Rocket record

Amateur rocketeers who gathered for a special event in Scotland said they have successfully launched their biggest rocket yet. The Corpulent Stump was fired from a site near Largs in Ayrshire on Sunday afternoon reaching a height of 5,988ft.

The 12.5ft rocket was built by Richard Brown, from Canterbury, costing £4,000.

The launch was the highlight of the International Rocket Week event, which took place at Kelburn Castle and attracted dozens of rocket enthusiasts. It had been hoped that the Corpulent Stump would be fired on Saturday, but the launch was delayed by a day because of low cloud and strong winds.

John Bonsor, organiser of international rocket week, said "It was a complete success, everything worked as we had hoped. The parachute system worked well, it was a good test of the electronics and the vehicle proved very stable."

After coming back down to earth, the rocket, which had been loaded with an engine, fuel and about £1,000 worth of electronics, was retrieved having suffered little damage.

Mr Bonsor said it was hoped the reinforced cardboard, tubed rocket would make an appearance at next year's festival.

The enthusiasts who took part in the International Rocket Week event said amateur rocketeers had a long record of developing new technologies and techniques which have shaped space exploration from its beginnings.