Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761
sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov
Angela Storey
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
angela.d.storey@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 08-316
NASA INVITES YOUNG ENGINEERS TO ALABAMA STUDENT LAUNCH INITIATIVE
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- NASA has invited 14 groups of ambitious young
rocketeers from 11 middle schools, high schools and youth
organizations around the country to light up the sky over North
Alabama during NASA's 2008-2009 Student Launch Initiative rocketry
challenge.
The rocketeering challenge will be held April 15-20, 2009, when
student teams will converge on NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala., for a professional review of their rockets by NASA
engineers. Day-long launch activities will take place at nearby Bragg
Farms in Toney, Ala.
The annual event, which Marshall manages, is designed to inspire young
people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics -- fields important to NASA's exploration mission.
Each team will design, build and field-test a rocket while gaining
real experience in managing complex, technical development projects
from the drawing board to the launch pad. They must address twin
challenges: designing a vehicle capable of traveling to an altitude
of 1 mile and devising an on-board science experiment that can
survive the trip and deliver data when the rocket parachutes back to
Earth.
Teams are eligible to participate in the program for one or two years.
Each new team receives a $3,700 grant, and each returning team
receives a $2,450 grant.
In addition to designing and flying working rockets, participants will
develop a project Web site, and write and submit preliminary and
post-launch reports like NASA engineers working actual missions.
Teams also will devise outreach projects for schools or youth
organizations in their area, helping to spread interest in rocketry
to students younger than themselves.
For more information about the NASA Student Launch Initiative, visit:
http://education.msfc.nasa.gov/sli 
