Team America Rocketry Challenge Offers Scholarships

Calling all aspiring rocketeers. The sixth annual Team America Rocketeers Challenge is now accepting initial applications. If you are in in middle school or high school and want to become a rocketeer now is your chance. Registration is now open for the sixth annual Team America Rocketry Challenge, and your shot at a total of $60,000 in scholarships is at stake in the contest.

The Aerospace Industries Association is expecting thousands of students across the country to register and start working on their efforts toward becoming champion rocketeers. They are forming teams to build handmade rockets. Applications for the world's largest rocket contest are now available at http://www.rocketcontest.org.

According to the AIA students in grades 7-12 are eligable to compete in the TARC. The event is also open to non-profit youth organizations that fall within that eage range. Last year abround 7,000 students took part in the contest last year. Since the contest began in 2003 the TARC has scene approximately 42,000 entranties. The 2007 winner hailed from Newark (California) Memorial High School.

Paperwork for this event is due by teams of middle and high school students by Nov. 30 to register for the challenge. Don't worry you still have some time before the actual rocket is due.

Once registered students will until April 7 to conduct a qualifying launch and earn a trip to the final round of the competition, scheduled for May 17 at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia.

This year they are introducing new contest rules. The teams must launch their handmade rocket to a minimum altitude of 750 feet and the rockets must stay aloft for at least 45 seconds. The rockets for the 2008 contest are now required to carry a payload of two raw eggs rather then the one egg that was required in the previous years. The rules also call for the eggs to remain unbroken when the rocket reaches the ground in order for the team to receive a score on their launch.

The Team America Rocketry Challenge is sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Association of Rocketry, NASA and the Defense Department co-sponsor, along with the American Association of Physics Teachers and 37 Aerospace Industries Association member companies.

Visit Team America Rocetry Challenge on the web at http://www.rocketcontest.org for additional contest details and to sign up for updates. The site now offers you access to the new RocketBlog!, which will carry updates and other information on the Team America Rocketry Challenge throughout the year.

SOURCE Aerospace Industries Association
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