Vernon "Vern" Estes (born January 4, 1930) is the founder and namesake of

Estes Industries Estes Industries is a model rocket company that was started in Denver, Colorado, USA. History Estes Industries was founded by Vernon Estes in 1958; in 1961, the company moved to a 77-acre tract of land on the outskirts of Penrose, Colorado. I ...

, the highly recognized

model rocket A model rocket is a small rocket designed to reach low altitudes (e.g., for a model) and #Model rocket recovery methods, be recovered by a variety of means. According to the United States National Association of Rocketry, National Associati ...

production company, headquartered in

Penrose, Colorado Penrose is a census-designated place (CDP) and post office located in and governed by Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Penrose post office has the ZIP Code 812 ...

. In 1957, G. Harry Stine and Orville Carlisle founded the first model rocket company, Model Missiles Incorporated, in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. By 1959, the demand for rocket engines was too great for their production capabilities, so they sought out an external supplier. The Estes family business was the first fireworks company listed in the Denver phone book. Their son, Vern, took it upon himself to find a way to mechanize the production of rocket engines. He assembled a machine which he named "Mabel," capable of producing a rocket engine every 5.5 seconds. The machine was powered by compressed air and hydraulics, which was a much safer choice than electricity. Model Missiles, Inc. was forced to fold due to a number of unwise business decisions. Although a model rocketry supplier had disappeared, the market still existed, and Estes formed his own company, Estes Industries, to fill this market. His first kit was the Astron Scout, a simple design that was so small it fit inside the cardboard tubes used for shipping rocket engines. In 1961, Estes moved his company to a facility near

. Although he sold his interest in

in 1969, he remains active in model rocketry and occasionally attends launch events. He also helped start the National Association of Rocketry, and also helped make the Model Rocket Safety Code.

References

*Craddock, Robert A. "Mr. Estes Comes to Washington." ''Air&Space/Smithsonian'', October/November 2000, pp. 18-19. * "Space Age Legends." ''Launch Magazine'', September/October 2006, pp. 24–33, 60–1.

External links

Dear Mr. Estes
a website for Vern's proposed book of the same name.
Vintage Estes Rockets
A website for collectors of Vintage Estes K-Kit Rockets.
Name That Vern
a tribute to Vern Estes and his influence on Model Rocketry. {{DEFAULTSORT:Estes, Vernon 1930 births Model rocketry People from Fremont County, Colorado Living people