Explorer Post 1010: Rocketry Project 2017

Our Teams

Team 17-2661

Bhavesh Kemburu
Joe Camobreco
Joshua Vazquez
Tony Guardado
Upneet Bir

Team 17-2662

Malini Balachandran
Matthew McCallum
Mayilan Thanigai
Vivek Uppoor

Support

Bob Ekman
Samantha Steckel

We invite members of our other projects to join us in building and launch activities. We have fun running around the launch fields and they can provide an opportunity to test quadcopters.

Cassini Spacecraft

Cassini Rocket

Explorer Post 1010 is registered in the 2017 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). The main web site is http://www.rocketcontest.org/. The challenge is described in the 2017 Rules. This is a year-round activity. We started with experiments focused on the challenge in the summer and the fall. We recruited new members in the fall and started to design and build our competition rockets. During the winter and into the spring we tested our rockets at least once a month.

We conducted three qualification flights for each team by April 4, 2017. While both teams worked hard and had good participation, Team 2662 received two good scores on their qualification launches and were invited to the national fly--off on May 13. To determine the invites, TARC added the scores of the two best qualification launches. The cut off for this year was 31.16. Team 2662 had a score of 29.12.

Teams
This year we started with six members from last year. We recruited new members in October and now have two teams. To be on a team you must be a dues paying member of Post 1010 and have your parents sign the TARC permission form. Members may switch teams until the first qualification flight. Members must participate in designing, building, and launching to remain on a team.

We met during normal Exploring Program meetings on Wednesdays for work sessions and on Saturdays and Sundays for launches. Each team built several rockets, including test rockets and backups for their best models. We document our activities and results on these web pages.

Launch Sites

MDw - Heritage Farm Park in Walkersville, Maryland (map, picture). Park information at http://walkersville-md.com/parks-recreation/heritage-farm-park/. (39.49n,-77.34w,307a)

VA - Great Meadow (directions, map, picture), near The Plains, Virginia, off I66, west of Manassas. NOVAAR runs the launch. Their calendar is at http://www.novaar.org. This is the site of the National Fly-off. (38.83n,-77.81w,587a)

MD - Old National Pike Park, east of New Market, in Frederick county Maryland (directions, picture). NARHAMS runs the launch. Their launch calendar and other information is at http://www.narhams.org/.

WV - Charles Town West Virginia, Oakland Church Field, west of Harpers Ferry (picture). The site is run by the Blue Ridge Rocketeers.

When we launch in strong wind, our biggest concern is the loss of our rocket in the trees. We have plotted out launch limit maps for Maryland and Virginia launch sites.

Launches

Testing

Qualification

National Fly-Off

Tuesday, May 9 (MDw)
Saturday, May 13 (VA)

Qualification Scores

All Flight Data
2661 Qualification 1, DQ, DQ
2662 Qualification 1, 2, 3.

We always need parents to drive to the launch sites. Participants should bring money for lunch or bring food when we are out all day. Wear appropriate clothing. Schedules can change at the last minute due to weather, so keep watching this web site, Facebook, your email, and call if unsure.

Resources
Wind speed is a big problem for our rockets, so we check http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi (Manassas, Frederick) before we launch. The Weather Channel is another source for weather at the Virginia Site and Maryland Site.

The Internet and email are important resources for our teams. Each member should sign up for the TARC Yahoo Group and review the recent emails and files.

We have a Post 1010 Rocketry Project Facebook Group where we post information on launches and related activities. We also have a Post 1010 Facebook Group. Post 1010 members and parents in the rocketry project should join both.

2017 TARC Information

Our Team Information

Past Years