Rocket Man

One of the hidden gems of Maryland's cultural landscape is the Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center. Though relatively small in scale, it's a testament to the ways in which interactive technology and learning can be linked. Computer stations where you can plot the trajectory of a rocket mission, interactive video displays exploring the Hubble telescope, sphere screens documenting storms on the Sun... so much cool stuff. In short, NASA offers a ton of educational value.

But my (and my kids') favorite thing is the weekly model rocket launch.

Last time there, we saw four rockets launched up to heights of a few thousand feet. And let me tell you model rockets = awesome.

But when it comes to model rockets, perhaps nothing will ever be able to beat the event that's planned to happen this coming Saturday on Maryland's Eastern Shore when a guy by the name of Steve Eves plans to launch a 36 foot tall 1,600 lbs model rocket. Read the incredible history of this endeavor here.