Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
ApogeeRockets.com -
What's my favorite rocket of all time? It's the Nike Hercules — and in this video, I'll tell you why, from the first time I saw it in a 1970s catalog to the day we finally built it at Apogee.
The Nike Hercules is one of the most complex model rockets we make: a two-stage design with a cluster of four motors in the bottom stage, electronic staging, 20 fins, and spin stabilization. When you're flying something this complex, you can't keep all the prep steps in your head — you need a checklist. In this video, I'll share why that checklist saved this rocket (and why the first launch didn't go as planned).
In this video, you'll learn:
✅ The history of the real Nike Hercules — a nuclear-tipped surface-to-air missile from the 1950s
✅ Why this rocket is my personal favorite, and how we developed it at Apogee
✅ What makes the Nike Hercules so complex: cluster motors, electronic staging, and spin stabilization
✅ Why complex rockets demand a pre-flight checklist (and what happened when I didn't use one)
✅ Where to download the free Nike Hercules pre-flight checklist
✅ How the rocket is designed for both two-stage and single-stage flight configurations
Get the Nike Hercules Kit: apogeerockets.com/Model-Rocket-Kits/Skill-Level-5-Model-Rocket-Kits/Nike-Hercules
📄 Download the free pre-flight checklist: Available on the Nike Hercules product page under "Downloads"
🛠️ Building supplies, motors, and electronics: apogeerockets.com
I'm Tim Van Milligan, and this is the Apogee Rocketry Workshop. May the winds be light, the skies be blue, and may all your rockets fly straight and true.
#NikeHercules #ModelRocketry #ApogeeRockets
ApogeeRockets.com -
What's my favorite rocket of all time? It's the Nike Hercules — and in this video, I'll tell you why, from the first time I saw it in a 1970s catalog to the day we finally built it at Apogee.
The Nike Hercules is one of the most complex model rockets we make: a two-stage design with a cluster of four motors in the bottom stage, electronic staging, 20 fins, and spin stabilization. When you're flying something this complex, you can't keep all the prep steps in your head — you need a checklist. In this video, I'll share why that checklist saved this rocket (and why the first launch didn't go as planned).
In this video, you'll learn:
✅ The history of the real Nike Hercules — a nuclear-tipped surface-to-air missile from the 1950s
✅ Why this rocket is my personal favorite, and how we developed it at Apogee
✅ What makes the Nike Hercules so complex: cluster motors, electronic staging, and spin stabilization
✅ Why complex rockets demand a pre-flight checklist (and what happened when I didn't use one)
✅ Where to download the free Nike Hercules pre-flight checklist
✅ How the rocket is designed for both two-stage and single-stage flight configurations
Get the Nike Hercules Kit: apogeerockets.com/Model-Rocket-Kits/Skill-Level-5-Model-Rocket-Kits/Nike-Hercules
📄 Download the free pre-flight checklist: Available on the Nike Hercules product page under "Downloads"
🛠️ Building supplies, motors, and electronics: apogeerockets.com
I'm Tim Van Milligan, and this is the Apogee Rocketry Workshop. May the winds be light, the skies be blue, and may all your rockets fly straight and true.
#NikeHercules #ModelRocketry #ApogeeRockets
