GUEST: Young Rocketeer James Clinton

Link to Olympia Aerospace Club

The montage continues:

• Quentin is still explaining how the nozzle directs a “river of hot gas that can reach the speed of sound when it hits the mouth of the nozzle!”
  
  Mister Bolden and his assistant look at each other, not as enthused as Quentin.
  
  “Hey, Quentin,” says Homer, calming Quentin down.
  
  Homer turns to the men. “Sorry,” he says.

• A rocket launches, then immediately explodes above the launch pad. The boys yell their disappointment.
  
• Mr. Bolden explains machining on a lathe, and the other machinist works on the bar stock. “It’s called a tapered bore. A tapered bore. Now he’s takin’ off just a little bit at a time…”
  
• Quentin lights Auk V, and runs for the blockhouse. The rocket ignites, partly explodes, and the remaining upper portion continues on its flight. The boys are disappointed.
  
• The boys pry up more abandoned rail to sell.
  
• In the machine shop, the boys are hard at work, sawing and polishing the bar stock. Homer practices his welding skills. Mr. Bolden says, “Good deed! good deed!”
  
• Another rocket launch ends with a cartwheeling rocket that finally explodes.
  
• The boys and Mister Bolden listen to Quentin explain his finding from the previous flight.
  
  “I’m concerned that the mass of the added propellant, compared to the mass of the empty rocket, will be too little,” says Quentin.
  
  Mister Bolden looks at O’Dell for a translation.
  
  “He’s afraid it’ll be too heavy,” says O’Dell.
  
  “Why don’t we just make it longer?” asks Mr. Bolden.
  
  Quentin nods, then says, “Longer would allow increased volume for the propellant without much additional mass.”

In This Episode

• Jake Gyllenhall as Homer Hickam
• William Lee Scott as Roy Lee
• Chris Owen as Quentin
• Chad Lindberg as O'Dell
• Randy Stripling as Mr. Bolden