CONTEST EMAIL ARCHIVES

Date: 01/08/2007

Subject: Week 8 & 9 Update and NAR Membership!

2007 Teams:

We hope you had a great holiday break and are ready to get on track for TARC! By this time you should have completed the following:

• Fly a basic one-stage model rocket to get an understanding of the basics of model rocketry.
• Using the rocket design and flight simulation computer software and the knowledge gained from reading and from building basic rockets, develop a first design for TARC entry.
• Using your software, conduct flight simulations of your design with various rocket motors on the TARC approved motor list, to determine the best motor(s) to use.
• Locate sources for the materials needed to build the TARC design (starting with the official vendors in the TARC Handbook) and purchase required parts and rocket motors.
• Order your ALT 15K/WD official altimeter from Perfectflite at the special TARC price.

This week and next (Week 8 & 9) you should be working on and completing the following:

• Design and build the electrical launch system and the launch pad (rod or rail) to be used with your TARC entry, if you do not have a local rocket club's system available for your use.
• Begin construction of your initial design for your TARC entry.
• Locate a NAR Senior (adult) member who can serve as your official observer for your qualification flight(s) (Check out http://nar.org/NARseclist.asp to find a NAR mentor by zip code).

If your team is unable to locate a member nearby, it is OK to have an impartial adult, i.e. someone who is not related to any member of the team and not a paid employee of the team's sponsoring school or member of the team’s sponsoring non-profit organization, become a NAR member in order to be an observer. NAR membership can be ordered online and is effective the day it is ordered. This is a good option for teams who are located in more remote areas.

Below are some of the benefits of joining NAR:

The National Association of Rocketry (NAR) is the "rocket flier" half of the NAR-Aerospace Industries Association team that runs the Team America Rocketry Challenge. The NAR is largest and oldest organization for rocketry hobbyists in the world. All of the official adult mentors that assist TARC teams around the U.S., and all of the range crew that runs the TARC finals in May, are volunteer members of the NAR -- people who do rocketry because they enjoy it. While the teachers and students who participate in TARC are not required to be members of the NAR themselves, there are a number of opportunities and benefits that are available for those who do become members. NAR membership is available online at www.nar.org or by use of the printable mail-in application found here http://www.aia-aerospace.org/aianews/features/team_america/pdf/nar_app.pdf

For Everyone. Membership in the NAR includes a subscription to Sport Rocketry magazine, a 48-page full-color bi-monthly magazine filled with articles about rocket flying and how to build rockets. This magazine has extensive coverage of the TARC finals each year. All new NAR members also get a copy of the 48-page "NAR Member Guidebook", a concise how-to-do-it handbook on every aspect of the hobby. NAR membership includes $1 million (per event) personal liability insurance coverage for the consequences of the member's rocket-flying activities as long as these flights are conducted in accordance with the NAR Safety Code.

For Students. The NAR awards 5 or more annual $500 scholarships to students who are NAR members in good standing between the ages of 17 and 22, and who are planning to attend, or are currently enrolled in, a college, university or technical school. Applications are available on the NAR website at www.nar.org/teacher.html. The NAR also holds and annual rocketry Research and Development competition for its members at its early-August national meet, with cash prizes of up to $1000 for the winners in the youth (ages 14 to 18) age division. Check the website www.naram.org for information on the NAR Annual Meet where this R&D competition is held.

For Teachers. The NAR provides 5 or more annual $500 "Robert L. Cannon Grants" to those teachers who are NAR members and who have the best proposals for using rocketry in education. The NAR has applications for these, along with substantial other educational reference resources, on their website at www.nar.org/teacher.html. The NAR also offers an educational resource CD-ROM free in exchange for filling out a survey on that web page about your experience with rocketry. Another educator resource available from the NAR is the Rocketry Educators e-Newsletter. This bi-monthly e-mail provides teachers with announcements, information, and the opportunity to share interests, ideas, and accomplishments with other educators on the use of rocketry in education. To subscribe, go to www.nar.org/newsletter.html.

For Launch Site Owners. TARC teams of three or more students and one or more teachers/adults who are all NAR members may purchase "site owner" insurance coverage for $15 that provides liability protection for Safety Code-compliant rocketry activities to the owner of the launch site where they fly -- an important benefit for gaining access to a launch site in some areas.

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