White Sands Missile Range is once again hosting the SystemsGo Rocket Program for its season end launches. This year four schools will be traveling to New Mexico to test their rockets at White Sands Missile Range, they include:
Alamo Heights HS
Brazoswood HS
Union Grove HS
Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson HS
June 13th through June 15th are the dates for this year’s WSMR launch. The SystemsGo team and schools will be traveling to Alamogordo, New Mexico for lodging on June 12th. Early on the 13th, preparations at the site will be made with the goal of launching all four rockets Saturday. The 15th, Sunday, is our contingency day, but the hope is that it will not be needed. Sunday is Father’s Day and WSMR personnel would prefer not to work and we would love to be on the road home.
ABC1 is our scheduled range again this year. ABC-1 does not have a large bunker, so only essential launch personnel stay on site, and the SG staff evacuate out five miles for launches. Students and teachers are taken to a secure location known as Tula G, which is further down range where they watch the launches on screen inside a designated facility. Due to this no extra personnel are permitted to attend these launches. All those in attendance please remember to have your state issued ID on your person at all times. WSMR will be checking them.
There will be tents on the range, the same as last year. Rockets need to be complete by the end of the day on Friday. FRR will be conducted on the 11th an 12th. Pressure checks will be retested on site the 13th to be sure the trip out to range has not compromised anything.
At this time I do not have exact information on schedules on range for Friday or Saturday. Hopefully I will be able to provide that in Thursday’s update edition.
If Mission is Complete on Saturday evening, then evening activities may include some White Sands National Park dune sledding.
SystemsGo team members will be residing at the Quality Inn and Suites in Alamogordo this year.
The Goddard level rockets, which are the capstones of the SystemsGo program and the culmination of all the skills the students have learned throughout their years in the STEM program. This marks the final senior project for the schools that participate in for the SystemsGo program.
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be benefited.
White Sands Missile Range is once again hosting the SystemsGo Rocket Program again for its season end launches. This year three schools will be traveling to New Mexico to test their rockets at White Sands Missile Range, they include: Alamo Heights HS, Brazoswood HS, and Union Grove HS.
June 14th through June 16th are the dates for this year’s WSMR launch. The SystemsGo team and schools will be traveling to Alamogordo, New Mexico for lodging on June 13th. Early on the 14th, preparations at the site will be made with the goal of launching all three rockets Saturday. The 16th, Sunday, is our contingency day, but the hope is that it will not be needed. Sunday is Father’s Day and WSMR personnel would prefer not to work and we would love to be on the road home.
We continue to launch from range ABC1. This range required the altitude cap for the rockets to be adjusted from the original height cap which was 100,000 feet. The current cap instituted three years ago is 50,000 feet. ABC-1 does not have a large bunker, so only essential launch personnel stay on site, and the SG staff evacuate out five miles for launches. Students and teachers are taken to a secure location known as Tula G, which is further down range where they watch the launches on screen inside a designated facility.
There will be tents on the range, the same as last year. Rockets need to be complete by the end of the day on Friday.
The T-1schedule on Saturday will be very tight. Range time begins at 7:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm. The range is Hot all day for us, which translates to as soon as we can reset and be ready to launch again, WSMR is ready to assist. This should make keeping the schedule and sending all three rockets skyward a viable task for Saturday.
If Mission is Complete on Saturday evening, then evening activities may include some White Sands National Park dune sledding.
SystemsGo team members will be residing at the Quality Inn and Suites in Alamogordo this year.
There are three schools scheduled to launch their rockets. These include:
Alamo Heights
Brazoswood
Union Grove
The current launch schedule is as follows:
Thursday, June 13th
Travel Day
Pressure Checks and FRRs that evening at the hotels.
Security checks of all Form 5000s
Friday, June 14th
Site Set up ABC-1 7:00
Depart for site from hotel–TBA
Complete all rockets.
3:00 p.m. Leave the site with Alamo Heights and Brazoswood on the rails.
Saturday, June 15th
Launch Day (Three Rockets, barring any schedule changes by WSMR.)
Depart from hotel for arrival on site–TBA
Projected launch schedule:
T1 8:00 a.m.
T2 9:00 a.m.
T3 11:00 a.m.
Airspace Ends – 4:00 p.m.
Pack site
Evening Activities as time allows.
Sunday, June 16th
Travel Day-Contingency Day only if absolutely needed. WSMR does not want to work on Father’s Day.
Monday, June 17th
Travel Day-Hopefully we are already home.
The Goddard level rockets, which are the capstones of the SystemsGo program and the culmination of all the skills the students have learned throughout their years in the STEM program. This marks the final senior project for the schools that participate in for the SystemsGo program.
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be benefited.
2023 is a year of milestones for the Fredericksburg based STEM rocket program beginning with White Sands Missile Range hosting the SystemsGo Rocket Program again for its season end launches. This event marks the 25th year the STEM based program has brought high school seniors to the Army Base to test the program’s highest-level rockets, known as Goddard. It would have marked 25 consecutive years, but COVID took out 2020 putting the numbers behind by a year. The program took its first rocket from Fredericksburg High School to WSMR in 1999. The nonprofit organization supporting this STEM program in schools officially began in June of 2003, making this 2023 season its 20th Anniversary as well. This year three schools will be traveling to New Mexico to test their rockets at White Sands Missile Range, they include: Alamo Heights HS, Brazoswood HS and Union Grove HS.
June 23rd through June 25th are the dates for this year’s WSMR launch. The SystemsGo team and schools will be traveling to Alamogordo, New Mexico for lodging on June 22nd. Early on the 23rd, preparations at the site will be made with the goal of launching all three rockets Saturday afternoon. The 25th is our contingency day, but it is only a contingency for completing cleanup at the site, or if WSMR must delay our launches. It will not be a day to recycle rockets that fail.
We continue to launch from range ABC1. This range required the altitude cap for the rockets to be adjusted from the 20-mile radius the program previously had available for these test vehicles to travel and stay within their parameters. The original height cap was 100,000 feet. The current cap instituted two years ago is 50,000 feet. ABC-1 does not have a large bunker, so only essential launch personnel stay on site, and the SG staff evacuate out five miles for launches. Students and teachers are taken to a secure location known as Tula G, which is further down range where they watch the launches on screen inside a designated facility. Parents are no longer allowed to come, since the theater at Mission Control is no longer the viewing area. Volunteer staffing of base personnel for this has still not resumed.
Schools are asked to arrive early on the 22nd in Alamogordo to do pressure checks with as little time spent on configuration as possible. At least two vehicles need to have this stage complete before heading down range on the 23rd. Preferably very little time will be spent on assembly on the 23rd. Some weight, CG, and FFR verification can be done if needed downrange the 23rd. There will be tents on the range, the same as last year. Rockets need to be complete by the end of the day on Friday.
The first T time on Saturday will be 8:00 a.m. After that the range is Hot all day for us, which translates to as soon as we can reset and be ready to launch again, WSMR is ready to assist. This should make keeping the schedule and sending all three rockets skyward a viable task for Saturday.
WSMR personnel, including Test Center Commander, Colonel Shawanta Smart, and Range Operator, Lori Leyva, will be on site during the launches. WSMR will be providing lunch for all participants. Colonel Smart began her command in August of 2021, making this her second rocket season with the program. She stopped in last year for a brief visit, but plans to be onsite to see more of how the program operates. Ms. Leyva will be retiring after this year. Her service in coordinating SystemsGo and WSMR in launch efforts has been extremely beneficial to the program over the years she has been with us. SystemsGo will be making special presentations during the lunch break.
Saturday is a contingency day, but preferably it should be no more than a site cleanup day if needed that morning. Provided that we accomplish this early the remainder of the day’s activities will be decided at that time.
SystemsGo team members will be residing at the Quality Inn and Suites in Alamogordo this year.
There are three schools scheduled to launch four rockets. These include:
Union Grove
Alamo Heights
Brazoswood
The current launch schedule is as follows:
Thursday, June 22nd
Travel Day
Pressure Checks and FRRs that evening at the hotels.
Security checks of all Form 5000s
Friday, June 23rd
Site Set up ABC-1 9:00- 9:30 a.m.
Depart for site from hotel by 7:45 a.m.
Complete all rockets.
Leave the site with Union Grove and Alamo Heights on the rails.
Saturday, June 24th
Launch Day (Three Rockets, barring any schedule changes by WSMR.)
Depart from hotel by 4:45 a.m. for 6:00 a.m. arrival on site.
Projected launch schedule:
T1 8:00 a.m. –
T2
T3
Break for Lunch 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Range Time Ends – unspecified currently.
Sunday, June 25th
Contingency Day/Cleanup/Fun Day/ Travel (To be determined.)
Monday, June 26th
Travel Day
The schedule as seen above is a preliminary estimate, and though accurate as stated by Program Director, Rebekah Hyatt, at the moment, is subject to changes and adjustments as needed once the entire group is in New Mexico.
The Goddard level rockets, which are the capstones of the SystemsGo program and the culmination of all the skills the students have learned throughout their years in the STEM program. This marks the final senior project for the schools that participate in for the SystemsGo program.
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be benefited.
White Sands Missile Range has been hosting the SystemsGo Rocket Program for over 20 years, and the tradition continues for the 2022 season. Changes have been made over the years, including moving from the original launch site which was West Center 50 (WC50) to alternate range ABC1. This change came about after the COVID shut down of 2020. Back logged government contracts took precedence for the larger range, necessitating the program’s relocation for continued support at the base.
The move to the smaller range also required the altitude cap for the rockets to be adjusted. The smaller site meant less than the 20-mile radius the program previously had available for these test vehicles to travel and stay within their parameters. The original height cap was 100,000 feet. The new cap instituted last year is 50,000 feet. ABC-1 does not have a large bunker, so only essential launch personnel stay on site, and the SG staff evacuate out five miles for launches. Students and teachers are taken to a secure location known as Tula G, which is further down range where they watch the launches on screen inside a designated facility. Due to this change, parents are no longer allowed to come. In years past parents watched from the theater at Mission Control. Unfortunately, volunteer staffing of base personnel for this is no longer available.
Stage 1 and 2 will take place on the range this year. In years past with the exception of last year, this was normal progression. Last year the Alamogordo High School hosted this part of the event. Stage 1 and 2 will take place while the SG team sets up the pad, launch rails, fill and fire system and electronics trailers. Rockets need to be complete by the end of the day on Friday as there will be very little latitude between T times to complete work on the vehicles. We are to be Mission Complete by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Sunday is a contingency day, but preferably it should not be no more than a site clean up day if needed that morning . Provided that we accomplish this early the remainder of the day’s activities will be decided at that time.
Due to higher prices for accommodations, the SG team and schools will stay at a hotel on the base. Since we will be approaching from the Las Cruces side of the range instead of Tula Rosa, travel time will increase as speeds are slower, most are two lane roads, and range police are strict. Please check with your teachers if you need information about our accommodations, as I do not think it is appropriate to post it here since it is not outside the base. For those who are still staying off base, be sure to keep up with schedules and times as they group will need to move together with an escort through the base.
Launches are scheduled for June 25th with a contingency/cleanup day for June 26th. The team will travel out to WSMR on Wednesday, June 23rd, and back home again on the 27th.
There are four schools scheduled to launch four rockets. These include:
Alamo Heights
Brazoswood
Fredericksburg
Union Grove
The current launch schedule is as follows:
Thursday, June 23rd
Travel Day
Friday, June 24th
Site Set up ABC-1 8:00- 8:30 a.m.
Depart for site from Main gate by 7:00 a.m. start time.
Leave the site with Fredericksburg and Union Grove on the rails.
Saturday, June 25th
Launch Day (All Four Rockets, if possible, at 2-hour intervals.)
Depart from Main gate by 5:00 a.m. for 6:30 a.m. arrival on site.
The Goddard level rockets, which are the capstones of the SystemsGo program and the culmination of all the skills the students have learned throughout their years in the STEM program. This marks the final senior project for the schools that participate in for the SystemsGo program.
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be benefited.
Regional Coordinator, Doug Underwood conducted Oberth trainings, this past weekend, July 31- August 1 here in Fredericksburg. Hollenstein, Georgetown and McGregor High Schools attended. This level teaches students in their Senior year about Transonic rockets, which are designed to break the speed of sound.
I sat in on their class for about an hour and a half on Saturday morning. Since Oberth rockets aim to break the speed of sound, that was a criteria talking point. When I was there, they were discussing an experiment meant to simulate the flight of the rocket in order to determine needed calculations. The actual exercise is the flight and descent of a ball. Literally tossing it in the air and watching it land again in a prescribed bucket of water. Figuring out what is needed to accomplish this seemingly ordinary action, helps the students get a basis of what is needed to begin to understand what they need for their rocket.
They started with a list of Givens that needed to be determined. These are all things that the students can either measure or look up in order to find the value. A few examples are mass, diameter, density, altitude, velocity, thrust, etc. This is just the short version of the list they created. I watched and listened as they began figuring answers to the listed items.
It was interesting to watch and see how quickly they answered some of the items. Others were answered, but then only created more questions to be determined. What is fascinating is that the teacher is more of a coach or director. He never directly answers the questions for them, but only lightly directs them by asking other questions. This is exactly how these teachers will have to react with their future students.
Doug Underwood put it this way, when answering one of these teachers questions, “Don’t limit your students. They are capable, if given the opportunity, of much more than you might believe.”
An important issue that arose was what measuring system to use, metric or imperial? It was suggested to actually do work in both forms, because it may be necessary to calculate something back from one standard or another.
Note taking was also a highlighted subject. Notes in this curriculum are essential and begin the basis for which each student will work down the line. This is important from the very beginning of this program on. Each year builds on the next, therefore notes from the prior year will still be needed and added to the following year.
At this point, Phil Houseal, came in to get a photo and I took the opportunity to do the samae. Discussions about where everyone was from, got the group off track for a bit. A young lady in the class told us about where she was from in South Carolina and the deep south atmosphere the small town still projected. It was a very interesting and enlightening discussion, but one for her to share. It was time for the class to get back on track. Phil and I both excused ourselves.
Unfortunately I didn’t get back to the class again, but I did take a lot away from it. And that is true for every one of the classes I sat in on the past few weeks. This is a truly amazing learning opportunity that is available to students of any school that enrolls in the SystemsGo program. The wealth of knowledge that is afforded them through this program, as well as the numerous array of career paths available afterwards is more than worth the time invested.
If your students do not have this program at their school yet. It is time to look into it and encourage your school administrators to get involved. Your students will be greatly benefited. I have followed many students from this program into their future endeavors. No matter where they end up, STEM field, FDIC banking manager, or family business, each one cites this program as having giving them a basis for where they are today. What they learn in SystemsGo transfers greatly to the outside world and future careers.
Thank you to Regional Director, Doug Underwood, student teachers, Jonathan Whatley, McGregor HS, Nicole Bolen, Georgetown HS, and Dan Strickland, Hollenstein HS for allowing me to observe again. It has been fun getting to know them and other teachers these past few weeks. I will look forward to seeing them in the spring at the launches.
If you are still not dreaming of rockets, you obviously do need to hang out with this crew more! Come check it out!
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.
Tsiolkovsky training closed just after noon today. The group spent the morning addressing questions that arose on the PDR. After which they produced a rocket with a 1lb payload capable of 1 mile of altitude above ground level using RockSim.
FRRs were done on their simulated vehicle as well as on the three rockets Rbekah had there as examples. Jabberwocky the door sentinel was one of these.
Time priorities were discussed and stressed. Teaching the students to have their vehicle completed a few weeks prior to launch so that they are ready when they arrive at the range to launch is essential. That was a wrap for the class.
students expressed great enjoyment and vast learning from this class.
Regional Coordinator, Doug Underwood, will conduct Oberth trainings. July 31- August 1 here in Fredericksburg.. Hollenstein, Georgetown and McGregor High Schools will be in attendance. This level teaches students in their Senior year about Transonic rockets, which are designed to break the speed of sound.
Until tomorrow, if you are not dreaming of rockets, you obviously have not hung out with this crew enough! Do you think maybe you should? Encourage the schools in your area to join the program.
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.
Today the class began learning the Design and Development Loop, and its application this process to rocketry. They first developed a Problem Statement, which identified the initial task, build a rocket.
As seen here on the board, their problem statement is:
With a budget of $900 and launch date of May 1st a recoverable and reusable rocket must be built, designed, and launched. The rocket must carry a one pound scientific payload to an altitude of one mile AGL(above ground level).
Next they used a brainstorming session to develop a list of components needed to create and launch this rocket:
fire wadding
proof of altitude
timeline/budget
body tube
nosecone
launch lugs
engine
ignition
rail
fins
motor mount
recovery system
payload
launch area
components
rail
This was the beginning point they used to narrow down specific component groups they believed were related and should be grouped together. Next they identified individual team members to work that specific group :
Each team set out with their component and began research. They were given 2 hours to go on an in depth fact finding mission. Here are just a few of the many problems before them to address:
What are their options for each component?
What materials are available to them?
Is the chosen material within their budget?
Does a particular option make a difference in over all success over another option?
What kind of Impulse will it take to get the rocket to a mile high?
These were just starting points. They began with reasonable assumptions of what they believed they needed, and then began to hone in on actualities through research, further brainstorming, and generating alternative solutions.
The teams were allowed and encouraged to discuss options and ideas in order to determine how each team’s component would work with the rest. The idea was to design a vehicle together so that it would not fail.
By 4:00 p.m. each team would have to present their idea and be able to prove why they chose this option. Their idea would have to pass a Preliminary Design Review(PDR), in order to establish the operational effectiveness of their chosen system.
During the short time I was there and able to listen in on their brainstorming, I heard questions about phenolic resin, fiber carbon bodies(quickly pitched due to expense), nose cone shape and sizing, chute deployment ideas, and payload weights and options. At the time that I left, the payload had been determined to be chocolate ice cream with the stipulation that Rebekah and I would get to share it if it survived.
These teachers have not actually built these vehicles before, so they are in the same place their future students will be. They are expected to do everything the way they will be instructing their students to do, only the students will actually build the physical rocket and will have a semester in which to do it, instead of a day.
It is a very in depth learning experience. The program is designed to enable the students to think through the process themselves in order to figure out what has to be done and accomplish it.
Until tomorrow, if you are not dreaming of rockets, you obviously have not hung out with this crew enough! And it is time you do!
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.
Today was the culmination of the first semester training for the class. They were introduced to modeling using Rock Sim and given a challenge to design and build a rocket. They had a Stability Margin of 1-2 and an altitude goal of 1500′ to 2200′ depending on the motor size they chose.
Motor C was designed for the 2200′ goal, and motor B for the 1500′ goal. Each teacher was asked to design a rocket based on the location and demographics of their school. This includes actual open space for a launch and recovery radius and encompasses surrounding entities like airports, neighborhoods, and businesses that would need to be avoided in these projections. Determining these factors would help each teacher decide which motor and height requirement would be viable for their school’s location.
Once they have clarified these requirements, they design their rocket using RockSim. This program helps them determine the rocket’s height and speed possibilities. When their design and development is complete they print out their schematics and build their rocket.
At completion a Flight Readiness Review is done. The goal is to build and test the vehicle in one day. This meant launching by 5:00 pm.
Most of the class had started the building stage when I arrived. A few were still designing on the computer. Any manner of tools and adhesives were in continuous use around the room passing from one person to the next. Dremel tools with grinder wheels and filing tips created a constant buzz.
One observation about these new vehicles was their size. In the past days the rockets lengths had ranged from about 6 to 12 inches, give or take a little. These Generation 3 rockets were more of the 3 to 6 inch range.
In the two days prior the teachers seemed more laid back and quiet as they constructed their rockets. Today, the room buzzed and their was a sense of urgency and even slight elation as they worked.
They stayed busy, but still found time to make comments about their own or a friends current design.
One student asked if his nose cone had to be symmetrical? This received many looks and comments from his colleagues. This same student was questioned repeatedly about how he was planning on his nose cone deploying since it was heavily taped in at the time. He planned to remove most of the tape prior to launch, stating that it was only there until everything was set.
Another discussion about a unit of measurement called a slug caused great trepidation for a couple of the gentlemen in the class. One of them commented that a person would have to be an engineer to understand that unit of measurement. The gentleman with the nose cone question, “I am an engineer.”
However, our friend, Nicole, from yesterday, was smiling. She was energetically working on her new rocket. She had a renewed sense of confidence in her abilities today, after her successful launch yesterday.
The group was far from complete and launches were quite a ways out yet when my visit for the day came to an end. They did launch close to 5:00 that afternoon. When I drove by after work, they were just heading back to the shop.
Tomorrow and then until around 1:00pm on Friday, they will be delving into the second semester of the Tsiolkovsky class. Among the criteria will be designing a 1lb/1 mile rocket.
Until tomorrow, if you are not dreaming of rockets, you obviously have not hung out with this crew enough!
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.
Tuesday morning the class spent converting their Generation 1 Rockets into Generation 2 Rockets. Stability was a primary component of the redesign. Once the vehicle was cut and only the bottom half returned to work with, new development began. Students had to take into account weight, thrust, impulse momentum, drag and lift.
They also had to create flight profile predictions based on their design and calculations, and a flight readiness review of their vehicle.
Here are some of their Generation 2 rockets:
When I arrived at class, they were not all back from lunch. One student, Cole Bolen, was waiting outside the door. I asked her how things were going so far? She expressed great disappointment in her own Gen 1 and now Gen 2 rockets. She said that she was good at math, the calculations, and scribing her ideas down on paper, but her hands on application was in her words, “a disaster.”
“In every group I have ever been in, whether school or college, I am always the scribe. I can do the calculations and put it beautifully on paper. People I worked with learned quickly that what ever I touch falls apart. Even at home, my husband makes me the gopher while he does the heavy work,” she lamented.
“When building my Gen 1 I focused too much on making it “look” like a rocket, instead of the functionality of the rocket. When I was done it looked great, but the flight was terrible,” she said. “It barely left the rail, turned sideways, headed for the group and luckily crashed into the ground. I don’t want to be that person that gets someone injured because my project blew up!” Cole sighed.
As we talked, I told her it was alright, at least it got off the rail. Her students would see that as a success, and then they would learn more while analyzing and determining what went wrong, just as she was now doing. She agreed and said that was one of her concerns about one day conveying these principles to her students.
“I guess I know that if it had been an automatic success, then I wouldn’t have learned much. This way I am determined to fix it for the next one,” she said.
Today, when having to take what she described as the bottom half of a charred and dirty mess, and once again create a rocket that was supposed to be functional and fly, she found it a very daunting task. She said she had done great at drawing it all out, but just couldn’t get it to stay together. She was concerned that it would once again blow apart leaving the rail.
I expressed to her that I was sure it would be better today than she thought. I told her that in this program a failed launched is still a successful learning opportunity. To quote a friend, “In order for a rocket to fly, 1000 things must go right, but it only takes one for it to fail.” It is in determining what caused the failure that a new success is born as well as a new chance to do better.
The rest of the class returned about this time and each gathered their rockets and we headed out to the launch field. All the rockets flew, except one. That one still left the rail after an interesting spinning episode and it landed just a few feet from the rail.
Cole’s flew beautifully. The chute deployed and all was recovered. Her only mishap was that it came down in two sections that were not connected. She proved to herself that she could do this.
In the grand scheme of things, that is what this program is all about. Both the teachers, and their future students, learning all the STEM applications of the program, and then designing, developing, discerning, attaining, applying and presenting all they have learned in a workable completed project. Once the project is complete, it is the massive amount of take away that goes with each of them and helps develop their futures that matters the most.
Yes each one wants their rocket to be a success in terms of flight. That is the goal, but here success is really measured in the inspired hope and plans of each student as they head out to do something great in their future.
Congratulations, Cole! Now on to Generation 3 with new confidence in what you are learning, what you can do, and what you will be able to teach your students in the future. You already have a head start on problem solving. Thank you for sharing your experience with me and my readers.
Below is a Facebook link to the videos I attempted to take of the launches. Please excuse my videoing. With the bright sun I did not do too well at keeping the camera in the right place.
After the launches, the class headed back in to pour over their Flight Readiness Reviews for both their Gen 2 rockets and their upcoming Gen 3’s. They will be discussing impulse, drag and lift, and resistance along with a focus on problem solving.
Rebekah, referred to the upcoming section as the Gen 3 Challenge. Generation 3 will be a whole new build. I will leave it at that for now, so as to not give away any new things that will be part of this challenge, in case they have not been introduced yet. Tomorrow should be another interesting, challenging and fun day.
Until tomorrow, if you are not dreaming of rockets, you obviously have not hung out with this crew enough!
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.
This week’s classes are back at Fredericksburg High School, where Program Director, Rebekah Hyatt continues training teachers on the Tsiolkovsky level of rockets. The Texas schools of Summer Creek, Hollenstein, Friendswood, Atascocita, Galena Park, Georgetown, and McGregor are in attendance.
This level of the program is designed for Sophomore, Junior and Senior grade students whose projects are generally one pound/one mile rockets for launch at one of the spring launches. Before the students, whether high schoolers or these teacher students, can get to the 1/1 rockets they spend time building 3 different levels of small-scale rockets. These are Generation rockets. They help the students understand all the components of a rocket, how they fit together, in what order, and why each piece is important, as well as how each works within the vehicle.
At the point I came in for my 40 minutes of class, today, PD Hyatt, had just handed out all the pieces of a Generation 1 rocket. The teacher students, were not told what any of the pieces were, nor their use within the rocket. They had to identify them, and their use, and design a rocket using all of them. They also had to explain how Newton’s 3 laws of motion applied to their assembly of the rocket. Lastly it must fly.
Here one of the teachers is studying his box of pieces, and making notes.
I made a list of the components on the students desk, and actually did quite well identifying each one. Body tube, nose cone, parachute, streamers/reefing for chute, motor sleeve, motor, fins, and ignition were the easy pieces for me. The anti-flamable paper, 3 rings (I figured one was an engine block), and the funny plastic nipple threw me off. The paper is to prevent the chute from burning, the other two rings for centering, and the nipple, well a launch lug.
Another teacher creates detailed notes and drawings of his design idea.
One of the teachers said he was not concerned about the whole thing burning at launch. Rebekah explained that rapid, unplanned disassembly, was not the desired outcome at this point, or really at any of the levels of the program. Although it does happen despite designing it not to do so.
Rapid disassembly was a discussion of this row.
Right before I left for the day, Rebekah brought out a launch rail for these rockets. Several teachers were still having problems with how to align and assembly their vehicle parts. She explained that their rocket would have to mount on this rail and come all the way down to the base in order to connect to the DC igniter. Many were perplexed at this.
I had to leave at this point, but they did complete their rockets and launch them that afternoon. Rebekah reported that it went well. There is a video but the file did not come through, so watch for it possibly on SystemsGo’s Facebook page.
After their launch they started on the Generation 2 rockets. This started with PD Hyatt chopping their G1’s in half. They were then told to redesign them using the bottom half, which included over large fins still intact from the original body piece that was left. The chore now is to make this new vehicle stable. I cannot wait to see how this plays out tomorrow.
Discussions on Stability, Vector, Demensional Analysis, and Conservation of Energy will be part of this new rocket.
The Jabberwocky greeted me as I entered and left the classroom today. Standing tall here at the doorway, a sentinel of what is yet to come for this class group.
Until tomorrow, if you are not dreaming of rockets, you obviously have not hung out with this crew enough!
www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.
On the Wings of Angels 