On July 16, 1969 the Apollo 11 crew was launched to the moon by a Saturn V rocket. Some may remember it. Some have just read about it. However, one Lake Township resident is living what he saw on television 40 years ago. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of that historic launch, Steve Eves is going to launch a Saturn V rocket he built. Eves and the rocket will set a record and make history.
Eves, 50, stated he has played with model rockets since he was a child and as an adult he still does, just on a bigger scale.
“I remember sitting in school and the teacher rolling in the TV on a cart so we could watch rocket launches over the years,” he said. “Kids don’t realize what an accomplishment the moon landing was. NASA pulled it off.”
Eves, a 1976 graduate of Springfield High School, has built a 1:10 scale Saturn V model rocket. It will be launched on April 25 on a 400-acre farm in Price, Maryland. There will be a large crew of fellow rocketeers on launch day to help out.
This is the first time ever that a model rocket of this scale has been launched. The rocket stands 36 feet tall, 40 inches in diameter and on launch day will weigh about 1,800 pounds.
On March 21, with the help of a 60-ton hydraulic crane, the 36-foot tall tower was set in place for the launch. In addition to the tower the electronics have been flight tested and configured. The eight 13,000ns N-Class motors which will surround a central 77,000ns P-Class motor are ready to send the rocket a mile into the sky and the five parachutes are ready to bring the Saturn V safely back to earth in three stages.
The project does not come without costs. The motors alone cost more than $13,000. Sponsors have helped with the cost as well as donations through the Rockets Magazine Web site. After the flight, the sponsors keep the motor hardware and will receive a plaque detailing their support.
Eves recently attended the “Year of Apollo” celebration at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He stated it was incredible and amazing. It was part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Neil Armstrong’s first walk on the moon. Several astronauts, including Walt Cunningham (Apollo, Saturn), Alan Bean (Apollo, Saturn), Owen Garriott (Skylab), Joe Kerwin (Skylab) and Jack Lousma (Skylab) autographed the nosepiece of Eves’ rocket.
The countdown continues to tick away on this rocket man’s World Record Saturn V launch and you can watch the countdown on www.rocketsmagazine.com.
“With the help of everybody, we are going to fly it,” he said. Eves and his wife Waneda have five children. Eves works as a body technician at Tallmadge Collision. His skills have helped in the building of the Saturn V model. For more information, videos and pictures go to the Rockets Magazine site.
