NAR Section #473
Pittsburgh Space Command is a sanctioned section of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). Since its inception in 1986 the club has brought rocketeers together from all over Western Pennsylvania to enjoy sport, high power and contest rocketry. During that time our club has safely launched over 22,000 rockets of all sizes and shapes.
Our launch site, located east of Grove City, PA is easy to access and with over 800 acres, is an excellent site for all types of rocket flights.
The club's launch equipment can support most types of flights, from 1/4A to K (and L and M with advanced notice), so we've got you covered.
Whether you are new to rocketry, or are an experienced rocketeer looking to join in the fun with our club, please feel free to come to one of our monthly launches and see what we are all about.
Quick Links
Next Launch: September 28th
Launch Time:10AM-4PM
Waiver Limit: 3850' AGL
Launch Status:GO
Last Updated 6 Sept 2025
New From the Workbench - September '25
Have you ever wondered what it takes to design and build an award winning scale model from the "ground up"? This month's "From the Workbench" answers that question for you. John Brohm takes us through the complete process, from designing using scale data to all the completed model. This is a very detailed article with useful links incorporated to enhance your reading experience and understanding of the design process. There's lots of information and no matter what your interest in rocketry, you'll probably learn something new. Take a look.
September's Launch Postponed to the 28th
Our September launch has been moved to the 28th due to scheduling conflicts. The Cluster Buster contest will still be held at the rescheduled launch. Thank you.
From the Workbench - Aug '25
John Brohm has provided us with another excellent construction article. In this installment of "From the Workbench", John goes through the construction and finishing of the Estes EAC Firecat. Please do yourself a favor and take the time to read this article. You'll be glad you did.
NARAM 66 Highlights
PSC is back from Muncie, where Co-Contest Directors Rod Schafer and Steve Foster delivered a well organized and well-run NARAM. Rod and Steve were supported by PSC members Michele Alexander, who did a brilliant job running registration; Scott Alexander, who took the lead on site set up; and Bruce Canino, who helped with event presentations. Great support was also provided by other NAR members as well, resulting in great NARAM that was just plain fun!
Other PSC members took advantage of Pittsburgh’s proximity to Muncie – the Guzek/Muzek brothers, Sean and Brian, participated as Team Division competitors; our Treasurer, Jerry Kraus, spent the week sport flying; and our affiliated club member, Glenn Feveryear, took second place in C Division Classic Model competition with a perfectly finished Semroc/Centuri Defender.
But the big news comes from the performance of PSC’s Smith family – they did great at NARAM, with Miss Macie walking away with a number of awards in A Division:
Event Specialist Award, B Helicopter Duration, A-Division
1 st place medal, B Rocket Glider Duration, A-Division
1 st place medal, NARAM 66 B Helicopter Duration, A-Division
2 nd place medal, Classic Model, A-Division
Reserve National Champion, A-Division
This young lady takes no prisoners! Congratulations to all PSC members that participated in and supported NARAM 66. If you’ve never been to a NARAM, the good news is the time has never been better. NARAM 67 will be back in Muncie next year, 2026. Watch this space for updates as the details of next year’s NARAM are finalized. We hope to see you there.
Cluster Buster Rules Posted
CMMF XIII
PSC’s two-day Regional, CMMF-XIII, is coming up on the calendar, scheduled for this coming October18/19, 2025.
As many of you know, the Carl McLawhorn Memorial Flyoff (CMMF) commemorates our good friend, PSC supporter and Semroc Astronautics Corporation founder Carl McLawhorn. PSC has been hosting CMMF annually since Carl’s passing in 2013, and over the years the event has become a major model rocketry event here in Western Pennsylvania. Over the two-day weekend you’ll witness (and hopefully participate in!) all kinds of model rocketry flying, ranging from sport flying, competition flying and High Power. It’s a
not-to-be-missed model rocketry event.
Mark the dates down in your calendar, and watch this space for further updates. The events for this meet, along with additional information about NAR/ FAI competition, have been posted on the Contests page.
John Brohm has written an excellent article about the history of this event. If you'd like to know more about the origins of this event, please click here.
Range Guide Now Online
A comprehensive guide to how the range runs along with a guide to model types and how to use the launch equipment has now been posted to the Club Website. If you're new to the club, have always wondered what all those rocketry terms mean, or want to be up-to-date on how we handle low, mid and high power rocketry at the field, please take some time to review it. Don't worry, you won't be tested on this information. It is there to help you better understand what's going on at the field and , hopefully, help you feel more at home when launching with our Club. Thanks!
Newsletter Status
Newsletter production is currently on hiatus due to the lack of a Newsletter Editor. Past issues will be posted on this site as time allows.
If you are interested in filling the position of Newsletter Editor and resuming production of Team Pittsburgh, please contact our Section Advisor.
Photos 2025 (And where you can find Previous Galleries)
We'll be staying with last year's photo collection format. In order to see each month's photos, just click on the image with the month and photographer's name. That way you'll have direct access to all the photos they've taken instead of the ones I've chosen each month. The previous years' galleries can be found using the sidebar menu under Club Information -> Galleries. A few clicks and you're there.
March 2025
April 2025
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025