An Apogee Snarky lifts off on a Estes D13 engine.
Model rocketry (sometimes referred to as "low-power) is where hobby rocketry has its roots. Started in the late 1950's by Orville H. Carlisle, G. Harry Stine, and Vernon Estes (founder of Estes Rockets), model rocketry helped satisfy the intense interest in space flight at the beginning of the space age. Unfortunately this interest resulted in an large number of injuries caused by youthful rocketeers attempting to build their own rocket motors. The founders of model rocketry answered this problem by designing a mass-produced and safe rocket motor design. The rocket motor used a black powder propellant, a ceramic nozzle, and, most importantly, a wound paper casing. The paper casing removed any risk of dangerous metal shrapnel.
Other features of a model rocket are balsa wood fins, cardboard body tube, a plastic or balsa nose cone, and a flight weight of less than 1 pound.