Not your usual school rocket project

May 3, 2013 2:49 PM

In April 1961, the Haigazian College Rocket Society, a group of students at the Lebanese-Armenian Haigazian University in Beirut, led by 25-year old math teacher Manoug Manougian (interview [Part 1][Part 2][Part 3]), built and launched the first rocket made in the Middle East, a few months before Israel. From 1961 to 1966, the group, now called the Lebanese Rocket Society and assisted by the Lebanese military, launched several multi-stage solid fuel rockets named Cedar 1 to Cedar 8 (Reuters). Lebanon's contribution to the Space Race (or surface-to-surface missile development) ended in 1966, seemingly for political reasons. This story is the subject of a documentary + installation by Lebanese artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige.
posted by elgilito (1 comment total)

Inspired by the Voyager Golden Records, discs on board both Voyager probes that are carrying the sounds of the Earth out of the solar system, the artists have composed a Golden Record of the Lebanese Rocket Society. Comprising sounds from the period, the disc is broadcast from a loudspeaker hidden inside the model rocket.

That's a cool idea! Great post, thank you for putting it together.
posted by good in a vacuum at 7:25 PM on May 3, 2013