First Rocketday! event a blast for local students

The rocket team from Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Lab brought one of their rockets and gave a presentation on rocket design and competitions during the Rocketday! event held at the Hands on Science Center in Tullahoma on May 14. The event was hosted by the Tennessee Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. (Courtesy photo/Tanya Sheeley)

First Rocketday! event a blast for local students

Abigail Vorhees-Fontenot, right, was the winner of the matchhead rocket competition at Rocketday!, an event held at the Hands on Science Center in Tullahoma on May 14. Rocketday! was organized as a learning opportunity for area youth by the AIAA Tennessee Section. Pictured is Abigail with her brother Caleb with their Two-Cool competition entries. (Courtesy photo/Tanya Sheeley)

First Rocketday! event a blast for local students

Three rocket competitions were held during Rocketday!, an event hosted by the Tennessee Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Trace Baxter, pictured, received first place in the “Two-Cool” rocket competition for students in seventh through twelfth grade with his rocket designed to look like a Dalek from the TV series Dr. Who. The “Two-Cool” competition was judged on design, appearance and flight. (Courtesy photo/Tanya Sheeley)

First Rocketday! event a blast for local students

Published June 20, 2016
By Deidre Ortiz
AEDC/PA

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. -- The Tennessee Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics hosted Rocketday! for area students at the Hands on Science Center in Tullahoma May 14.

This event was supported by the AEDC Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program, which provided some of the launchers and supplies used in the competitions.

Three rocket launch competitions were held at the event: a matchstick rocket and a 20-ounce bottle rocket competition for grade-school students, and a 2-liter "Two-Cool" bottle rocket competition for middle and high school students.

Abigail Voorhes-Fontenot placed first place in the matchstick rocket competition with a distance of 8 feet and 1 inch from the goal target. Sam Frasier won the soda bottle rocket competition for his rocket flight of 50 feet. Trace Baxter took first in the "Two-Cool" competition, which was judged on design, appearance and flight.

Dr. Taylor Swanson, volunteer and Arnold Engineering Development Center senior technology engineer, stated though the weather created some challenges, the participants learned a lot and had fun.

"High winds hampered performance in some events, but the students in attendance still enjoyed the activities, learned about rocketry and gained experience constructing and launching their rockets," he said.

Dr. Joe Wehrmeyer, technical advisor for AEDC Test Analysis and Technology Branch, stated he enjoyed volunteering and watching the competitions.

"I discovered that shooting water bottle rockets is 'triple cool,'" he said.

For the third through eighth grade events, prizes included LEGO® kits and a $25 gift certificate to the HOSC. The Two-Cool winner received a quadcopter drone and the second place winner received a $25 HOSC gift certificate.

In addition to the rocket competitions, several speakers made presentations. Dr. Joseph Sheeley, AIAA Tennessee section chairman and AEDC senior technology engineer, spoke on model rocketry; Chris Dondanville, with the Music City Missile Club, spoke on high power hobby rocketry; and Joe Migliaccio spoke on rocket testing at AEDC. The rocket team from Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Lab presented on their rocket design and competitions.

"The inaugural Rocketday event was a worthwhile experience both for the attendees and for those who planned the event, and will hopefully grow and become a local tradition," Swanson said.

Sheeley, who headed planning and organization of Rocketday!, agreed the event was largely a success.

"Everyone appeared to have a great time, which was really the goal," he said. "To get the public excited about what we do."

-AEDC-