The space derby was a racing event for

Cub Scouts Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with some Scouting, Scout organizations, for young children, usually between 8 and 12, who are too young to be Scouts and make the Scout Promise. A participant in the program is called a Cub and a gro ...

in the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

that is similar to the

pinewood derby The Pinewood Derby is the wood car racing event of the Cub Scout Program of the Scouting America. Pinewood derbies are often run by packs of the Cub Scouts program. With the help of adults, Cub Scouts build their own unpowered, unmanned minia ...

car race. Cub Scouts (the young-age division of the Boy Scouts) race miniature

balsa wood ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is f ...

gliders that are propelled by a

rubber band A rubber band (also known as an elastic, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845, by Stephen Perry ...

and

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

. During the 1960s, this was also known as the "rocket derby".

Construction

The space derby kit consisted of a balsa wood block,

assembly,

s, plastic sheet (for fins), and a mounting bracket. The wood block came out of the box with a drilled out center hole. The block was carved into the desired shape, sanded and painted. The mounting bracket and fins could be added either before or after painting. The rubber band was inserted through the center hole with one end on the propeller and the other held in a cross-piece at the rear.

Race

The completed gliders were wound up with as many as 100 or more turns on the propeller and suspended on a string from a separate bracket with the propeller held in place. Two, three or four string lanes were typically used. The gliders were held in place and launched when the mechanism released the propeller.

Retirement

In 2022, the supplier of space derby kits experienced supply-chain issues and was no longer able to make the kits available. After a review of participation in the program over the previous several years, the National Council decided to retire the space derby program.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Space Derby Boy Scouts of America Scouting events Racing Wooden toys

Construction

Race

Retirement

See also

References