HOUSTON, WE HAVE A COOL EVENT COMING UP. Now is your kid's chance to build and launch rockets and even chat with a U.S. Space Force member! (Photo via Unsplash)

Get ready to have a blast! Kids in the Chippewa Valley have an incredible opportunity to virtually meet a member of the United States Space Force while also getting to build and test their own rockets on Saturday, Oct. 7, in Menomonie.

Open to kids ages 8 to 14 years old, UW-Stout professors Matthew Kuchta and Alan Scott from the Department of Chemistry and Physics will lead two sessions, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, each with different opportunities. The event will be held at the Rassbach Museum (1820 John Russell Rd., Menomonie).

The morning session, held from 9am-11:30am, will feature Rockets 101 and the chance to build and test rockets. At 11am, a live Q&A will be held via Zoom with Tyler Theberge, Deputy Chief Engineer, Delta IV at 4 Space Launch Squadron U.S. Air Force! Attendees will learn about Theberge’s work with rockets.

The afternoon session, held from 1-3:30pm, is open to the public. Kids will require parental supervision, activities including pool noodle rockets and straw rockets, cutout landers, water rockets, and a model solid rocket engine test at 1:30pm.

The morning session requires pre-registration and is limited to 20 spots. For non-members, it is $30 per child and $25 for members. The afternoon session will be free to members and be $8 for adults and $5 for kids or seniors.

See the full schedule of the Rocket Rendezvous event and pre-register online. The event will be held at Rassbach Museum (1920 John Russell Rd., Menomonie).