CONTEST EMAIL ARCHIVES
Date: 05/10/2006
Subject: Greenhill students fashion a craft that's built to blast
Greenhill students fashion a craft that's built to blast
Addison: 4 set to launch self-designed rocket in national competition
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, May 5, 2006
By ALLISON WISK / The Dallas Morning News
While others their age are struggling through pre-calculus, four Greenhill School students are preparing to launch a rocket of their own design for a share of a $60,000 purse.
Juniors Matthew Udomphol, Robby Hardesty and Peter Bong and sophomore Zachary Litman are preparing for the May 20 Team America Rocketry Challenge in The Plains, Va. Seven Texas teams are among 100 that advanced from the initial field of 678.
Teams are challenged to launch a lightweight model rocket of their own plan and construction 800 feet with a raw egg on board. The egg must be intact and undamaged upon landing.
For most in the Greenhill group, the desire to blast off rockets appeared early in life. Matthew's inclination toward science and physics appeared in elementary school.
"I launched my first rocket in fourth grade," he said. "I went out and bought a kit with my dad."
As Matthew's love for propulsion and momentum grew, he sought an outlet on campus. Vince Mikulski, an Upper School math and computer teacher at the Addison private school, provided guidance.
After working closely with Mr. Mikulski, Matthew thought a club at Greenhill would be a way to get peers involved. That led to the Team America Rocketry competition.
"It originally started the summer before 10th grade," said Matthew, 17. "I saw a short clip about the contest on CNN, and I got a few friends together before the year started."
Those friends included Robby, Peter and Zachary, who, like Matthew, were already interested in rocketry and high-end electronics.
"I became involved in model rocketry around 12," said Zachary, who launched rockets on trips to his aunt's Oklahoma home. "Slowly I progressed, and eventually it seemed logical to join the rocketry club."
Refining the thought and execution of their model was done mainly outside school under the hands-off supervision of Mr. Mikulski. The team toiled for hours at a time on the sophisticated computations, with launches clocking in at four to five hours each.
Finally, after asking a member of the Dallas Area Rocket Society to observe and record their launch stats, team members found themselves on par with the best in the nation.
"We designed an egg capsule using Tempur-pedic foam," Matthew said. "We had to go through different motor configurations."
The real-world application of rocketry and its scientific rudiments will serve the team members in classroom and occupational settings.
"This may sound a bit hokey," Zachary said, "but my life goal is to do something in science that would benefit humanity. This rocketry club gives me field experience. We have drive, and ultimately, hopefully it will lead us great places."
E-mail awisk@dallasnews.com
Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/DN-ndfocus_05met.ART0.West.Edition1.dc65193.html
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