Rockets '09 - 4/24-26

The public will have a rare opportunity to witness 46 rockets roar off four launch pads, soar over one mile high, and break the sound barrier at Rockets '09, April 24 - 26, 2009 at the Paul Meek Ranch south of Fredericksburg, Texas. The free event is the culminating activity of the acclaimed SystemsGo Aeroscience program, developed over 10 years by Brett Williams, technology teacher at Fredericksburg High School.

Students from 26 Texas high schools will gather to launch rockets they designed and built. First-year classes will send a one-pound payload over one mile high. Ten second-generation rockets will break the sound barrier and reach heights over 12,000 feet. Organizers anticipate rockets leaving the pads approximately every half hour between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The event has expanded in its third year to include more participants, more launches, and more activities. On Friday morning, April 24, 250 students from area middle schools will tour the prep and testing areas, then build and launch their own model rockets at the new SystemsGo 101. Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday, all visitors to the site will be able to purchase, build, and launch their own model rockets.

Representatives from the aerospace industry and higher education will be on site sharing information. Organizations include Texas A&M Engineering Department, Texas Tech Hill Country, Kettering University, and NASA. On Sunday, students from the University of Texas Longhorn Rocket Association will test rockets they built.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will set up a remote weather monitoring station to provide up-to-the-minute forecasts. The Lower Colorado River Authority will provide two communications trailers and dispatch units to assist staff with staying in contact with air traffic controllers and law enforcement agencies to alert local aircraft as well as auto traffic on Highway 16. More than 100 volunteers from the Hill Country and Texas will be on hand to support this initiative.

The Paul Meek ranch is located six miles south of Fredericksburg off Hwy 16, at Alfred Petsch Road. Turn on Petsch Road and travel 1.1 mile to the launch site. Signs will be posted on Hwy 16. There will be free parking, security, food and T-shirt concessions, and several informational and activity booths. Tours of the testing and prep areas will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. A new area has been designated this year for the public to pitch tents for shade. A public address system will be set up to keep visitors informed of launch progress throughout the weekend.

Organizers remind the public that the area should be considered an experimental testing range. Mobility will be limited, access will be controlled, and visitors need to be aware that this is the first flight of all rockets.

Ignite is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed to help spread the program to other high schools in Texas. Anyone wanting to start a program, to provide support, or to learn more about Ignite can visit www.igniteeducation.org or call 830-997-3567.