Remember the days when people only did what they learned in school? Aviators flew, teachers taught, blacksmiths slammed iron, and audio engineers made music. Yeah, me neither, that was a long time ago ...

The Vector-R P-19H engineering model during an aborted launch in April. The rocket flew what the company said was a successful, but low altitude, test flight May 3. Credit: Vector Updated May 5.

What could be more thrilling than launching a complex rocket that you built yourself? For starters, launching it with literally anything better than the stock ignition system would be a step in the ...