Mavericks is hosting this second annual international civilian space competition, in partnership with Draper Fisher Jurvertson, the Stanford Space Systems Development Laboratory, and the Tripoli Rocketry Society. Last year's competition was canceled due to high winds and low visibility.

This year, a back-up waiver has been attained in case of inclimate weather for July 25th, 26th, & 27th 2008. In addition, the competition has been moved to the middle of July where jet stream cross-winds at high altitude will not be an issue.

This years sounding rocket competition, will award a $10,000 cash purse to winner of the Mavericks DFJ J-prize 30K competition class. More details can be found in the competition section of the Mavericks web site.

Mavericks is an approved experimental prefect of The Tripoli Rocketry Association, Inc. There will be minimal insurance coverage at this launch, however, everyone attending, observing, participating or just existing in the area must sign a release waiver. No exceptions.

Minimal launch support equipment will be provided, but competition launch equipment and ground support are the responsibility of the individual or team competing. There will be a range set up with a limited number of launch pads. A central LCO will control all launches within the range by power supplied to all pads, about 1,500 feet, and any and all launches conducted out of area on the playa for all days of the Mavericks event. If you require anything special, you must plan to bring it your self.

For specifics on the competition, competition rules, and registration, please go to the Competitions area of the Mavericks web site.

There are two options when staying at Black Rock for any event. Reserving a room at the Bruno Country Club & Luxury Resort in Gerlach, or camping out on the Lake Bed.

We have arranged discount packages with a local RV vendor in Reno. See our partners page for more details. We recommend camping!

Bruno’s Motel, Gerlach, NV has 40 rooms and has limited availability. The rooms are rated 5 stars minus-4½, but the showers are the greatest after a day out on the playa! Rates vary from person to person and to this day nobody has been able to figure out exactly how much a room costs. Expect to pay between $40 to $50 a night. Most rooms have two beds however, they’ve been known to hold up to 12 people each! Reservations are most definitely required and the rooms fill up fast. Don’t delay, call today 775-557-2220 -oops! You’re probably too late!!

BLM allows us to camp out on the lake bed, or at the Cove near the launch site (watch for scorpions). Campfires are permitted at Black Rock but they must not be made directly on the surface of the playa. The BLM said NOT to make the fires directly on the ground. They should/must be in a container of some kind. BLM has shown and proven the surface of the lake bed is clay and the fire will bake it hard like pottery. This leaves a high spot after the rains and wind. Really! So make all fires in a container and try to keep them off of the ground - some. The standard fire container is the tub from a washing machine supported on bricks.

About the Mavericks
The Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation is a charitable (501 (c) 3) educational foundation which provides educational and research resources for the purposing of granting support and competitive prizes to drive innovation and education focused on civilian space flight and space exploration.

Website: http://www.rocketmavericks.com/