Teams wanted for Rocket Competition

September 10, 2009 — Registration for the world's largest rocket competition, the Team America Rocketry Challenge, is now open for 750 student teams in grades 7-12 from any U.S. school, home school or non-profit youth organization. Registration for the 2010 spring contest is open through November 30. The annual rocket contest, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, challenges teams of three to 10 students to design and build a rocket that will climb to 825 feet with a raw egg payload and stay aloft for 40 to 45 seconds. The payload must then return to earth unbroken. The 2010 contest rules and registration information are available online. "The Team America Rocketry Challenge is fostering the next generation of engineers by sparking an interest in math and physics in a fun, team-based environment," said Marion Blakey, AIA president and CEO. "The students are often mentored by real-world engineers and scientists and many teams are sponsored by AIA member companies. TARC is truly an invaluable educational experience." AIA sponsors TARC with the National Association of Rocketry, NASA, the Defense Department, the American Association of Physics Teachers and AIA member companies. The contest is in its eighth year and is proving to be the needed catalyst to generate interest in students with the sciences. According to a survey of TARC alumni: •83 percent became more interested in science and math as a result of TARC. •81 percent gained a better understanding of how math, science, and technology are used to solve problems in the real world. •70 percent became more interested in a STEM career as a result of TARC. •67 percent intend to choose a STEM major in college. The top 100 TARC team finalists are notified on April 9 that they have earned a trip to the competition May 15, just outside of Washington, DC. Student participants compete for $60,000 in prizes, scholarships and a trip to the 2010 international air show in London for an international "Fly-Off" with student teams from France and the UK. In 2008, a team from Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin, took top U.S. honors, but the U.K. team took the world honors in Paris.

A rocket blasts off in the 2009 competition. Photo credit: The Aerospace Industries Association of America Inc. The winning Team America Rocketry Challenge squad from Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin arrived in Paris on June 18 for the world competition. One of the highlights was touring the Paris Air Show. Photo credit: Team America Rocketry Challenge A Madison West High School team takes top honors in the U.S. competition. Photo credit: Team America Rocketry Challenge

• 2012 - 02/22 - Borschberg Begins Simulated 72-Hour Solar Flight
• 2012 - 02/20 - NASA Celebrates 50 Years of Americans in Space
• 2012 - 02/16 - Tiny Robots Swarm Fly in Formation
• 2012 - 02/16 - Civil War Balloon Replica to Take Flight This Summer
• 2012 - 02/09 - Application Deadline Approaches for EAA Scholarship