Aerospace Industries Association,
Teams Will Meet in Fly-Off May 19
ARLINGTON, Va.: The field is set for the final round of the Team American Rocketry Challenge, with the top 100 qualifying teams earning the right to vie for the title next month.
AIA announced the finalists for the world's largest rocket contest on Friday. A list of the qualifying teams is available at [website listed in the “find out more…” section below].
They will meet at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va. on May 19 for a final fly-off and a shot at more than $60,000 in scholarships and other prizes.
The competition is in its fifth year. About 7,000 students on 690 teams from 48 states and the District of Columbia took part in the qualifying rounds of competition, which is in its fifth year.
AIA President and CEO John Douglass said the students once again show a great measure of intelligence and ability, a good sign for the new generation of aerospace workers the industry will need soon.
“We're happy to see another excellent group of finalists, and enthusiasm in the contest has never been greater,” Douglass said. “Hopefully some of these students will be working on real rockets and other aerospace products in the future.”
Like last year, the contest presents teams with a dual challenge. Students must launch the rocket as close as possible to an altitude of 850 feet and a flight time of 45 seconds. The raw egg payload must return to the ground unbroken. Teams had until April 9 to submit qualifying scores, which are achieved by launching the rocket in their home region under the supervision of a judge from the National Association of Rocketry, AIA's co-sponsor of the contest.
AIA created TARC four years ago as a way to generate interest in aerospace careers among young people. It is also sponsored by NASA, the Defense Department, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and 38 member companies.
Raytheon, an AIA member company, is sponsoring a trip for members of the winning team to travel to the International Paris Air show in June. The company sent last year's winners, a team from Statesville (North Carolina) Christian School, to the Farnborough International Air Show near London.
