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By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 11:30 a.m. EST, Feb 20, 2009
LAKE TWP.: Steve Eves felt a little out of place.
Who could blame him?
Eves was hanging with a crowd that included possessors of advanced degrees from MIT and Harvard.
He has a diploma from Springfield High School.
It was a black-tie affair.
Eves hadn't put on a suit since his brother's wedding, more than two decades ago.
He was in midst of men who list going to the moon as part of their job.
Eves heads to Tallmadge every morning to fix cars as a body technician at Tallmadge Collision.
So, just how did Eves, a masterful rocket builder, describe his experience at the ''Year of Apollo'' celebration Feb. 7 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.?
''It was the most incredible experience of my life,'' Eves said. ''The whole thing was absolutely amazing. And the most amazing thing was that we were there.
''Some of the most intelligent people, astronauts and scientists, in the world were there. I have to admit it was a little surprising that we were included in that kind of crowd,'' Eves said.
The event was part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Neil Armstrong's first walk on the moon, July 21, 1969.
The featured event of the celebration was a gala staged beneath one of the three Saturn V rockets still in existence. The rocket was hung horizontally, and nearly 1,000 patrons who paid $150 each wined and dined directly underneath the rocket that reaches 40 stories when standing upright.
While Eves doesn't have the pedigree to stand among the space giants, he does have a Saturn V rocket.
Well, not a real one, but a one-tenth scale model hailed by some of the 12 astronauts and rocket scientists in attendance as the most detailed replica of a Saturn V they have seen.
Word quickly spread about Eves' 36-foot replica that was set up in front of the Space and Rocket Center alongside a full-scale mockup of a Saturn V.
Several astronauts, including Walt Cunningham (Apollo, Saturn), Alan Bean (Apollo, Saturn), Owen Garriott (Skylab), Joe Kerwin (Skylab) and Jack Lousma (Skylab), affixed their autographs on the nosepiece of Eve's replica.
Astronauts had been asked to sign only at a special show table, at which customers paid $50 for a complete set of autographs on a special book, Homesteading Space. But they broke rank and eagerly signed the replica's nosepiece.
Eves said he will apply a couple coats of clear automotive finish to preserve the autographs.
''It was thrilling just to have those guys come up to the rocket and check it out,'' Eves said. ''I was really thrilled when Scott Carpenter, who was in the Mercury and Atlas programs, came up to the rocket and said it was a 'fantastic job, very well done.'
''Walt Cunningham was also really impressed. You can't begin to imagine how great that made me feel when the astronauts complimented me on the rocket. That's as good as it gets.''
Eves said the deputy director of operations for NASA landings, Tim Wilson, looked over the rocket for a long time and said he was surprised NASA hadn't been involved in something so detailed.
''He called it a magnificent model. That made me feel great,'' Eves said.
He said he still isn't sure what spurred his invitation.
''I know the word got out last summer with some stories about my rocket in newspapers and on TV news,'' he said.
''Somebody at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center obviously got wind of it. The next thing I knew, we got a call from Jennifer Covington from the center in December and she invited us to the Year of Apollo celebration.''
Eves, 50, took his wife, Waneda, and her son Ben Duncan, a junior at Hoover High School in North Canton. Eves' good friend Tom Erb of Marlboro Township brought his wife, Beckey, and towed the rocket with his van.
Eves said his group received free passes to all events, including the dinner, and Duncan participated in a special two-day Space Camp held in conjunction with the celebration.
''It was an adventure we never could have imagined,'' said Waneda Eves. ''It was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life.''
They returned home Feb. 8 and put the rocket in storage in a building behind Eves' home.
Now, it's back to work to complete the rocket for its scheduled April 25 launching in a farmer's field in Price, Md.
Eves said his work on the rocket slowed during the winter but still is ahead of schedule.
''The rocket is about 90 percent complete,'' he said.
The rocket will be on display for the next few weeks at the Hartville MarketPlace.
Eves will spend the rest of the winter and early spring completing the rocket, then it's off to Maryland on April 22.
''Once it gets set up on the pad, it's not coming down until it flies,'' Eves said.
Eves will be aiming to create a little history of his own.
If the weather cooperates to permit the April 25 launch and the flight is successful, Eves' rocket would become the heaviest hobby rocket to complete a flight successfully.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
LAKE TWP.: Steve Eves felt a little out of place.
Who could blame him?
Eves was hanging with a crowd that included possessors of advanced degrees from MIT and Harvard.
He has a diploma from Springfield High School.
It was a black-tie affair.
Eves hadn't put on a suit since his brother's wedding, more than two decades ago.
He was in midst of men who list going to the moon as part of their job.
Eves heads to Tallmadge every morning to fix cars as a body technician at Tallmadge Collision.
So, just how did Eves, a masterful rocket builder, describe his experience at the ''Year of Apollo'' celebration Feb. 7 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.?
''It was the most incredible experience of my life,'' Eves said. ''The whole thing was absolutely amazing. And the most amazing thing was that we were there.
''Some of the most intelligent people, astronauts and scientists, in the world were there. I have to admit it was a little surprising that we were included in that kind of crowd,'' Eves said.
The event was part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Neil Armstrong's first walk on the moon, July 21, 1969.
The featured event of the celebration was a gala staged beneath one of the three Saturn V rockets still in existence. The rocket was hung horizontally, and nearly 1,000 patrons who paid $150 each wined and dined directly underneath the rocket that reaches 40 stories when standing upright.
While Eves doesn't have the pedigree to stand among the space giants, he does have a Saturn V rocket.
Well, not a real one, but a one-tenth scale model hailed by some of the 12 astronauts and rocket scientists in attendance as the most detailed replica of a Saturn V they have seen.
Word quickly spread about Eves' 36-foot replica that was set up in front of the Space and Rocket Center alongside a full-scale mockup of a Saturn V.
Several astronauts, including Walt Cunningham (Apollo, Saturn), Alan Bean (Apollo, Saturn), Owen Garriott (Skylab), Joe Kerwin (Skylab) and Jack Lousma (Skylab), affixed their autographs on the nosepiece of Eve's replica.
Astronauts had been asked to sign only at a special show table, at which customers paid $50 for a complete set of autographs on a special book, Homesteading Space. But they broke rank and eagerly signed the replica's nosepiece.
Eves said he will apply a couple coats of clear automotive finish to preserve the autographs.
''It was thrilling just to have those guys come up to the rocket and check it out,'' Eves said. ''I was really thrilled when Scott Carpenter, who was in the Mercury and Atlas programs, came up to the rocket and said it was a 'fantastic job, very well done.'
''Walt Cunningham was also really impressed. You can't begin to imagine how great that made me feel when the astronauts complimented me on the rocket. That's as good as it gets.''
Eves said the deputy director of operations for NASA landings, Tim Wilson, looked over the rocket for a long time and said he was surprised NASA hadn't been involved in something so detailed.
''He called it a magnificent model. That made me feel great,'' Eves said.
He said he still isn't sure what spurred his invitation.
''I know the word got out last summer with some stories about my rocket in newspapers and on TV news,'' he said.
''Somebody at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center obviously got wind of it. The next thing I knew, we got a call from Jennifer Covington from the center in December and she invited us to the Year of Apollo celebration.''
Eves, 50, took his wife, Waneda, and her son Ben Duncan, a junior at Hoover High School in North Canton. Eves' good friend Tom Erb of Marlboro Township brought his wife, Beckey, and towed the rocket with his van.
Eves said his group received free passes to all events, including the dinner, and Duncan participated in a special two-day Space Camp held in conjunction with the celebration.
''It was an adventure we never could have imagined,'' said Waneda Eves. ''It was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life.''
They returned home Feb. 8 and put the rocket in storage in a building behind Eves' home.
Now, it's back to work to complete the rocket for its scheduled April 25 launching in a farmer's field in Price, Md.
Eves said his work on the rocket slowed during the winter but still is ahead of schedule.
''The rocket is about 90 percent complete,'' he said.
The rocket will be on display for the next few weeks at the Hartville MarketPlace.
Eves will spend the rest of the winter and early spring completing the rocket, then it's off to Maryland on April 22.
''Once it gets set up on the pad, it's not coming down until it flies,'' Eves said.
Eves will be aiming to create a little history of his own.
If the weather cooperates to permit the April 25 launch and the flight is successful, Eves' rocket would become the heaviest hobby rocket to complete a flight successfully.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Posted 12:15 PM, 02/20/2009
A picture of the rocket might have complimented the story a little.
Posted 12:49 PM, 02/20/2009
Real Voice of Reason, try clicking the link under the picture in the article that view more photos, pictures of Eves rocket were there.
Uniontown, OH
Posted 04:38 PM, 02/20/2009
Great story! Nice to hear about something other then some thugs holding up a pizza guy!
Akron, OH
Posted 07:59 AM, 02/21/2009
Congratulations to Steve on his adventure. Good luck on the launch.
