's a spark.

It's one small step for a little girl, one giant leap for her imagination.