Presidio teams going to American Rocketry Challenge

Apr. 17—Two student teams from Presidio are among 100 national finalists in the American Rocketry Challenge.

The students will compete against other teams at the National Finals, taking place May 20 in The Plains, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. In addition to competing for the title of national champion and an all-expense paid trip to the International Rocketry Challenge at the Paris Air Show in June, teams will be competing for $100,000 in prizes. The top 25 teams will automatically receive invitations to NASA's Student Launch workshop.

The teams are: Sozin's Comet & Atlas from Presidio High School

This year's competition featured nearly 800 teams and 4,500 students from 45 states. For 2023, each team was required to design, build, and launch model rockets that safely carries one large hen egg to an altitude of 850 feet, stays airborne for between 42 and 45 seconds, and returns the rocket to the ground safely. The twist is, the rocket must separate into two parts after apogee — one section of the rocket must contain the egg and altimeter, and the second the rocket motor(s) — and both parts must land with their own parachutes.

Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Association of Rocketry, and more than 20 industry partners, the American Rocketry Challenge is the aerospace and defense industry's flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Now in its 21st year, the competition has inspired nearly 90,000 middle and high school students to explore education and careers in STEM fields. One of those alumni is astronaut Warren "Woody" Hoburg, who made the National Finals of the American Rocketry Challenge in 2002. In March, Hoburg headed to space as the Pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station.