Do you know what it takes to build a rocket?  East Texas has some smart kids, and their creativity is paying off.  After a regional rocket competition, several Texas teams are moving on to the national finals next month in Washington DC.

Our Texas students are joining others in 46 states to be part of this growing rocket competition, where students craft some pretty exceptional and well-engineered rockets.  These ain't toys.  Students in 28 of those states are headed to the national finals.

The Team America Rocketry Challenge is the aerospace and defense industry’s flagship program that they hope encourages students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Middle and high school students have to design, build, and fly rockets that meet some tough altitude and flight duration standards.  This year the rockets had to carry two raw eggs to reach 800 feet, and they had to deliver those eggs on the rocket back to Earth uncracked, all within 41 to 43 seconds.  Wow!  The crafted these rockets while the rest of us were probably sitting on the couch binge-watching shows on Netflix.  Smart, smart, smart.  And ambitious, with great teamwork apparently.

Harmony Science Academy- Beaumont (Team 1) Beaumont TX
Harmony Science Academy- Beaumont (Team 2) Beaumont TX
Allen Academy of Math and Science Bryan TX
Harmony Science Academy Houston High School (Team 1) Houston TX
Clear Creek High School League City TX (near Houston)
Presidio ISD (Team 1) Presidio TX
Presidio ISD (Team 2) Presidio TX
ETA High School San Antonio TX
Theodore Roosevelt High School San Antonio TX
Seabrook Intermediate School (Team 1) Seabrook TX
Seabrook Intermediate School (Team 5) Seabrook TX
Frog Pond Academy Sherman TX
Sherman High School (Team 2) Sherman TX
Sherman High School (Team 3) Sherman TX

If they continue to do well, they might have jobs waiting for them in Houston later, with that NASA outfit.

The National Finals are happening May 12th at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA, outside of Washington, D.C.

Good luck to these teams.  We know they'll represent Texas well.

 

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