Blast off: Rockets help kids get fired up about science

  • Published
  • By Gary Herron
  • Special to the Nucleus
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Northwest Rio Rancho became "Cape Canaveral West" for more than 300 middle school students from around the state as they launched model rockets.

The launches -- about two-dozen conducted Oct. 28 -- were part of the annual Air Force Research Laboratory La Luz Academy's rocket project.

The 6-foot-tall rockets went from 1,500 to 2,000 feet above a landscape laden with cholla and prairiedog holes. They were shot off from the Albuquerque Rocket Society's remote launch site on 45th Avenue, between 8th and 9th streets -- about five miles northwest of the cattle guard on the west end of King Boulevard.

Ten schools were represented, along with some home-schooled students.

AFRL La Luz Academy is committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists with its science, technology, engineering and math courses of study.

Students spent several weeks building the colorful rockets, and then used modeling and simulation software to estimate their rockets' performances.

Ronda Cole, AFRL La Luz Academy director, said the handson rocketry experience, which began in 2003, is an important one for youngsters at this age. They are learning but "it doesn't feel like it," she said.

"Students at this age are starting to make decisions (about their futures) and thinking, 'What am I good at?'" Cole said. "What they're learning now has relevance." "How do you do science?" asked test director David Founds, an engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory. "It's experimental."

Two of the rockets went up simultaneously as the "rockets' red glare" lyrics of the "Star Spangled Banner" played over speakers.

As the day went on, students would identify themselves and the school attended, plus the name of their team's rocket: A short, 5-4-3-2-1 countdown preceded the launch, and then the recovery team headed out, guided by another student with binoculars and a twoway radio.

Recovering the equipment took some time, of course, as students dodged cactus, snake holes, rocks, animal scat and more as they sought their rockets, slowly returned to Earth by parachutes.

Yes, it was fun for these sixthand seventh-graders.

Steve Burke, a technical writer who does the monthly AFRL La Luz newsletter, said the rocketry is open to students throughout the state -- and he only wishes something like this had been available to him when he was growing up in the Duke City, he said.

"A number of them are inspired to go on and do this in the real world," Burke said.