TARC (Team America Rocketry Challenge) is the world’s largest rocket contest for 7th through 12th grade students.  Each year the AIA (Aerospace Industries Association ) and  NAR (National Association of Rocketry) challenge up to 1000 teams across the United States to design, build, and fly a rocket that meets a challenge they issue.  This year (2014-2015) that rocket must fly to exactly 800 feet, with a total flight time of 46 – 48 seconds, and carry one raw hen’s egg and return it unbroken using a parachute.  The rocket must separate with the payload section and motor section returning on their own recovery devices.  The rocket must weigh less than 650 grams, be longer than 650mm and fly on an “F” engine (or smaller).  Click here for the 2015 TARC contest rules.  And the 2015 TARC Team Handbook can be found here.

2012-2013 will be the eighth year we have participated in TARC – teams are forming now.  Our first TARC team (2007-2008) placed 3rd in the list of alternates after the 100 qualifying teams.  The next year’s team (2008-2009) #7205 barely missed the list of alternates.    The next year (2009-2010) team #8079 placed 8th in the nation at the Fly-Offs in May 2010 near Washington, DC. and, as one of the top 20 teams, was invited to participate in NASA’s student launch initiative project this year. And next two years (2011-2012) we had two teams, but the students were so involved with the NASA SLI project they could not spend as much time as needed on TARC. In 2013 we had two teams go to finals, and in 2014 we had 5 teams that we mentored go to finals.  One team placed third in the presentation contest.

TARC 2014-2015 Introduction:

2015 Introductory PowerPoint Slideshow (needs both videos below)

TARC Video (From TARC website – .wmv version needed for PowerPoint above)

VIDEO: TARC Team 8079 (Previous Year Team) (Also needed for powerpoint above)