How to grow a tech-based student rocket competition By Peter Plumley 2007 Northeast Regional Space Grant Meetings September 7th 2007

Growth of design, build and compete events Exponential growth in teams participating in The CNY Rocket Team Challenge. Linear growth in number of teams participating in Bridge Build’em and Bust’em.

CNY Rocket Team Challenge Five years running –October Skies (1 st year college freshman) –CNY Rocket Team Challenge Spring HS program 2003 Expanded to 4 th – 12 th in 2006

Current Program Boundaries Organized by MOST, SU (LCSmith) and TACNY Major sponsorship by LMCO & NASA Space Grant Divisions –Middle school/Junior High 4 th - 8 th –High school 9 th – 12 th Launch Sequence - First Saturday in June –flies with altimeter, eggstronaut, on-board audio and video camera transmitter Use rocket simulation software to assist in design and to simulate performance and stability Judging –Aesthetics, Presentation, Successful flight, payload recovery, and accuracy in estimating apogee

Rocket Stability Center of Mass (CM or CG)– during flight, point about which an unstable rocket tumbles. –Three axes of rotation Center of Pressure (CP) –In the presence of flowing air, that point of equal stress CM must be forward of the CP or rocket will be unstable! Roll Yaw Pitch

Recording Altimeters Audible peak reporting with full flight logging and download.

Demonstration High Power Rocket Project ¾ scale Nike Sounding Rocket Schools invited to design and build payloads 150 Pound lift, 8,000 ft apogee possible Live GPS tracking with google earth.

Predicted Apogee – 5500 Recorded

Rocket Video’s Example of rocket project without LMCO support.

X-Treme X-plorers Rocket project with LMCO & NASA Space Grant support!

Growth due to: Pizza T-Shirts High Tech & Large Scale