DAYTON, OH -- A rocketry team from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has advanced to The American Rocketry Challenge National Finals to be held near Washington, D.C. on Saturday, May 14.
“We were very excited to learn over the weekend that Team Prometheus from the museum qualified in the top one hundred out of more than 700 teams,” said National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Educator, Cindy Henry.
“Team Prometheus” recently finished first in the Ohio Cup launch where they had the best score in a field of six teams. Team members include: Springboro High School 11th grader and Team Captain Adam Bellware; Springboro High School 11th grader Danielle Price; Northmont High School 11th grader MiKayla Aaron; Homeschool 10th grader Xander Cottle; Milford High School 11th grader Katherine Ehlers; and Fairborn High School 10th grader Evan Wall.
“Now, the team needs to decide how they will approach the types of flights needed to win the National Finals,” said Henry, “One of the required launches at Nationals will be a little higher, and the other a little lower than their launches at the Ohio Cup. Over the next few weeks, they will need to decide whether to alter their rocket or build a new one. They will probably build two more rockets, then make some launches and computer simulations to finalize their design.”
This is the second time that a rocketry team from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has qualified for the National Finals.
Along with the title of National Champion, the top finishers will represent the United States at the International Rocketry Competition taking place in England in July. The top 25 teams will be invited to next year’s NASA Student Launch workshop.
Students interested in participating in this and other free STEM activities at the museum can visit the website at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Education/.
The American Rocketry Challenge is the aerospace and defense industry’s flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The competition challenges middle and high school students to design, build, and fly a rocket that meets specific altitude and flight duration parameters. This year's rules required teams to build a model rocket that carries two raw eggs to an altitude of 835 feet, stays airborne for 41-44 seconds, and return the rocket to the ground safely with the eggs intact. The requirements are slightly modified for the two launches at the National Finals.