Local Teens Place 5th in National Science Contest

Find more photos like this on FRESH∙INK
The Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy SG-1 team took fifth place in the nation on May 17 at Team America Rocketry Challenge. A team from Raleigh, North Carolina, won the Challenge. CMCA team members will share a prize pool of more than $60,000 with other top finishers. Lockheed Martin Corporation provides additional $5,000 scholarships to each of the top three teams.

The 3-member 7th-grade CMCA team rose to the top of 100 squads of middle and high school-aged students facing off in the final round of the World's Largest Rocket Competition held outside Washington, D.C. About 7,000 students on 643 teams from 43 states and the District of Columbia took part in the qualifying rounds of competition. The results enhance CMCA's status as a premier public school in Colorado. since CMCA has been the top middle school for the past 7 years in CSAP testing.

"We had the most consistent flights of the day, allowing us to move from 17th position with our first flight to 5th on our second flight," said Kenneth Conner, the team's captain. The two flights deviated less than two tenths of a point in a competition where some scores were as far as several hundred off the goal.

The team also received an invitation from NASA to participate in its Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program. "We're really excited about the possibility of participating in a NASA program," said Sara Volz. "We'll be able to fly a science experiment a mile high using big, loud rockets that aren't even legal for most students our age." Sara recently won 1st place in her division in the Colorado State Science Fair for her project, "Are Biodiesel Emissions Safer Than Commercial Diesel Emissions?"

"I didn't realize what a prestigious accomplishment this competition was until mayor Lionel Rivera wrote us a letter and governor Bill Ritter called to congratulate us on our trip to finals," said Adelaide Reddish. "One of the coolest aspects of the competition was during our preparation and flight for the second round. A film crew was shooting our team for a national broadcast. They were intrigued with our ages and our long list of sponsors, which they will put on TV." The team also had a live interview on KRDO television and radio locally the day they left for finals. The entire Colorado Springs community has been very enthusiastic and supportive.

The rocket contest presented teams from around the country with a dual challenge. They had to launch their rockets as close as possible to an altitude of 750 feet with a flight time of 45 seconds, while returning a payload of two raw eggs unbroken to the ground.

The contest, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry, is designed to encourage students to consider careers in aerospace, as almost 60 percent of the U.S. aerospace workforce is 45 or older, according to AIA statistics. The next stop for the first place team is a trip to the Farnborough International Airshow and a fly-off against the winners of the UK Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge from Horsforth Secondary School in Yorkshire. Raytheon is sponsoring the team's trip as part of the TARC winners' first prize package.

AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey said the contest was a great success in achieving its goal of attracting young people to consider careers in the aerospace field. "These middle and high school students showed their ability to take mathematics and physics concepts and apply them to the real world," Blakey said. "I applaud not only the winners, but every student who took part, and the teachers and mentors who helped along the way. This is an encouraging sign as the aerospace industry faces a looming workforce shortage." AIA created the Team America Rocketry Challenge in 2003 to celebrate the centennial of flight and to generate interest in aerospace careers among young people. The aerospace and defense sector is bracing for a workforce crisis over the next decade as the scientists and engineers lured to the industry by the space race and the Cold War hit retirement age and not enough qualified young Americans are available to take their place. The aerospace industry offers a variety of career opportunities, from building space vehicles to designing state-of-the-art fighter aircraft to planning future commercial jetliners. Whether in engineering, production, testing or integration, aerospace careers are challenging and unique.

The team needs continued financial support and donations are 501(c)3 deductible. Please call CMCA at 471-1999 or use the contact information on the SG-1 team's web page.


SG-1 would like to give special thanks for our current supporters: Thad Zylka, Norm Black, ITT, Cheyenne Mountain Charter Adademy/PTO, El Pomar Foundation/ Cheyenne Mountain High School, American Astronautical Society, Rocky Mountain Section, Brandango.us, Compleat Games and Hobbies,The Schuck Foundation, Zeal, and Colorado Aerospace Education Foundation. Thanks also to Colorado Springs Rocket Society for going well beyond normal mentoring and support, especially Warren Layfield, Ernie Puckett and George Shaiffer.