Rocketry group will launch porta-potty
Posted: November 9, 2014 - 4:05am

THREE OAKS, Mich. (AP) -- A group of Michigan rocket enthusiasts is preparing to conduct an experiment involving a modified porta-potty. The group, dubbed "The Throne Thrusters," plans to launch the portable restroom thousands of feet into the air near Three Oaks. The group is mainly composed of members of Michiana Rocketry, a local high-power rocketry club that frequently launches rockets, according to Larry Kingman of The Throne Thrusters. The project has been in the works for about two-and-a-half years. The group came up with the idea at a meeting, after one member pondered the possibility of launching a porta-potty with the right engine power, Kingman said. "Dave McVeigh, the owner of a local retail hobby store, pointed towards the old decrepit porta-potty bathroom sitting nearby in the field and said, 'I'll provide the rocket motors if anyone wants to make a rocket out of that.' In the bat of an eye, everyone present had their hand up in the air saying, 'Count me in!'" the group's press release reads. A company donated a decommissioned porta-potty to the group for the experiment. Members of The Throne Thrusters have equipped it with cameras, parachutes, seven motors and measuring equipment. The group is aiming to increase awareness of rocketry as a hobby, as well as prove that it's possible to turn a porta-potty into a rocket and launch it successfully. The public is invited to watch the launch of the rocket, which the group has named "Thrusting the Throne," in a nearby field on Nov. 22.