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ShareSep. 25, 2002 — High school students from across the country will get a chance to soar to new levels -- thanks to a partnership between NASA and sponsors of the Team America Rocketry Challenge.
The Team America Rocketry Challenge is a first-of-its-kind national amateur rocket competition for high school students. Co-sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry, the challenge is being held in conjunction with the nationwide Centennial of Flight celebration in 2003.
The new partnership will tie the Team America Challenge to NASA's Student Launch Initiative. The Student Launch Initiative is an educational activity designed to motivate students toward careers in science, math and engineering, while giving them a taste of practical, hands-on aerospace work. Introduced in the fall of 2000, the program, based at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., inspires students to design, build and launch reusable rockets and real science payloads.
"We are excited about the opportunity to join two nationally recognized organizations and expand this opportunity for using rocketry as a learning tool," said Art Stephenson, Marshall Center Director. "The partnership will offer hands-on experience and provide a learning forum for students and teachers across the United States through building advanced reusable rockets."
The joint venture will enable the top 10 teams in the Rocketry Challenge competition to submit proposals to participate in the 2003-2004 Student Launch Initiative at Marshall. Up to three high school teams will be selected to participate and be mentored by Marshall engineers and scientists. With guidance from their mentors and teacher representatives, each student team will design, build, test and launch a reusable vehicle and payload aiming for an altitude of 5,280 feet, or one mile.
After completing the project, the three teams will be eligible to receive an invitation to attend Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.
The Team America Rocketry Challenge will select winners from the top 100 schools nationwide at a fly-off competition in Northern Virginia May 10-11, 2003.
For more about the Marshall Center's Student Launch Initiative and AIA/NAR's Team America Rocket Challenge, please visit:
http://education.msfc.nasa.gov/docs/127.htm
http://www.rocketcontest.org/
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