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WASHINGTON, D.C., May 17 – More than 600 of the nation’s best and brightest students will launch their hand-made model rockets at The Plains, VA, on May 22nd, competing for the honor of being the best in the nation—and for a prize award of $60,000. The Team America Rocketry Challenge requires that teams of students from middle school or high school design and build a two-stage rocket that can fly to an altitude of 1,250 feet—no more, no less—and return a payload of two raw eggs back to the ground unbroken. Nearly 7,000 students in about 600 teams participated in regional fly-offs this year, but only the highest-scoring teams qualified for the finals. The top 102 teams will come from 31 states across the nation having posted average scores of 40 feet—meaning that their rockets came within 40 feet of the required altitude. A list of the teams is available at www.rocketcontest.org. The finals will be held on May 22, at Great Meadow, The Plains, VA, just outside of Washington, DC. The winning teams will share a prize pool of $60,000 in savings bonds and cash. The only national rocket competition for middle and high school teams, the Team America Rocketry Challenge is sponsored by AIA and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and 20 AIA member companies. 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 AIA had originally created the contest as a one-time event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight, but had decided to hold it again after receiving hundreds of requests from students, teachers and parents. AIA’s and NAR’s goal in this contest, he said, is to encourage students to study advanced math and sciences and to consider studying aerospace fields in college. Guests at the finals will include U.S. Senator Mike Enzi from Wyoming, NASA engineer and author Homer Hickam, the original “rocket boy” who inspired the movie “October Sky,” Craig Steidle, NASA Associate Administrator for the Moon/Mars program, and Adena Loston, NASA Associate Administrator for Education. In addition, NASA astronauts Jay Apt and Charlie Walker will attend the event. For more information about AIA’s Team America Rocketry Challenge, including details on how to sponsor one of the teams and to apply for press credentials to attend the finals, visit www.rocketcontest.org
Visit AIA’s homepage at www.aia-aerospace.org
Contact: Matt Grimison, AIA |
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