LONDON, July 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Five students
from Creekview High School of Canton,
Ga., took home silver medals in the seventh annual
International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough International
Air Show. The U.S. team, sponsored by Raytheon (NYSE: RTN), won
second place, while the French team captured first and the U.K.
team took third.
Competing teams designed, built and launched rockets with a goal
of reaching an altitude of exactly 825 feet during a 48- to
50-second flight window. The payload, two raw hen eggs, had to
return to the ground undamaged using two identical parachutes.
Scores are determined by how close teams come to the required
height and time; cracked eggs disqualify the flight.
The five-member team representing the
United States consists of Amanda
Semler, 18; Andrew White, 16;
Nick Dimos, 16; Austin Bralick, 16; and Bailey Robertson, 15. The team posted the top
flight score of 9.88 and was just nine feet shy of the target
altitude. The team from France
posted the next highest flight score of 448.32 followed by the UK
team with a flight score of 715.2.
The students also gave a presentation on their rocket design to
a panel of international judges at Raytheon's air show
headquarters. The judges' score counted for 40 percent of their
total score.
"I had a great time being out here with all of the other people
from different countries and meeting other people with similar
interests," said Team Captain Amanda
Semler."I hope it will inspire other women to get
into the industry and reach their dreams."
The International Rocketry Challenge is the culmination of three
separate competitions held annually around the globe: the Team
America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) sponsored by the Aerospace
Industries Association of America (AIA); the United Kingdom
Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKAYRoC) sponsored by ADS, the
UK Aerospace, Defense, Security and Space association; and the
French Rocketry Challenge sponsored by Groupement des Industries
Francaises Aeronautiques et Spatiales, the French aerospace
industries association. Each contest brings together teams of
middle and high school students to design, build and launch model
rockets with the goal of inspiring young minds to become engaged in
science, technology, engineering and math.
"The knowledge, discipline and commitment displayed by students
to make it to this level of competition is extraordinary," said
Thomas A. Kennedy, CEO of Raytheon.
"By celebrating student achievement on a global stage, Raytheon
hopes to inspire more students to challenge themselves to share
their knowledge and natural curiosity as they collaborate to
uncover winning solutions."
This is the ninth year that Raytheon has supported the U.S.
team's trip to the international air show. The program is part of
the company's broad-based MathMovesU® initiative to
encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM).
"The ingenuity and determination displayed today by the U.S.
team is a powerful indicator that young Americans remain committed
to excellence in STEM-related fields," said AIA President and CEO
Marion C. Blakey. "I am confident
that students like these will continue to bolster America's global
leadership in aerospace for generations to come."
About the Aerospace Industries Association
(AIA)
Founded in 1919 shortly after the birth of
flight, the Aerospace Industries Association is the most
authoritative and influential trade association representing the
nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military and
business aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aircraft systems, space
systems, aircraft engines, homeland and cybersecurity systems,
materiel and related components, equipment services and information
technology.
About MathMovesU
Raytheon's MathMovesU® program
is an initiative committed to increasing middle and elementary
school students' interest in math and science education by engaging
them in hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs
of MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience
MathAlive!®; Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills™ experience at
INNOVENTIONS at Epcot®, which showcases math in action as students
design and experience their own thrill ride using math
fundamentals; the In the Numbers game, a partnership with the New
England Patriots on display at The Hall at Patriot Place presented
by Raytheon; the company's ongoing sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS®
National Competition; and the MathMovesU scholarship and grant
program. Follow MathMovesU and other Raytheon community outreach
programs on Facebook and on Twitter @MathMovesU.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013
sales of $24
billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a
technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security
and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of
innovation spanning 92 years, Raytheon provides
state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other
capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command,
control, communications and intelligence systems, as well
as cyber security and a broad range of mission support
services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit
us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter
@Raytheon.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140718/128619
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