NEXT STOP: TARC FINALS!

The scores are in, and all the hard work has paid off for the 100 finalists for the Team America Rocketry Challenge. Those teams will face one another during the exciting final fly-off on Saturday, May 17 in The Plains, Va. for the title of national TARC champion. After a full day of launches, held at the Great Meadows facility, the winners will be crowned and $60,000 in scholarships will be divided up among the top finishers.

The event, sponsored by AIA and the National Association of Rocketry, is open to the public. Get more info »

RocketBlog!

The official blog of the Team America Rocketry Challenge. Keep an eye here for updates and info during the countdown to TARC '08!

Up, Up, and Away! St. Andrew's Academy Rocketry Club from Lake Almanor, CA Competes for it's 3rd Year in TARC!
Posted: 03.24.08
Posted by: Audrey Koehler

"Its the start of a new year and we're as dedicated as ever to bring home the gold." said former President of the St. Andrew's Rocketry Club, Serena Howe. She resigned her position this year to Joseph Salvatore, yet that does not stop her from encouraging the team to make it back again to Virginia. Both Salvatore and Howe believe that, even though Virginia is on the other side of the country, its not all that far away.

Last year the team made it back to Virginia and flew high and straight in the finals. But Fate did not fly with them. On the Rocket's descent, the Parachute did not deploy, resulting in a broken egg and disqualification.

This year, the Challenge is a bit different. Rather than launching a single egg 850 ft high with a total flight time of 45 seconds, they must launch two eggs 750 ft with a flight time of the same duration. But this new challenge does not daunt St. Andrew's Rocketeers. Already they have ideas for alternate designs, propulsion and ejection systems up their sleeves.

Middle schooler, Josiah Bartel, has suggested, as manager of the designing and creating the propulsion system, that instead of using a single engine to launch the craft, a group of engines, commonly called a cluster, should be used to get the eggs to the required height. So, only a few Tuesdays ago, the team preformed what is called a "static launch." They bound four engines to a piece of re-bar and then set the engines off. This was done to see if all the engines would ignite simultaneously. Otherwise, if the engines do not all ignite at the same time, then the flight time of the rocket, and the height will be longer than they want.

Other ideas of this sort are being shot around throughout the team. Precision is the name of this game. One false step and it could mean the difference between a plane ticket and staying home.

To submit your school's story, email rocketcontest@aia-aerospace.org

Tarc Spotlight Team of the Week
Posted: 02.07.08
Posted by: Audrey Koehler

We want to hear your team's story!  Send a blurb about your team to rocketcontest@aia-aerospace.org and you could be featured on the website as our TARC Spotlight Team of the Week!  Feel free to elaborate on why you're participating in TARC, how it is inspiring you to study math and science, and what your team is doing to make it FUN!

TARC MENTOR LIST
Posted: 11.20.07
Posted by: Audrey Koehler

The NAR/TARC Mentor list is now available under the Downloads - Forms and Documents Section. Use this to find a mentor in your area! If you are still having trouble finding a mentor, please email us at rocketcontest@aia-aerospace.org. Find a Mentor Now

Still Accepting Applications for TARC 2008!
Posted: 11.13.07
Posted by: Audrey Koehler

Applications are still being accepted for TARC 2008 - only 17 days left! Complete your application and postmark it by November 30th for your chance to be a part of this exciting program!

Apply Today!

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