SEDS is pleased to announce the 2014 University Student Rocketry Challenge. Now in it’s fourth year, this competition challenges university students to design, build, and launch a high-powered rocket that carries a 3 lb payload to an altitude of 10,000 feet in the quickest time possible. Teams are also awarded points for developing a custom scientific payload or propulsion system.
There is no cost to enter the competition and the first place team will receive a prize of $1000. Please see the links below for more information.
You can see the full video here or go to his Youtube playlist to select particular segments of the program to watch.
Caption:
“A Beginner’s Guide to American Amateur High Power Rocketry” is 2 hours and 29 minutes long and was FitzGerald’s first release to DVD. It was also his first movie shot on a digital tape format.
Like his other productions, “ABGTAAHPR” consists of a series of “in depth” interviews with Rocketeers interspersed with music segments. During these interviews you will hear and see “first hand” what the sport is like from people with the Rocket Passion.
Although there are some professionals in the sport of amateur rocketry – mostly on the manufacturing and retail side – all the interviews in this movie are of ‘regular folks’. But as you will find out – Rocket People are not your “Average Joes”. You cannot fit them in one bag – except the one labeled “I Love Rockets!”.
“A Beginner’s Guide to American Amateur High Power Rocketry” was shot over about a 6 month period. During this time two trips were made to cover two different Rocket events at the Argonia, Kansas site and one trip to Amarillo, Texas to cover an event there. The editing took far longer than normal complicated by the fact that FitzGerald decided mid-way through the project to release “Rocketeers” on DVD. His first full length DVD release, he a number of hurdles conspired to push back the release of the project. The Project took 3 years to finish.
People participating in the interview are shown in this list:
The October Sky Rocket Boys Festival (OSRBF) will again be held in Beckley, West Virginia after last year’s move to Raleigh County from McDowell County. The home of the OSRBF will again be the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine at New River Park in Beckley, West Virginia. After hosting the event for the past 13 years, the Festival Committee in Coalwood, WV decided it was no longer viable to continue the festival there and in 2012 the festival was moved to Beckley.
The 2013 Festival will feature four of the Rocket Boys plus other special guests to be added to the the schedule later in 2013. As in the past, festival goers will have a chance to meet the Rocket Boys, enjoy music by area performers, and shop craft and food vendors. One of the featured highlights will be a Rocket Launch from New River Park’s LaunchPad Beckley. Additionally, the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine will be open to the festival vistors who wish to travel underground to get a first hand look at how coal was mined.
Once a year, enthusiasts converge on a wet and windy moor in Scotland to launch homemade rockets that can reach heights of 15,000 feet. It’s quite a blast
Update Sept.22.13: Unfortunately, the flight did not succeed but the effort did succeed in advancing the knowledge of the students and the level of their program – USCRPL (USCRPL) on Twitter
“After 2 years in the hanger, USCRPL’s #Traveler space shot launched out of Black Rock Desert NV on 9/21 at 1807 PDT….”
“…4.5 secs into flight it experienced a catastrophic failure. Thanks to our fans & supporters, look out for #Traveler II! #SpaceOrNothing!”
“@wikkit#Traveler did fail during flight. But just being able to launch & see it roar out of the tower was enough to satisfy us …for now!”
“@wikkit the root cause was not a breach, but rather a over-pressurization. Some reusable hardware, but anythings reusable if you remake it!”