November 29, 2011
In its fifth year of existence, the Longhorn Rocket Association (LRA) has its largest and most diverse membership yet. With 70 students spanning ten majors, students are developing a variety of practical skills – creating rocket designs, gaining hands-on building experience, developing teamwork skills and more.
For many students, designing and building rockets complements their academic coursework.
“LRA has given me hands-on experience,” Treasurer Brendan Tseung said. “I can create a design in class and build it for LRA. They complement each other, which is nice because I can put what I learn into practice.”
This year, students designed and built rockets and launched them on October 22 at The University of Texas Pickle Research Center. Eighty-five students, alumni, staff, faculty and their families came out to the event. Lockheed Martin provided funding for delicious hot dogs and burgers.
“The event was a great success – we had a great turnout and launched the most rockets we have ever launched,” President Jason Kish said. “We were able to launch over 40 rockets, some multiple times, including rocket kits that were bought and constructed at the launch site from a variety of guests like Lockheed Martin and AIAA.”
The rocket launch provided the groundwork for the first-ever tournament the group plans to host in February.
“We were able to teach them the basic skills necessary to construct a rocket. They will have to apply these skills during the tournament we will be holding in the upcoming months,” Kish said. “The tournament is a new idea we are experimenting with to introduce members to the design process they will see when constructing high powered rockets.”
For the tournament, LRA members will split into smaller groups with the task of building a rocket to meet certain specifications. The will be judged based on critical design review scores, maximum altitude, and survivability. Each rocket will be required to be built from scratch with the exception of the motor.
The LRA provides students with invaluable hands-on experience as well as networking and scholarship opportunities.
Senior Samuel Treadgold received a $2,000 scholarship from Lockheed Martin for his work on a high-powered rocket and subsequent analysis of satellite imagery to find the team’s lost rocket.
“I’ve gained leadership skills over the years,” Treadgold said. “I’ve also made valuable connections after having opportunities to meet and talk with representatives from companies like Lockheed Martin and SpaceX.”
The skills that LRA members gain are applicable in many ways, even after the rockets are built. Aside from using those skills in the workplace in the future, they will also give back to the community.
“I’ve loved my experience in LRA,” Computer Science junior Ian Ruth said. “I’d like to help kids build rockets later. It’s a good way to find out if you want to pursue a career in science and engineering, or it can help you see if you enjoy the field.”
