Over the course of the year, two teams of six A-Level Physics students from Abbeyfield School in Chippenham have been designing, constructing and fine-tuning their rockets to compete in the UKROC national rocketry competition.
The students were set the challenge of designing a rocket that could fly 790ft into the air and deliver an egg safely back down to Earth in 40-45 seconds without it breaking. The further the rockets were from these totals, the more points they received and, like golf, it’s lowest score wins!
On Saturday, Abbeyfield School hosted the first stage of the competition – the South West regionals. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a gentle breeze rolling across the launch site, providing near-ideal conditions for flight. Thirteen teams were in attendance, all eager to showcase their hard work and secure one of the three automatic qualification spots up for grabs for the national finals in May.
“The launch site was buzzing with excitement as the teams carried their rockets to the designated launch pads, performing last-minute checks before lift-off,” recalls Mr Lansbury, Head of Science at Abbeyfield. “The first of Abbeyfield’s two teams was the most eager to launch and were first onto the launch site, with the weather forecast set to worsen throughout the day. This decision proved to be a fantastic one. The rocket soared to an impressive 783ft (only 1% away from the target!) in a perfect time, bagging them the best score of the day with the very first launch.
“However, not every launch went exactly as planned. A few teams suffered technical mishaps — some rockets veered off course, drifting into nearby fields on the cool breeze, while others suffered from failed parachute deployments, sending their payloads plummeting back to earth. There was even an exploding motor, which brought an early end to one team’s efforts.
“At 11am, just after the teams’ first launches, nature provided its own spectacle — a solar eclipse. The sky dimmed momentarily and spectators took a brief pause from the competition to witness the event. A fitting astronomical phenomenon for a day dedicated to our potential future aerospace engineers!
“Despite the occasional mishap in the lead-up to the event, including one rocket needing to be rescued from the school roof, both of our teams performed excellently, finishing in first and thirds place. Their time and efforts in designing, modelling and thoroughly testing their rockets paid off, with both achieving low enough scores to reach the national finals next month. With their sights now set on the new task at hand, our students are eager to refine their designs even further.
“As the competition wrapped up, teams celebrated their successes and reflected on the challenges of the day. The event was a resounding success, thoroughly enjoyed by all, participants and spectators alike. With excitement still in the air, our teams left the field with their heads held high, ready to take on the next stage of the competition.”
