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IHM Student Launch Initiative Rocket Team Huntsville Launch Week 2024 April 11, 12 & 13 2024 Page 1 Link to Page 2 Click on any photo for a larger print sized copy. Feel free to share these photos, including re-uploading them to facebook, etc.
Last year two of my rocket teams qualified for the American Rocketry Challenge Top 100 Nationals near Manassas VA. One team placed 13, which earned our school an invitation into the NASA Student Launch Initiative. SLI is an insanely difficult nine month program that requires teams to research and write lengthy papers, that are full of all kinds of rocket science. The also have to give tele-presentations and meet several launch milestones. I had a clue as to how much work this would be so I was hesitant to participate. I did have some key rocket team members who wanted very much to participate and seemed to understand how much work would be involved.
So we enrolled, beginning with me participating in a NASA SLI seminar last summer. This year I've spent over 150 hours working directly with my SLI team and a multiple of that on background tasks, like writing and answering a zillion emails and spending thousands of dollars (that the team fundraised). The time spent escalated as the year progressed. Over the past few months it wasn't uncommon for me to meet with SLI 4 or 5 days a week as well as meeting with my American Rocketry Challenge teams 1 or 2 days a week. The first line in the 44 page handbook states: "Students on the team will do 100% of the project, including design, construction, written reports, presentations, and flight preparation..." and we strictly adhered to that rule. As time consuming as SLI has been for ME, I'm still in awe that the kids (especially the leaders) spent much, much more time researching, learning rocket science and writing than they spent in our meetings and work sessions. I think our Student Lead, Aleena, deserves about 10 college credits for the work she has put into SLI this year.
Our SLI Team had an amazingly successful launch week in Huntsville. IHM SLI was the only middle school at the launch along with the 38 universities, 11 high schools and three clubs (consisting of mostly high school students). NASA stated that the university challenge this year was the most difficult one ever. This was reflected by the fact that only 13 of 38 university teams had solved the problem effectively enough to be allowed to safely deploy their five pound payload. The requirement was to deploy a 5 pound capsule that safely descends to the earth without the use of a parachute or streamer. While the team had the option of building a rocket with a simple science experiment payload, the 12 member team elected to take on the university challenge and had the most unique, entertaining and arguably effective payload solution. While on a tether, Louie the inflatable blue T-Rex floated above the rocket’s main parachute.
* Awards will be announced in June. Punchlist
At the punchlist, the rocket must be shown to rocket experts, ready to fly (minus the motor and explosive ejection charges). The experts inspect the rocket, disassemble it and ask questions about its construction, payload and launch procedure. They inspect the student made checklist and ask a myriad of questions. From what I've been told, most teams are given a list of a few things to correct. My kids got through it clean however.
Mark Hanna In SLI terms, I am the "educator". The team also must have a "mentor" who is a member of the National Association of Rocketry and is licensed to handle the powerful motors (In our case a 2,512 Newton Aerotech K1000 Blue Thunder) and explosive ejection charges. The mentor also advises on general high power rocketry construction, procedures, safety, etc. Mark Hanna, in the red shirt below, was our team mentor and also has been the mentor for the St. Vincent St. Mary team for the past decade. The first 2 photos below are in the ready room where teams may assemble their rockets.
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The photo below was taken as the payload was explained to the NAR members. Nearly every university approached the problem with sore version of a "copter". Four teams had cloth wing gliders (that tumbled of flat spun I believe). We were the last team to be checked out, so it must have been very refreshing to learn about an inflatable dinosaur payload.
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The team with NASA member SLI John Eckhart.
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The team with NASA member Allison Chouinard
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The team with Astronaut Warren (Woody) Hoburg, who was the keynote speaker
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At the “Rocket Fair” the night before the launch, the team spent some time talking to Homer Hickam, author and subject of “Rocket Boys” and “October Skies”.
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We were supposed to be the second rocket to launch. The announcer read all the specs about the first team and their rocket, then counted down and then IHM's rocket took off! Then they scrambled to figure out what happened and read off the our school name (completely butchered) and a few other wrong things. Then out came the main chute, which took a bit longer to open and then Louie inflated. I might be biased, but Louie inflating was pretty much the coolest moment of the day. (Below, 10 should have flown, we are on pad 11)
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The main chute opened for half a sec, then collapsed when it wrapped around another line.
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What a mess!
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We think Louie's tether pulled the main loose, then it re-opened.
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Link to Page 2
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