International Rocketry Challenge, part 3

Madison West High School of Madison, Wisc., faced stiff international competition and placed second in the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough International Air Show Friday. The Raytheon-sponsored team competed against the national champions of France and the United Kingdom.

“The French team took home the trophy, but it’s our industry that’s the true winner today,” said Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Marion C. Blakey. “The skills, teamwork and ingenuity displayed by all three teams today is a great sign for the future workforce of the global aerospace and defense industry.”

Teams of students 11-18 years old hand-designed, built and launched rockets to reach exactly 800 feet during a 43- to 47-second flight. The payload, two raw eggs, had to return to the ground by parachute undamaged. Flight scores account for sixty percent of the total with the other forty percent based on student answers to a series of questions from industry experts about rocketry design and aerospace engineering concepts.

An outgrowth of the Team America Rocketry Challenge now in its tenth year, the international competition highlights the global aerospace and defense industry’s efforts to draw top-notch talent from today’s students. Efforts like these inspire students to study science, technology, mathematics and engineering classes and to eventually pursue careers in related fields.  The technical requirements are tough, but challenges like these fuel the innovation that drives the aerospace and defense industry.

Madison West took second in the 5th annual international competition with a score of 36 and by fielding questions like, “How do you calculate the stability of a rocket?” The team consisting of Meng Lou, Hanwook Chung, Suzanne Hanle and Tashi Atruktsang competed against the UK team from the Perse School in Cambridge and the French team from Lycee Louis Bleriot in today’s challenge.

Raytheon Company sponsored the Madison West team's trip to the international competition as part of the team's first place win of the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) where the Madison West team bested some 3500 high school rocketry enthusiasts.

“Support of competitions like TARC help extend the age group we can reach with our MathMovesU initiative to spotlight STEM learning and success,” said Pam Erickson, Vice President of Community Relations at Raytheon. “TARC Team USA embodies championship attributes that will continue to propel them to success.”

Just days before the London Olympic Games, the International Rocketry Challenge was part of Futures Day at the air show and was one of the many ways event organizers demonstrated to crowds of young people how science, technology, mathematics and engineering have a direct impact on the real world and the aerospace and defense industry. The contest was organized and sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association of America; ADS, the UK Aerospace, Defense, Security and Space association; and Groupement des Industries Francaises Aeronautiques et Spatiales, the French aerospace industries association.

International Rocketry Challenge, part 2

A last minute change of clearances meant we headed back to the practice fields to launch instead of launching on the flight line.

So back we went to set up again--the day had turned gloomy, but it looked like the rain and wind would hold off ...

The UK team launched first:

One last check by the Madison West team of Meng Lou, Hanwook Chung, Suzanne Hanle and Tashi Atruktsang:

Then they launched:

And finally, the French team launched:

And we broke down the launch pads:

The judges retrieved the rockets, and we awaited the results ...

Rocketeers at Farnborough

Friday morning dawned bright and sunny, with intermittent breezes.  If the weather holds, the conditions will be very good for launching.

The teams started early to prep their rockets:

Including some shared information between the U.S. and UK teams:

And then we shifted over to the Innovation Zone for the opening ceremonies for Futures Day here at Farnborough:

All three teams attended the opening ceremonies -- from right to left: Madison West (Wisc.) High School, Perse School (UK) and Lycee Louis Bleriot (France).

At the reception desk at the Innovation Zone:

And the Madison West team got to speak with ESA astronaut Timothy Peake:

Test Rocket Launch

Yesterday the U.S. and UK teams held a practice launch in somewhat challenging conditions.

We arrived at the practice field around 4:30pm local time in a constant drizzle.

Necessity was the mother of improvisation -- we needed to protect the wires and the ignition box:

NAR representative John Hochheimer gave the contestants a run down of the launch procedures:

We scrambled to set up the launch pads:

The U.S. team launched first:

Followed by the UK team:

Big thank yous to Raytheon Company for sponsoring the U.S. team, Madison West High School of Madison, Wisc. to compete in the International Rocketry Challenge! Their support makes it possible for the team to travel to Farnborough and take part. They are a critical sponsor of the Team America Rocketry Challenge, and their unwavering commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education is truly inspiring!

Dreamliner bids farewell to Farnborough 2012

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner flew its final demonstration flight of Farnborough 2012 on Wednesday.

Takeoff:

Flyover:

Poetry in motion:

Showing off the livery:

Touch and go landing ...

Touch:

And:

Go:

Up, up and away ... :

Final touchdown:

And farewell!