CONTEST EMAIL ARCHIVES

Date: 04/13/2006

Subject: Arundel Middle School

Rocketry contest puts a premium on teamwork
By KAREN McLAUGHLIN
The Capital
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/04_11-42/CWC
4/11/2006

For seven Arundel Middle School students and their science teacher, hard work doesn't just pay off, it takes off.

On Saturday, the seventh-graders successfully launched their model rocket 857 feet into the air. It stayed aloft for 48.6 seconds and landed with an unbroken egg inside, giving them a shot at the national finals of the fourth annual Team America Rocketry Challenge.

"We're all very excited. We learned a lot about engines and cutting the fins," said CaroLea Casas, 12, of Odenton. "It's like a math problem. If you don't do everything, it doesn't turn out right."

The competition, sponsored by the National Association of Rocketry and the Aerospace Industries Association, is open to students nationwide in grades 7 to 12. The 100 teams with the best scores are invited to compete in The Plains, Va., on May 20.

The winning team will receive prizes and scholarships worth $60,000 and be flown to England to watch an international rocket competition.

Twenty-five Maryland teams are participating in the challenge, including Southern and Northeast high schools in Anne Arundel County.

The Arundel team launches its rocket on Saturdays at Lime Kiln Middle School in Howard County, a site with a lot more space away from trees and buildings than Arundel Middle in Gambrills.

"I like launching it - seeing if it's successful or not," said James Shaffer, 12, of Odenton. "There's usually a surprise with it."

After practice launches, the team works with teacher Danielle Bowman after school on Wednesdays to re-evaluate the rocket's success.

Teams had two chances by yesterday to execute a qualifying launch for their official competition entry. The Arundel team made its first attempt on April 2 with a launch that looked promising, but ended with a broken egg.

Last week the students worked to figure out why. The competition specifies that the cargo must be a large Grade A egg weighing 57 to 63 grams and no larger than 45 millimeters in diameter. When the students realized that there was too much pressure between the egg and the rocket's altimeter, they put the egg and the altimeter into separate compartments. They also redesigned the padding needed to keep the egg from cracking or breaking.

The goal is to reach an altitude of 800 feet for 45 seconds, and launches get a score based on how close they come to the mark. The Arundel team's combined score on Saturday was 60.6. Ms. Bowman said the members will see how their score stacks up when national results are posted after yesterday's launch deadline.

"It's extremely difficult because we're competing against 750 schools," said CaroLee. "So we'll be happy if we get in the top 100. We think we can do it."

Team member Caycee Watson, 12, of Gambrills added, "Even if we don't win, it will be a really good experience."

Each team member has a specific task. Brandon Combs of Crofton and Patrick Johnson of Odenton tape up the rocket's three engines and make sure the rocket can come apart easily. Paige Goodwin and Tiffany Spinks of Odenton sand fins, fold parachutes and wire the engines. Tiffany's favorite part is recovering the downed rocket.

Each team also requires a mentor to oversee launches and serve as a technical and safety adviser. At Arundel, that's Jennifer Ash-Poole of Severn, a member of the National Association of Rocketry and a computer technology specialist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.

"They've had my undivided attention for the past three months," she said.

The Arundel team has been sponsored by the Bead Shack, Food Lion, Giant Food, Papa John's and Subway. The sponsorships defray the competition's fees and supply costs.

According to Ms. Bowman, the students have learned more than how to work with rocketry materials. They've also learned how to solve problems as a team. Teachers and mentors watch for safety, but they can't solve any problems for the students, only point them in the right direction.

Ms. Bowman said the challenge has been a learning experience for her too. She and six of seven members of her group had never built a rocket before. She got the idea from an article in a National Science Teachers Association magazine last fall and the group has been working since November.

"I had no idea what I was getting myself into," she said.

No matter what the outcome, Ms. Bowman wants to compete again next year. She plans to open the team to all grades.

"It's unanimous," CaroLea said. "All of us would do it again."

Return to TARC E-mails.