Rocket club retools for new contests

By: Jason Rathjen

The rocket club has started off on a brand new adventure.

After last year’s somewhat disappointing qualifying launches, engineering teacher and club leader Zeb Nicholson is confident that this year the team will put out a winning rocket. “Between the people, the experience and starting really early, we are really well set,” Nicholson said.

This year’s competition rules have changed slightly from last year. Instead of launching one egg into the air, the ante was upped to two eggs, with one mounted vertically and one horizontally in the rocket. The height mark was raised to 850 feet instead of 800 feet. Also the flight duration portion of the contest was shifted to 44-46 seconds from 46-48 seconds.

The club has nearly tripled in size from last year. The new faces will bring knowledge and excitement. “I can help keep people on task and can help with calculations, and I just love rockets, so I can bring some fun into it,” senior member Ben Hertz said.

The club will also have experience to build on from sophomore Ryan Ritter, who was a part of the club last year. “This year we can use our knowledge of the competition rocket to repair it easily and account for different situations that may happen,” Ritter said.

The rocket club meets weekly on Thursdays during the A-shift of power hour with occasional meetings on Tuesdays for launches or extra work on the rocket. Anyone is welcome to join and just needs an interest in watching a projectile soar anywhere from 150 to 5,000 feet in the air.