Activities for a High School Rocketry Club

[NukeHavoc]

My son and his friends are starting up a high school rocketry club. They've got a teacher advisor and they want to start flying rockets in the spring. My dad was a big rocketry guy, and I inherited a ton of rockets from him, including about 20 Alpha rockets. The kids intend to build and fly those first.

My question for the forum is ... what sort of activities would you recommend for a high school club? What have you had success with? When I was a kid, I attended a handful of NAR rocketry meets with my dad, and was part of a 4-H rocketry club, but we never followed a formal program (mostly we just built rockets and then launched them ).

I looked at the NARTREK and NARTREK Cadet programs, and it seems like those would provide a nice underlying structure for the club (or at least, a series of objectives for them to shoot for). Those could be good for getting them started, but to keep them motivated, I could see them competing in regional competitions of some sort ... I just don't know what's out there. As for my role, I told my son I'd volunteer to help out, but I'm a parent, not a teacher.

So ... any advice? I'm in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania (near the NJ border, about 1.5 hours north of Philly and 1 hour-ish west of New York City).

Thanks in advance,

Ken

 

[PhilC]

Start with those Alphas, but set them a challenge. How about going for TARC?
https://rocketcontest.org/

 

[dhbarr]

NARTREK would definitely help them build up TARC-ready tools & skills. Also puts you right in the neighborhood of JRL1, which test study material is hugely useful anyway.
https://www.nar.org/high-power-rocketry-info/formal-participation-procedure/

 

[Zeta]

Consider finding other high schools near by that you can have launch day with. Add in a friendly drag race and altitude contest and some burgers and fries. The kids will love it.

 

[NukeHavoc]

Thanks! I'm still trying to get a handle on what rocketry looks like in our area. I haven't heard of any clubs at local high schools ... but I also haven't been looking for them. Right now, it feels like there's a general lack of organized rocketry in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos, with the closest clubs being in New Jersey and New York (Maryland's a little too far away from us unless we made a weekend of it).

I'm liking NARTREK because it gives them a general framework, and achievable goals (e.g. everyone achieves Bronze by June).

 

[NukeHavoc]

Start with those Alphas, but set them a challenge. How about going for TARC?
https://rocketcontest.org/

TARC sounds like exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

Ken

 

[PhilC]

TARC sounds like exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

Ken

We have a sister competition here in the UK. I've mentored many teams and its great to see how the students rise to the challenge. Good luck.

 

[Padruig]

After they build and fly the Alphas, they could start building in simple but measurable variables.

-Time the rocket flight with varying engines.
-Swap the parachutes for streamers and assess the descent time on each in comparison the the landing distance from the launch pad.
-Determine differences from the above measurements if the fins are aligned for rotation (e.g. canted at a slight angle rather than straight in line with the body tube).

Once relative mastery is obtained for the standard 3FNC rocket, move on to a multistage rocket or a cluster motor mount rocket.

Eventually, introduce them to one of the rocket design softwares (e.g. RockSim, etc) with simple design goals. Once that is mastered, have them design and build a rocket from scratch with a specific goal (e.g. the rocket that comes closest to an altitude of 'x').

Basically, small step activities that build on the prior activities and then introduce the next variable.

 

[sriegel]

Some thoughts:

- work on finishing skills (no glue drips, filling wood grain, smooth paint, etc.)
- simulations (OpenRocket or RockSim), adjusting sim to match real world performance or build
- different recovery techniques (glide, streamer, heli...)
- scratch building from pla s (e.g., mine JimZ's page for old Estes newsletters)
- staging
- clustering
- (sport) scale builds
- altitude or duration on mini motors (or larger as your field allows)

 

[NukeHavoc]

Great ideas - thanks everyone!

 

[Zeta]

Thanks! I'm still trying to get a handle on what rocketry looks like in our area. I haven't heard of any clubs at local high schools ... but I also haven't been looking for them. Right now, it feels like there's a general lack of organized rocketry in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos, with the closest clubs being in New Jersey and New York (Maryland's a little too far away from us unless we made a weekend of it).

I'm liking NARTREK because it gives them a general framework, and achievable goals (e.g. everyone achieves Bronze by June).

If you contact NAR you could probably get a list of schools that do TARC in your area, that would help you get a view of the land

 

[BABAR]

Good on you for doing this. Something else that might give your students a chance to show other students what they do in a format they can appreciate is on board rocket video cameras. They can post them on their social media sites and may attract more interest. A challenge is to see who can make the rocket with the smoothest “up” ride and the smoothest “down” ride (search here for “box fin” and “Spyderl for some ideas that are easily within capability for high school students ) for the best video experience. You’d be surprised how much “average” low power rockets that look like they are flying straight are actually rotating quite a bit around the long axis.

there is something quite satisfying on seeing a picture of yourself and your friends from a rocket 50 feet or more up.

@Finicky has done some unbelievable work on the up part, although the complexity may be more than high school level can accomplish.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/a-new-spin-on-vertical-orientation-control.174525/
a warning, you cannot emphasize safety enough. You always have to be on the lookout for the small number of kids who want to bend or break the rules, the sequalae range from losing field privileges to personal injury.

also keep on lookout for clubs within driving distances that have launch events, both high and low power. Gives you a chance to see more of the spectrum of model rocketry. Check with event manager, depending on club rules frequently you can bring your own rockets and fly them.

 

[waltr]

Thanks! I'm still trying to get a handle on what rocketry looks like in our area. I haven't heard of any clubs at local high schools ... but I also haven't been looking for them. Right now, it feels like there's a general lack of organized rocketry in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos, with the closest clubs being in New Jersey and New York (Maryland's a little too far away from us unless we made a weekend of it).

I'm liking NARTREK because it gives them a general framework, and achievable goals (e.g. everyone achieves Bronze by June).

The PARA club, NAR section 520, flies south of Allentown , north of Doylestown in Bucks county.
This shouldn't be more than a hour or so drive and is much closer than NY or Maryland.

http://www.para520.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/paranar520/
We welcome all that are interested in flying rockets.

We will be launching this Sunday (15 Jan23) and have monthly launches.
Contact info, directions, etc is on our web site. Also get on our email list for up to date status about launches (weather can cancel or postpone a launch).

 

[Ez2cDave]

My son and his friends are starting up a high school rocketry club. They've got a teacher advisor and they want to start flying rockets in the spring. My dad was a big rocketry guy, and I inherited a ton of rockets from him, including about 20 Alpha rockets. The kids intend to build and fly those first.

My question for the forum is ... what sort of activities would you recommend for a high school club? What have you had success with? When I was a kid, I attended a handful of NAR rocketry meets with my dad, and was part of a 4-H rocketry club, but we never followed a formal program (mostly we just built rockets and then launched them .

I looked at the NARTREK and NARTREK Cadet programs, and it seems like those would provide a nice underlying structure for the club (or at least, a series of objectives for them to shoot for). Those could be good for getting them started, but to keep them motivated, I could see them competing in regional competitions of some sort ... I just don't know what's out there. As for my role, I told my son I'd volunteer to help out, but I'm a parent, not a teacher.

Ken

Ken,

EXCELLENT !

A few things to consider, if you don't mind :

(1) How much does their teacher know about model rocketry, particularly about designing your own rockets and building them from scratch ( or components ), which is less expensive than buying kits ? ( especially, if you are talking about Competition ).

(2) As for TARC, frankly, it can get expensive, since composite motors are, basically, required and a LOT of practice-flying is necessary . . . What is each kid's budget ( be realistic and ask them ) ?

(3) TARC requires learning "design skills" and "scratch-building skills", since kits are not permitted in TARC competition.

(4) You should, absolutely, volunteer and get involved, along with other parents ( A teacher can only "teach" what they are familiar with and, if they have little or no experience with model rocketry, things can become difficult, quickly. )

"PARA" is a Philadelphia-area NAR Section ( club ) . . . Taking the kids out there might be very helpful. They hold their meeting during launches.

http://www.para520.com

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Sellersville,+Pennsylvania+18960/Lehigh+Valley/@40.5483393,-75.4438757,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c41fb84483ecf9:0x39ac1cfdfdf4f524!2m2!1d-75.3048982!2d40.3539926!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c44309dd8fe67b:0xf818dfe873cc291!2m2!1d-75.2479061!2d40.7291847

Dave F.

 

[waltr]

Just a correction on PARA's flield location.
It is: 7554 Easton Road, Ottsville, PA 18942
not Sellersville (Sellersville is the address of the person listed as the contact for PARA)

It is a bit closer to Lehigh Valley than Sellersville.
On your map: after passing through Hellertown stay on Rt 412. Take 412 to Rt 611 south (Easton Rd). Farm in on the right before Rt 113. Hallowell farm:

 

[Carlostenteria]

Good on you for doing this. Something else that might give your students a chance to show other students what they do in a format they can appreciate is on board rocket video cameras. They can post them on their social media sites and may attract more interest. A challenge is to see who can make the rocket with the smoothest “up” ride and the smoothest “down” ride (search here for “box fin” and “Spyderl for some ideas that are easily within capability for high school students ) for the best video experience. You’d be surprised how much “average” low power rockets that look like they are flying straight are actually rotating quite a bit around the long axis.

there is something quite satisfying on seeing a picture of yourself and your friends from a rocket 50 feet or more up.

@Finicky has done some unbelievable work on the up part, although the complexity may be more than high school level can accomplish.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/a-new-spin-on-vertical-orientation-control.174525/
a warning, you cannot emphasize safety enough. You always have to be on the lookout for the small number of kids who want to bend or break the rules, the sequalae range from losing field privileges to personal injury.
Besides this to have a better experience, you can load to use https://writingbros.com/conclusion-generator/ because the conclusion generator at these guys works pretty well and it's free, I mean after you do all the experiments, spinning and stuff related to this you will definitely have to make a conclusion; it helps me pretty well and I don't spend so much time.
also keep on lookout for clubs within driving distances that have launch events, both high and low power. Gives you a chance to see more of the spectrum of model rocketry. Check with event manager, depending on club rules frequently you can bring your own rockets and fly them.

Thank you for sharing this idea and the additional resources! Using on-board rocket video cameras can indeed be a fun way for students to showcase their rocket launches and share their experiences with others. It can also be a good opportunity to encourage students to think about ways to improve the stability of their rockets during the launch and descent phases.
I completely agree with your emphasis on safety. It is essential to follow all safety guidelines and to ensure that all participants are aware of the potential risks associated with model rocketry.

You inspired me to make some videos too)))

 

[Bill S]

If you and your students can make a road trip for a day, consider attending Red Glare down at MDRA on the MD Eastern shore (March 31, April 1-2). Lots of BIG high power rockets, very impressive. Might inspire some of them.

Attendance is free if just watching, though if they want to fly they have to be members ($25 a head). Maybe you can ask them about an exception if you have a group of high-schoolers, so they can fly something low powered?

https://mdrocketry.org/

 

[BigMacDaddy]

Can you make a wind tunnel?

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/WindTunnel/build.html

 

[ep29030]

An egg survival competition--drop (of fly) eggs and recover them intact.

 

[0011001100]

If you and your students can make a road trip for a day, consider attending Red Glare down at MDRA on the MD Eastern shore (March 31, April 1-2). Lots of BIG high power rockets, very impressive. Might inspire some of them.

Attendance is free if just watching, though if they want to fly they have to be members ($25 a head). Maybe you can ask them about an exception if you have a group of high-schoolers, so they can fly something low powered?

https://mdrocketry.org/

Student may fly for free FYI. I have been going to MDRA for well over a decade.


If your team is able to make it down there will be tons of people there and plenty of us will be more than happy to talk and show off our rockets and answer questions.

 

[Bill S]

Student may fly for free FYI. I have been going to MDRA for well over a decade.


If your team is able to make it down there will be tons of people there and plenty of us will be more than happy to talk and show off our rockets and answer questions.

I was unaware that students got to fly for free. That is good to know. Thanks.