It all started with a relatively innocent discussion about TARC or the Team America Rocketry Challenge. What it led to was a group of high school students working with NASA. TARC is an unrivaled competition of model rocketry. It is a competition that was started by the Aerospace Industries Association and NASA. The main goal of the contest is to promote aerospace to students. Besides the last few years, over the last 20 years there has been a declining interest in the aerospace field. NASA realized it needed to change this trend and it started competitions that were for students. The other big factor in recent years was the launch and success of SpaceShipOne.

The top 10 teams of TARC share of prize purse of around $60,000. Any of the top 25 teams can submit a proposal to NASA in what is called the Student Launch Initiative. If the proposal is accepted, the entire team is flown to Huntsville, Alabama. There they get to work with NASA scientists to create a physical representation of their proposal and launch it up to a mile high. While the launch trajectory is occurring, a number of experiments will be performed onboard.

Last year’s TARC was an interesting challenge. The designed rocket had to reach 800 feet in altitude and touchdown with one raw egg intact and all in 45 seconds. One of the teams involved in last year’s competition was The St. Andrews TARC Team based out of Park Ridge, Illinois. A few years back, Tom Pastrick met the students at one of the weekend launches of model rockets and introduced them to TARC.

They decided to split into two teams to better their odds. Team #4020 consisted of Kenny Johnson, Mike Cinquino and Monica Johnson. The team supervisor was Nick Cinquino. Team #4284 consisted of AJ Witzke, Michael Williamson and Eric Ludwig. The team supervisor was Arnie Witzke. The Team Leader was Leonard Johnson. The St. Andrews TARC teams had sponsorships from Numerical Precision, Elon Musk of Space X, Space Dev and Bigelow Aerospace. They went on to be National Finalists in the 2006 challenge finishing in 17th place.

They have accomplished a lot and are truly enjoying the unique experience this is bringing them. After demonstrating the rocket at the Oshkosh Air Show last year, the team decided the basis for their proposal. They would do an experiment that would measure rocket velocity and acceleration with two pitot-tubes while also doing a study on Air Density. After intensely crafting the 100 page proposal, they waited. Two weeks later, they found out that NASA had accepted their proposal. As a result of all of this hard work, they are a part of the 2007 Student Launch Initiative. But this meant that their hard work was just starting.

So far they have completed the maiden voyage and have delivered their Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review and their Flight Readiness Review to the Marshall Space Flight Center. This year’s program is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of space flight. The actual flight and launch will take place on April 28th starting around 10:30 AM. Good Luck!