WSGC Announces 2019 Collegiate Rocket Launch Winners
The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Collegiate Rocket Launch competition! This year’s annual Collegiate Rocket Launch competition, a Tripoli Rocketry Association sanctioned event, saw a total of eleven teams from across Wisconsin competing for the coveted place as Mission Grand Champion, along with the grand prize of $3,000.
As the first glimpse of spring weather quickly disappeared behind clouds and snow, the annual Collegiate Rocket Launch competition was forced to postpone the launch by a day. Despite the weather and delays, spirits were high for all eleven teams as they descended upon the launch site at Richard Bong State Recreational Area in Kansasville, Wisconsin, bright and early on April 28, 2019.
Student teams were required to design, construct, and fly a high-power, one-stage rocket. Teams were challenged to land safely under an operating parachute, as well as deploy a Ground Excursion Module (GEM) that moves under its own power and without external control after reaching an apogee between 700 and 1000 feet above ground level (AGL). A downed rocket location aid was also required in the design. Prior to the launch, the teams attended a Safety Review Meeting at the EAA AirVenture Museum to ensure safe and successful flights.
The competition also included three written reports on the design, analysis, simulation, build, and test flight results; an oral presentation; in addition to an assessment of competition flight data results. Oral presentations took place on Friday, April 26 at Carthage College where a panel of engineers from the Sierra Nevada Corporation served as judges. Scoring of the teams focused on the system design and performance.
The winning teams of the flight competition were chosen based on the completion of a safe, successful flight; the accuracy of their predicted apogees; and the distance traveled by their GEMs in the allowed time. These teams will present their rocket projects at the 29th Annual Space Conference at UW-Platteville on August 15, 2019. The theme of this year’s conference is the “Future of Space Flight.” Join us for presentations on robotic mining on Mars, the 50th Anniversary of Apollo, NASA’s next trip to the moon, protecting DNA during space travel, and many more exciting topics!
1st Place ($3,000)
Pioneer Rocketry: University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Jane Dickler
Morgan Fenger
Liz Bohlman
Jackie Muller
Derek Kozak
2nd Place ($2,000)
Wombat Wocketry: University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan
Andrew Kehm
Hunter Prinsen
Gregory Scholten
Ivan Pulido
3rd Place ($1,000)
Rocketeers: University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
Shawn Schumacher
Alex Streck
Maddie Sauer
Thomas Hechel
Participants
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Lake Michigan Launchers: Carthage College Megan Janiak Alessandro Tocci Felix Daniels Olivia Lutterman Sophia Tajnai |
MSOE Team Genesis: Milwaukee School of Engineering Alex Van Dyck Joshua Furey Tyler Braun Nicholas Hahn Jacob Dryja Harlan Schwanebeck |
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START: Marquette University Hayes Wass Jasper Poppele Zachary Samis Anthony Defelippis Salvador Gonzalez Nicole Biskner |
Rocket Pioneers: Carroll University Amanda Ferr Bryce Smith Nicholas Padesky Anastasia Martin Donald Novak |
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Ripon College Rocket Team: Ripon College Jared Zeman Lane Brown Antony Gradillas Paul Kremer Ryan Anthony-Ceres Devon Giesler |
Phoenom: UW-Green Bay Jesse Schraft Elizabeth Heinen Jacob Gillette |
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Pointer Rocketeers: UW-Stevens Point Max Read Nathan Schmidt Max Stowers Theron Wilkinson |
UWRF Falcons: UW-River Falls Bryce Counsellor David Kieke William Gagliardi Ryan Sjoberg Eric Burrell |
A special thank you to the Tripoli Rocketry Association, Frank Noble, Bob Justus, the Sierra Nevada Corporation, and the students and faculty that made this event a possibility!
