Explorer Post 1010: Rocketry Project 2013

Our Teams

Team 14209

Kevin Rivera
Seyon Padigalingam
Seran Navaratnam

Team 14210

Ananth Rao
Koushik
Ramachandran
Harish Kumar
Kunal Jain
Ajay Shankar

Team 14211

Sam Zabronsky
Jered Lottes
Gabriel Schroeder
Daniel Johnson

Team 14212

Samantha Steckel
Mughilan Muthupari
Julia Roh
Aparna Natarajan

Support

Bob Ekman

Rocket
LADEE Mission Rocket

Explorer Post 1010 registered four teams in the 2014 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). The main challenge web site is http://www.rocketcontest.org/. This a year-round activity. We started with experiments focused on the challenge in the summer and the fall. We recruited new members in the fall and started to design and build our competition rockets. During the winter and into the spring we tested and launched our rockets at least once a month. We conducted three qualification flights for each team by March 31, with one before March 2, 2014 (which gave us a bonus score deduction).

Teams

This year we started with six members from last year. We recruited new members in October and plan to have about five members on each of four teams. To be on a team you must be a dues paying member of Post 1010 and have your parents sign the TARC permission form (PDF form, Word form). Members may switch teams until the first qualification flight. Members must participate in designing, building, and launching the rockets to remain on a team.

Launches

We met during normal Exploring Program meetings on Wednesdays for work sessions and on Saturdays and Sundays for launches. Our first full work session was in October. Each team built several rockets, including test rockets and backups for their best models. We documented our activities and decisions on these web pages.

We have two test launch sites:

MD - Old National Pike Park, east of New Market, in Frederick county Maryland (directions, picture). Their launch calendar and other information is at http://www.narhams.org/. We are looking at a new place in Walkersville - the Heritage Farm Park.

VA - Great Meadow (directions, map, picture), near The Plains, Virginia, off I66, west of Manassas. Their calendar is at http://www.novaar.org. This is the site of the National
Fly-off.

When we launch in strong wind, our biggest concern is the loss of our rocket in the trees. We have plotted out launch limit maps for Maryland and Virginia launch sites.

Launches

Saturday, Aug 17, (MD)
Saturday, Oct 19, (MD)
Saturday, Nov 16, (MD)
Saturday, Nov 29, (MD)
Saturday, Dec 28, (MD)
Saturday, Jan 18, (canceled)
Saturday, Jan 25, (canceled)
Early Qualification
Saturday, Feb 15, (canceled)
Monday, Feb 17, (MD)
Saturday, Feb 22, (VA)
Final Qualification
Saturday, Mar 15, (VA)
Saturday, Mar 28, (MD)
Saturday, Mar 29, (VA)
National Fly-Off
Saturday, May 3, (MD)
Fri/Sat, May 9/10, (VA)

We always need parents to drive to the launch sites. Participants should bring money for lunch or bring food when we are out all day. Wear appropriate clothing. Schedules can change at the last minute due to weather, so keep watching this web site, Facebook, and call if unsure.

Resources

Wind speed is a big problem for our rockets, so we check http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi (Manassas, Frederick) before we launch. The Weather Channel is another source for weather at the Virginia Site and Maryland Site.

The Internet and email are a very important resource for our teams. Each member should sign up for the TARC Yahoo Group and review the recent emails and files.

We have a Post 1010 Rocketry Project Facebook Group where we post information on launches and related activities. We also have a Post 1010 Facebook Group Post 1010 members and parents in the rocketry project should join both.

2014 TARC Information

Our Team Information

Past Years