Rocketry

The St. Thomas Rocketry Team was established by Dr. Ed Marintsch in 2002 in order to promote the sport of Model Rocketry while encouraging young men to pursue careers in the sciences.  Participation in the team primarily involves the design, construction, and launching of rockets in conjunction with the competitive rules of the Team America Rocketry Challenge, an annual nationwide event sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry.

No prior experience in rocketry is necessary to join this team.  Students simply need to have a willingness to learn the basics by getting familiar with the RockSim computer program, reading the Handbook of Model Rocketry, and attending regular meetings.

Since its inception, team members have been competing in the Team America Rocketry Challenge by designing, building, and launching one or two-stage rockets, carrying one or two eggs, to target altitudes and/or times in the air. They have qualified several times for the National Finals, held in Manassas, VA (near Wash., DC).  In 2005, they placed 13th nationally out of 712 teams representing all states.

This year, the Team America Rocketry Challenge competition will involve launching a rocket to exactly 850 feet with a target time in the air of 45 seconds.  In preparation, team members will learn how to design a rocket using RockSim, contribute problem-solving ideas, help in building the final product, and participate in trial and qualifying test launches held at NASA. Visit www.rocketcontest.org  for specific rules. The top 100 teams in the country will be invited to the finals in May 2007.

The Rocketry Team meets as needed during September, October, and November, to design the rocket and run simulations.  In December and January they build and test the rocket.  In February they finalize the rocket and conduct qualifying flights.  Members are required to participate in 70% of the meetings in order to qualify for prizes awarded to the finalists (which equates to at least 75 hours over the September thru February time period).

Moderator: Dr. Marintsch