The aerodynamic rocket soared up to 1000 feet in the air. As sophomores Aditya Kaushik and Julian Gingery stared up at it, they reflected on their process and design that took the mechanism from a screen to the sky.

The Model Rocketry Club focuses on designing, creating and calculating trajectories for model rockets. The club uses 3D printing to build their rockets from scratch, doing the whole process themselves.

Sophomore and club member Aiden Lee said he became a member of the club spontaneously, and he enjoys being part of the community. He said he likes the process and accomplishment that comes with model rocketry.

“It is cool how you get to launch these designed rockets in the air. It’s a very amazing club where you can build rockets from this website and 3D print them and launch them up into the sky,” Lee said.

Club adviser Ed Wiser said he thought he was the best suited teacher to make sure everything would go smoothly.

“I thought, well, I was the only person who I know in this entire building who has ever built a rocket and launched them. And I also know a little bit about the safety of it,” Wiser said.

The club uses many features and tools to make their projects possible, one of which is 3D printing. According to Lee, 3D printing is a very precise process and sometimes presents challenges in the process. The model can have some issues and doesn’t always print perfectly.

“Most 3D printed parts come out okay and normal, but sometimes they don’t. It’s hard for it to be accurate. From the model itself, it just sometimes doesn’t come out right,” Lee said.

Co-president Gingery said that the club uses 3D printing to build their rockets because it requires more innovation, planning and creativity. He said they choose not to buy pre-made parts in order to have a deeper sense of ownership and accomplishment.

“You can buy kits and make your own rockets, but that’s not as interesting or creative,” Gingery said. “So we design and we 3D print most of the components, and we then have to assemble all of it together.”

Gingery said the club has many goals. As a small club, they are looking for new members, but their main goal is to continue to develop better and more useful rockets.

“We definitely want to grow as a club, and we want to make a rocket that does its job well and is reliable,” Gingery said. “And we’ll just keep making larger and larger rockets.”