Students Organize Rocket Society, Plan to Launch Aerobee-Hi Missile

A group of 15 undergraduates have formed the Harvard Rocket Society, Edward C. Pinkus '59, the temporary president of the organization, announced yesterday.

Pinkus described the purpose of the club as "providing an organized outlet for the greatly increased interest in missile launching and allied fields." In addition to building and firing rockets, Pinkus hopes that the group will invite speakers and conduct forums on current events in the field of rocketry.

To Fire Rocket

For their first project, the Rocket Society plans to buy and launch a 30-inch scale model of the Navy's Aerobee-Hi research rocket. The missile rises to 1,000 feet at 200 miles per hour and returns to earth by parachute.

The club also plans to join the American Rocket Association and coordinate activities and exchange information with similar organizations at other colleges.

Other officers elected at the first meeting Sunday evening are Thomas S. Winter '59, vice-president; Richard M. Spector '59 treasurer; and Arthur A. Houghton '62 secretary. These officers have been named on a temporary basis pending Student Council and Faculty approval of the group's constitution.

Anti-Rockette Sentiment

The question of whether a number of interested Radcliffe students will be admitted to the club remains unsolved. While some members favor admitting the 'Cliffies, one of the officers commented that "rocketry is definitely a man's world."

A quick poll of available Annex students indicated, however, that missiles were a favorite topic of conversation, and several said they would form a Radcliffe Rocket Club if barred from membership in the Harvard group.