Contests & Events

Hello WAC Members,

We’re excited to share an incredible opportunity for the Washington Aerospace Club to be part of history!

NASA has selected The Museum of Flight as one of only four official locations nationwide to host an Artemis II Launch Watch Party, and WAC has been invited to participate as a featured activity partner. This is a huge honor—and a fantastic chance for our members to share their enthusiasm for Artemis, human spaceflight, and hobby rocketry with the public.

What’s the opportunity?

WAC will host an activity table during the two hours leading up to the launch window, engaging museum guests before we all gather to watch the launch together as part of NASA’s official livestream. It’s a perfect setting to:

• Talk Artemis and the return to the Moon

• Share our passion for hobby rocketry and aerospace education

• Represent WAC to a wide, enthusiastic audience

• Be part of the local space community supporting Artemis II Launch Watch Party | The Museum of Flight 

When?

Because launch dates can shift, NASA has identified several possible launch days. We’re looking for volunteers who are available on one or more of the following dates (all times are PDT):

• Wednesday, April 1 – Event starts 1:24 PM | Launch window opens 3:24 PM

• Thursday, April 2 – Event starts 2:22 PM | Launch window opens 4:22 PM

• Friday, April 3 – Event starts 3:00 PM | Launch window opens 5:00 PM

• Saturday, April 4 – Event starts 3:53 PM | Launch window opens 5:53 PM

• Sunday, April 5 – Event starts 4:40 PM | Launch window opens 6:40 PM

• Monday, April 6 – Event starts 5:36 PM | Launch window opens 7:36 PM

Our goal is to have WAC members represented on each potential day, knowing that the final launch date will be set closer to liftoff.

We'll likely need to arrive 15 - 30 minutes prior to the event start to setup our table.

Interested in helping?

If you’d like to participate, please let us know which day(s) you’re available by filling out this short form:

👉 Sign up here: Artemis II Launch Watch Party WAC Participation Survey – Fill out form 

This will help us coordinate coverage, logistics, and communication with the Museum of Flight team to those that respond to the from.

Whether you’re a longtime flyer, a builder, or just love talking space, this is a fantastic way to represent WAC and inspire the next generation of aerospace enthusiasts.

Thank you, and we hope to see many of you there—clear skies and smooth launches!

Best regards,

Jack Poehlman

Vice President - Washington Aerospace Club

Pete Schurke has been organizing and running NAR Competition events at our 60 Acres Launches.  Keep tune for updates.

From the 60 Acres January Launch:

Good afternoon, Rocketeers!

Our January contest was lightly attended, but the two flyers did very well!

• S3 (Parachute Duration): Shane Ferrell had three qualified flights totaling 251.84 seconds.  Good enough to put him into third place on the national scoreboard in the C division!  His second flight found a thermal no-one thought could possibly exist in January--not just once, but three times! His flight would have been even longer, had it not snagged in a rocket-eating tree.

• S9 (Helecopter Duration): Jim Wilkerson had three qualified flights totaling 106.81 seconds.  Good enough to put him into fourth place on the national scoreboard in the C division!  His last flight may have found the remnants of the same thermal Shane had caught, giving him a very robust flight time.

Respectfully submitted,

Pete Schurke

WAC Secretary and Contest Director