Are You Ready For (LOTSA) LIftoff(s)???
AIA tells ANN that the nation's top
100 student rocketry teams will compete in the final round of the
Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). The finalists include teams
from 30 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands who qualified after
months of preparation from a field of 669 squads and thousands of
students.
The eighth annual TARC – the world's largest rocket
contest – will take place Saturday, May 15, at Great Meadow
in The Plains, Va. Qualifying teams of middle- and high-school
students have the chance to earn $60,000 in scholarships and
prizes. The TARC champion will also win the opportunity to compete
internationally at an air show near London in July.
"This year's TARC contest will be among the most competitive in
its eight-year history because of the high number of teams that are
participating," said AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey. "It's
an exciting time for young people to be exposed to rocketry and all
the aerospace industry has to offer. We're seeing a real surge in
our industry with TARC alumni taking advantage of exciting career
opportunities with many of our member companies."
TARC teams are challenged to design, build and launch a model
rocket with a raw-egg payload to an altitude of 825 feet and
achieve a flight duration between 40 and 45 seconds. The rocket
must return the egg safely and unbroken without using a
parachute.
The goal of the contest is to bolster student interest in the
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and
attract more young people into aerospace careers. The STEM labor
force is aging. Across all degree levels and fields, about 26
percent of workers with science or engineering degrees are older
than age 50.
AIA co-sponsors the world's largest rocket contest event with
the National Association of Rocketry in conjunction with NASA, the
Defense Department, the American Association of Physics teachers
and more than 30 AIA member companies, with Raytheon once again
providing a fully paid trip for the winning team to the air show in
July. NASA also invites top teams to participate in its Student
Launch Initiative advanced rocketry program. More than 50,000 youth
have participated in the contest since its inception in 2003.
Founded in 1919, the Aerospace Industries Association represents
the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of civil,
military, and business aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial
systems, space systems, aircraft engines, materiel, and related
components, equipment services, and information technology.
ANN will be sending the best of their Aero-TV teams to TARC to
cover this exciting event... be sure to check out our complete
coverage!