Windward Community College
Center for Aerospace Education
University Student Launch Initiative 2009-2010

 Leo Hano
The Voice of Authority & Respect

December 19, 2009

Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Kauai.

During the weekend of the Dec. 19, 2009, Dr. Jake Hudson and Todd R. Esposito attended a launch, for Waimea High School, at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF). The PMRF is located on the island of Kauai. The attendance of Dr. Hudson and Mr. Esposito was to help students, to provide technical assistance, and to act as Range Safety Officers (RSO). The mission criteria for this event were defined by Mr. Jerry Nishihara. Mr. Nishihara’s math class of 18 students, was tasked to construct a rocket, and then to relinquish the completed rockets to their parents on the day of the launch. The parents were then tasked to prepare the rocket for launching.

Mr. Nishihara was the Launch Control Officer (LCO) for that day’s event. Dr Hudson, as well as being the RSO, helped the parents with the final preparation of the rocket for launch. Mr. Esposito helped the students recover, as well as photograph, the day’s events. We had 61 persons attend the event, and 18 launches from the student/parent teams. Those rockets were all launched with B6-4 motors. We also had some sport launches that were not affiliated with the math class competition, and those (various rockets) were launched on D and E motors.

The mayor of Kauai, the Honorable Mr. Bernard Carvalho, also attended the event, and seemed very enthusiastic about what the students were tasked to accomplish. It was a great encouragement to see a political figure, such as the mayor, supporting this kind of learning activity. The Mayor was able to participate by launching a rocket that was supplied by one of the attending sport rocketeers. Incidentally, he also had the highest altitude for the day on an E9-8 motor in a modified Initiator rocket. Mr. Stu Burley, our gracious host and contact on Kauai, also was able to launch his first rocket on a D12-7 motor in a modified Estes Sky-Racer rocket. Mr. Burley is the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium (HSGC) representative for Kauai.

Windward Community College

WCC hosts Sky Performance Rocket Club of Hawaii (SPRCH) launches. The WCC CAE USLI Team also conducted their first of many 3/8 scale test.


Mini Me flight log

To contact us:

Windward Community College
Center for Aerospace Education
Building: Hale Imiloa, Room 112
47-720 Keaahala Road
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744

Phone: 808-347-8246
E-mail: Jake Hudson - jacobh@hawaii.edu