FSEA Rocket Launch 2009

“Watch that baby go! Oh, wow! It’s drifting over the building…we’re going to lose sight of it!” and thus the spectators watched Matthew L.‘s hand-made rocket win the competition for longest hang-time. He and his family will be joining Boeing Company representatives at Vandenberg Air Force Base to watch a real rocket launch into space. The overall winners were Matthew Lowe from Bolsa Christian School with a time of 56:03 seconds and Jesse Torres (pictured) with a time of 46:28 seconds.

More than 900 people attended the Future Scientists & Engineers of America Rocket Launch on May 2nd. The Boeing Company’s plant in Huntington Beach hosted the activities, which included an “Ask an Engineer” table staffed by Kristen Levengood. An engineer with Boeing Research & Technology, Levengood shared rocket-building advice while answering general aerospace questions. “It’s a lot of pressure,” she admitted, despite her degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington. Several rows of tables provided rocket-building supplies: 2-liter soda bottles, foam that could be cut to create fins, tape to attach the fins, plastic and string for building parachutes, paper cones for the nose cone, and water. Volunteers moved through the builders, giving guidance and encouragement. With each rocket having these basic materials in common, the rocket that stays aloft the longest is the result of its design and construction.

“The most effective ‘chute will have lots of strings, creating a more rounded shape that is more likely to spread out evenly and catch the wind.” –Overheard at the 2009 Rocket Launch

Competitors approached the “launch pad,” where their rockets were pumped with pressurized air and …3…2…1…Blast Off! Nearly 1,300 rockets flew into the sky that day. With some, the nose cone protecting the parachute never opened, with others the ‘chute deployed late, causing them to come thudding to the ground. Then there were those that operated flawlessly. While only aloft for a few seconds, time seemed to slow as the crowd watched in breathless anticipation. Cheers erupted as everyone celebrated the triumph.

Every one of the kids who participated that day were winners: they were taught basic engineering principles by experts, then learned through the practice of trial and error. Future Scientists & Engineers of America is inspiring youth, from 4th Grade through High School, to enjoy the practice of science and engineering, build experience of working with a team, and consider the pursuit of careers in challenging and rewarding fields.

Special thanks to all the underwriters who helped support FSEA this year: Anonymous 3M American Honda Corporation The Boeing Company Booz Allen Hamilton Employees Community Fund of Boeing The Jerry Taylor & Nancy Bryant Foundation The Nelson Family Northrup Grumman Southern California Gas Company/Sempra Western Digital Weswood Foundation   Read About the 2008 FSEA Rocket Launch Here >>