Rocketry Planet

Science students at Northwest High School have accepted a mission: building a rocket that will fly a mile high.

A team from the school is among 37 groups from middle schools, high schools and colleges nationwide challenged to design, build, test, launch and recover a rocket capable of reaching an altitude of 5,280 feet.

Gabe Armstrong, left, and team co-sponsor Wayne Day talk about parts Armstrong cut for a half-scale engineering model of the rocket that students are building. Photo: Richard W. Rodriguez.

Gabe Armstrong, left, and team co-sponsor Wayne Day talk about parts Armstrong cut for a half-scale engineering model of the rocket that students are building. Photo: Richard W. Rodriguez.

Northwest High was invited to submit a project proposal for NASA’s Student Launch Initiative because it placed in the top 20 at the Team America Rocketry Challenge national finals last year in Virginia. NASA engineers approved the school’s preliminary rocket design, and the team is under a $3,700 contract with the federal agency, said Northwest teacher Wayne Day, a team co-sponsor.

The team faces tight deadlines to get the high-powered rocket ready for a test flight in mid-March.

"There is a little bit of pressure considering we are contracted with NASA and knowing that we’re being able to create this from scratch," said senior Jacob Escobedo, 18, of Roanoke.

The team meets after school and is first building a half-scale model that members expect to test Saturday in Frisco, said Day, an engineering and multimedia teacher.

The rocket will be 90 inches long, and the design plan includes four fins, video cameras to record the flight, parachutes to help it return to earth, and GPS tracking to locate it. The rocket will also carry a terrarium of live ladybugs as part of an experiment on effects of the launch, Day said.

The NASA initiative started in 2001 to help inspire students interested in science, technology, engineering and math. The college event is a competition with a $5,000 top prize, but the program for secondary students is not a contest.

Northwest High’s team has created a Web site about the project and plans to hold workshops on model rocketry for middle school students in the district, Day said.

In addition to Northwest High’s team, groups from secondary schools in Houston, Presidio and San Antonio are signed up to submit projects. In April, teams will go to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for a design review with NASA engineers and launch their rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Ala.

Copyright © 2010, Star-Telegram.

Reader comments:

#1 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

That is a generous budget

Chrisn on 01-12-2010 01:01 PM

#2 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

Such a great program! The guys running the program are pretty cool too!

RocketJumper on 01-12-2010 01:46 PM

#3 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

Quote:

That is a generous budget

It is, Chris, but we're projecting that we'll need about $8,000 for the entire project - the rocket(s) (one half-scale, a full-scale and a backup), the electronics and the television support, plus transportation and housing to Huntsville for 10 of us. A LOT of the material is reusable (barring a core sample), but still expensive to acquire in the first place.

Got any spare change?

Actually, this is one of the only school projects I've been involved with where there's money built in to help accomplish the goal.

n5wd on 01-12-2010 04:00 PM

#4 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

Quote:

Quote:

That is a generous budget

It is, Chris, but we're projecting that we'll need about $8,000 for the entire project - the rocket(s) (one half-scale, a full-scale and a backup), the electronics and the television support, plus transportation and housing to Huntsville for 10 of us. A LOT of the material is reusable (barring a core sample), but still expensive to acquire in the first place.

Got any spare change?

Actually, this is one of the only school projects I've sponsored where there's money built in to help accomplish the goal.

I was wondering if the budget was partially to cover travel expenses. That will eat up a lot of it.
Bake Sales and donations are how our friends up the road got there a few times.

UncleVanya on 01-12-2010 04:02 PM

#5 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

Quote:

Such a great program! The guys running the program are pretty cool too!

Why, thank you, sir!


Oh! Wait! You meant the guys (and lovely young lady, as well) in Alabama that are running the program, eh?

n5wd on 01-12-2010 04:04 PM

#6 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

Quote:

I was wondering if the budget was partially to cover travel expenses. That will eat up a lot of it.
Bake Sales and donations are how our friends up the road got there a few times.

Yeah, travel, food, and housing will run us almost $5,500 alone - it's expensive feeding those high school chilluns!

Confidential to TMacklin - I was the source for the story - and I just checked, and I'm still it.. so, source checked! Check!

n5wd on 01-12-2010 04:09 PM

#7 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

Quote:

Confidential to TMacklin - I was the source for the story - and I just checked, and I'm still it.. so, source checked! Check!

I was just kidding! (But folks don't call it the "Fort Worth Startlegram" for nothing!)

tmacklin on 01-12-2010 05:24 PM

#8 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

All kidding aside, congratulations to Wayne and his student rocketeers. It is very refreshing to see a public school teacher and his students being acknowledged for something other than football, especially here in North Texas. And kudos to the Fort Worth Star Telegram for publishing the story.

Good luck in the contest! And ... HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!

tmacklin on 01-13-2010 11:01 AM

#9 Re: Article: Texas students building a rocket under NASA contract

Quote:

Oh! Wait! You meant the guys (and lovely young lady, as well) in Alabama that are running the program, eh?

Especially the technical coordinator!

Congrats to the Northwest students and all of the students in the program. It is (I hope!) a rewarding experience for everybody.

Oh and..... ROLL TIDE, BABY!

Sorry. Had to...

RocketJumper on 01-13-2010 11:31 AM

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Gabe Armstrong, left, and team co-sponsor Wayne Day talk about parts Armstrong cut for a half-scale engineering model of the rocket that students are building. Photo: Richard W. Rodriguez.

From left, Tim Calton, Jacob Escobedo, Logan Van Gorp and Zack Tarter work on the half-scale model of the rocket that they hope to fly in a test in April. Photo: Richard W. Rodriguez.