Team America Rocketry Challenge |
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E=MC2 Rocket Team 2003 |
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The Aerospace Industries Association sponsors the Team
America Rocketry Challenge -- the world's largest model rocket contest for
high school students. Nearly 900 high school teams consisting of 9,000
students- is narrowed down in regional fly-offs to the top ranking 100 teams.
The students were asked to design, build and test a model rocket that could
fly as close to 1,500 feet as possible with a payload of two raw eggs, and
then parachute the eggs back to the ground unbroken. The final 100 teams come
from 36 states across the nation, including the District of Columbia. The
finalists will compete at the Team America national fly-off to be held May 10
in The Plains, VA. The top five winning teams will share a prize pool of
$50,000 in savings bonds and $9,000 in cash. The contest is the first
national rocket competition for high school teams and is sponsored by AIA and
the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) has contributed additional prizes, including a
chance for students to build an advanced rocket and the opportunity for
teachers to attend an advanced NASA rocketry workshop, meet with NASA
engineers, and tour the Marshall Space Flight Center.
AIA
President and CEO John W. Douglass said that the contest was created to
celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight, and to encourage students to enter
careers in aerospace fields. The requirements for the contest are rigorous
and extremely challenging, he said, and proved to be quite difficult for high
school students. Nevertheless, one team in the regional fly-offs reported a
qualifying flight that hit the 1,500-foot altitude requirement perfectly!
Douglass said the national fly-off would be a golden opportunity for colleges
to recruit high school students for aerospace engineering studies. "Some
of the sharpest and most creative young minds are taking part in this
contest," he said. "Tomorrow's aerospace engineers -- the ones who
will design and fly the next generation of military aircraft, or develop
spacecraft with solar sail technologies -- are cutting their teeth on these
model rockets." Guests at
the finals include NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, and NASA engineer and
author Homer Hickam, the original "rocket boy" who inspired the
movie "October Sky," and Art Stephenson, Director of the Marshall
Space Flight Center. In addition, Jay Apt, a NASA astronaut who flew four
times as a mission specialist on the space shuttle, has agreed to be one of
the two range safety officers for the competition. For more information about AIA's Team America Rocketry Challenge, including details on how to sponsor a high school team and to apply for press credentials to attend the finals, visit the following web site. |
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Off To Cape Cunningham |
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E=MC2 & The Intimidator |
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Rocket Science In Action |
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E=MC2 First Rocket |
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E=MC2 Rocket Day |
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At MCHS Rocketry Is Looking Up!!! |
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Gene Knows E=MC2 Rockets Rock |
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