When I told my fellow editors that TELUS World of Science Edmonton (TWOSE) was hosting a rocket launch event, we had different pictures in mind: Are they sending spy satellites to space? Are they building a secret base inside the dome? Turns out the TWOSE team arranges this free public event series several times a year, and hundreds of foot-tall rocket models have been launched in front of the entrance.
The upcoming commemorative rocket launch features 10 small-sized Saturn V rockets in celebration of the 53rd anniversary of the lunar landing, which also fits the current feature gallery, Apollo: When We Went to the Moon.
“We also have bigger rockets that are about a metre tall, and they come down with parachutes,” says Frank Florian, senior manager of Planetarium and Space Sciences at TWOSE.
Staff at TWOSE are happy to guide the kids at the site and let them press the launch button. At many of the rocket launch events, kids are also welcomed to take the models home as souvenirs. But the staff need the public to return this batch of Saturn V models for other special occasions.
“The uplift range depends on the engines we put into the rockets,” explains Florian. “These models can go between 600 and 1,000 feet. It’s pretty exciting every time for the kids and families.
“We prefer to launch the rockets one-by-one. It’s cool to see them go up all at once. But when they come back to the ground, we don’t have that many eyes to locate all of them. You don’t want those rockets just raining on the crowd.”
The TWOSE Planetarium and Space Sciences team hosts rocket launch events throughout the year, with the latest one being on Canada Day. They usually fall on anniversary dates of space science discovery events.
Stand with the curious crowd and see rockets go up into the sky in front of the TWOSE entrance on July 16 at noon.
