College News
Reaching for the stars
Date Posted: 15/05/2019 | Posted In: Latest news
How many individuals can say that they have built and launched their own rocket? The Future Engineers from QE can, after having participated in the United Kingdom’s largest youth rocket competition, the UK Youth Rocketry Challenge, competing against teams from across the North, Midlands and Wales at Elvington Airfield, Yorkshire. The groups were tasked with designing, constructing and launching a model rocket with the aim of ensuring the passenger, a raw egg, remained intact during the launch and landing. The rocket had to reach 856 feet with a specific target flight duration of 43-46 seconds. The Future Engineers took part in three launches with the first resulting in the parachute detaching and the second breaking the egg. However, the final launch saw the rocket clear the airfield after having an additional motor fitted and reach a whopping height of 1,156 feet. Most importantly, the egg remained intact!
Student, Adam Bell, explains: ‘The event was really exciting and the project has given us the opportunity to consider how Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects are applied in the aerospace sector’. Jack Barry adds: ‘It was amazing to see how far our rocket travelled on the last attempt. We learnt a lot from the day, especially about how to make alterations and improvements when things do not always go according to plan’.
Liz Bryan, Future Engineers Co-ordinator, concludes: ‘The competition has been a really enjoyable experience for our students who have shown creativity and innovation in the design and construction of their rocket, in addition to understanding the importance of sharing ideas and teamwork’.
