On Saturday morning, four members of Milton’s Rocketry team, watched their rocket, “M.A.R. Egghead” take flight before an official judge of the National Association of Rocketry in Halifax, Massachusetts. The launch qualified the team for Team America Rocketry Challenge 2003.
Team Rocketry Challenge 2003, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry challenges high school students to design, build and fly a model rocket, holding within it two raw eggs, to exactly 1500 feet. The top 100 teams will compete in a fly-off in Northern Virginia in April 2003. This is the first ever competition of its kind.
Milton’s assembly team worked steadily until the early morning hours Saturday and launched “Egghead” at the Frontier Rocketry Club’s official launch site. The students designed a two-stage, 1.5-pound rocket complete with a microaltimeter to record the rocket’s apogee upon safe return.
Upon return from 735′ Milton’s two, Grade A raw eggs were completely intact as the A1 microaltimeter beeped, indicating the rocket’s highest point in flight. Both the booster and sustainer stages were recovered with slight damage.
While they did submit their test launch to the A.I.A., the team will try again next week with a new design in hopes of strengthening their chances of selection to the National Fly-Off in April. Please see Mr. Gagnon, science department, if interested for 2004.
