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Shippensburg trio heads to national rocketry competition this month.  SHIPPENSBURG, Pennsylvania USA — Lucas Kalathas, Amber Keeseman and Scott Neidrick are on a mission to design a model rocket that can lift a raw egg 850 feet and land safely in 45 seconds with perfect score of 0.
On May 19, the Shippensburg Area Senior High seniors will put their efforts to the test in the national finals of the Team America Rocketry Challenge at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va. Their team will be just one of nine from Pennsylvania competing in the event. The Team America Rocketry Challenge features 100 teams competing for more than $60,000 in cash, U.S. savings bonds and prizes. It is sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry, in partnership with NASA, the Department of Defense, the American Association of Physics Teachers and more than 39 AIA member companies. “This is the first time I’ve ever had a group of kids get this far, and they’ve done it on their own,” says physics teacher Sharon Gould. “Although I’m the adviser for the project, they have done all of the design and fundraising themselves.” Competing as the SkyRunners Shippensburg Rocketry Team, the trio qualified for the nationals April 7 with a score of 11 when their rocket reached a height of 848 feet and landed safely in 35.15 seconds. Last year’s national winner posted a score of 1.79, reaching 800 feet in a time of 43.21 seconds. So the SkyRunners have made revisions. “Our altitudes were 830 feet and 800 feet (on subsequent test launches), so they were not as good,” says Lucas. “But we know what we did wrong and hopefully how to fix it.” Dad’s inspiration Lucas, the son of Nick and Diane Kalathas of Shippensburg, credits his father with sparking his interest in model rockets. “I kind of got into rocketry over the summer (last year),” he says. “My dad found a Web site about this competition, and I talked to my friends about it.” Initially, Amber was skeptical that they could build a rocket capable of carrying an egg into the air and landing without breaking it. “It seemed like it would be impossible,” she recalls. “But I thought it would be a neat learning experience — something to put on a resume. When we qualified, it was pretty awesome. It didn’t even hit me right away. It seemed like something that wouldn’t happen in a small town like Shippensburg.” Lucas had little trouble convincing Scott to join the team. “Luke and I are good friends, and I’m really into hobbies like model airplanes and rockets,” Scott says. “He started playing around with rockets and then got the idea to go bigger. He’s good at conceptual ideas. I’m conceptual, too, but I’m also into practicality. I’ve always been interested in rocketry, but he’s pushed it to a new level.” Keep on trying The three friends worked after school and on weekends, and in December they built their first rocket. They made 20 to 30 revisions and now have two rockets that are very similar. “We made one (rocket), and if we found something that didn’t work, we’d take that part off and try something different,” explains Lucas, who is the team leader and conceptual engineer. The SkyRunners went to their first qualifying competition April 2, but their launch was too high. The students made a few adjustments and then qualified for nationals April 7. As the SkyRunners’ construction engineer, Scott is excited about everything he is learning. In fact, he says that one of his goals is to someday build a rocket for NASA. Devil in the details “We’re learning how crucial minor details really are,” says Scott, who is the son of Joanie and Doug Pfahl of Shippensburg and Roger and Regina Neidrick of Chambersburg. “For NASA to send up a massive rocket, they have to keep the weight down.” Scott also notes the contributions of Amber, the team’s finance manager. He says that she is “great with numbers” and is responsible for coordinating fundraising efforts. The daughter of Gary and Cindy Keeseman of Shippensburg, Amber is excited about the upcoming national competition. “We’re competing against bigger schools with more experience and more technology,” she says. “But we’re keeping up with them, which is an accomplishment in itself.” Gould is proud of her students, and she applauds their friends and family for their support. “I’m impressed with what they’ve done,” she says. “They have worked independently, and this is truly their work.” Copyright © 2007, The Sentinel, a division of Lee Enterprise.
05-02-2007 03:24 PM
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Low Power Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 128
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Way to go Lucas! Congrats to the whole team!
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05-02-2007 06:24 PM
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Administrator
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3549
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Congratulations!
It's always exciting as well as encouraging to see a Rocketry Planet user who makes the news, and our member Lucas, as well as Amber and Scott deserve a lot of praise for what they have done. Hats off to all three!
Good luck in Virginia!  |
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05-02-2007 08:09 PM
#3
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NAR 86607 L1
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 182
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Thanks to the both of you. The challenge has been quite, well, challenging, but worth it in every aspect and step of the way. I've had so many new experiences and obstacles, but we've learned through everything we've done. I'd also like to thank everyone here at RP for the help you've given me and our team along the way.
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05-02-2007 09:18 PM
#4
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Growing more clueless...
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2065
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Best wishes Lucas and your team. Most importantly, have fun.
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