Posted by Howard Richman on April 30 2008 at 08:42:48:
An article by L.B. Whyde in today´s Newark (OH) Advocate focuses on a local mostly-homeschool team that will compete in the Team America Rocketry Challenge this year. Here is a selection:
NEWARK -- Josh Robinson knew he wanted to go into aerospace aeronautics after college, but he never thought he would be able to build rockets before that.HowardThrough an opportunity with the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Robinson, a 16-year-old home-schooler from Newark, will compete in May in the finals of the prestigious Team America Rocketry Challenge, the world´s largest model rocket contest.
Robinson is part of a seven-member team comprised of teenagers from the Dayton and Cincinnati areas who call themselves the Titans. They designed, built and tested a rocket, named Falcon I, which is about 4 feet tall and weighs about 3 pounds.
Both the team and rocket names were chosen to reflect their Air Force ties. For the contest, the rocket had to fly for 45 seconds at a maximum of 750 feet, with a payload of two raw eggs, and successfully parachute the eggs back to the ground unbroken....
"The boys work so well together. They have all taken part in the design and building of this rocket," Alan Robinson said. "They were not allowed to have help from adults. This was very hard for me, so I walked around the museum, a lot."
Josh Robinson is helping build a second rocket that will be used as a backup at the national flyoff.
"We´ve learned that rockets don´t like car doors," Josh Robinson said.
Cindy Henry, museum aerospace educator, was the team supervisor for the Titans.
"I can think of no better way to interest students in the core subjects of science, technology, engineering and math than to teach rocketry," Henry said. "It draws from all of these key areas in a way that excites and involved the students in a fun, hands-on process. I am very proud of the team and am looking forward to seeing them compete in the final flyoff."