Up on top sat the nose cone. It would be made to slant to almost a point and would be capped by a rubberized cone of some sort. Every time I took the garbage out, I thought about using our downstairs wastebasket for the cap. It was just the right shape for the top of a nose cone. It looked just like the top of the old Gemini space capsule. I knew I’d have to get permission to use it though, since I needed to cut a hole in it so the shaft that turned the propeller could fit through.
There would be a ladder the length of the ship so we could easily get from level to level while in flight. For splash-down, we would have some large plastic floats come out the sides of the ship to keep us from sinking.
My friend Alan’s father was a builder and I knew he always had long boards that could used for the rocket so I approached Alan about the project and he consented on the condition that we build it in his back yard. That was another compromise I had to make. If I had my way, I’d have built it in my backyard.
After showing Alan my detailed plans, we set to work. We started with the launch pad, since that would be the easiest thing to work on.
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