The St. Anthony’s High School Aerospace and Aviation Club will be traveling to Syracuse on June 12 to compete in the American Rocketry Challenge National Finals. There will be 100 schools from throughout the United States participating in the event.
This year, there were 615 schools that vied for a place in the top 100, and a spot in the national finals. Under normal circumstances, the event would occur in Washington D.C., but due to the coronavirus, it will be held in Syracuse.
This is the third time that St. Anthony’s has qualified for the national finals. In 2012, they finished in the top 25, and as a result, were invited to Huntsville Alabama where they “successfully built, launched and safely returned a high powered rocket in NASA’s Student Launch Competition.” In 2018, they finished 10th in the entire country.
A significant number of qualifications and criteria need to be met in order for teams to qualify. “This year’s rules require teams to design, build a rocket that carries 1 raw egg to an altitude of 800 feet, stays airborne for 40-43 seconds and return the rocket to the ground with the egg intact. At the National Finals, each team’s goal is to launch a rocket 775 feet and land within 39-42 seconds. The second flight goal is 825 feet and land within 41-44 seconds.”
The team is being advised by Mark Capodanno.
AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning said, “In a year full of extraordinary challenges, teamwork and determination propelled these talented rocketeers to qualify for the National Finals. While the American Rocketry Challenge may look different this year, it continues to be a bright spark of inspiration for future STEM leaders and the aerospace and defense industry.”
To learn more about The American Rocketry Challenge, go to their website www.rocketcontest.org.
Congratulations team and Mark Capodanno