Last weekend I attended the NASA Student Launch Initiative and University SLI event at NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, AL.  This event had 34 high school and college student teams flying large high-power rockets that each took a scientific payload to a mile in altitude.  The students designed and built both rockets and payloads.  NASA engineers under the leadership of NAR member Chuck Pierce put the teams through three rigorous design reviews during the year, so these young people absolutely knew their stuff.  This year for the first time the NAR ran the flying range and flight safety checks as a national activity, bringing in skilled HPR volunteers from around the US under the leadership of NAR Trustee John Lyngdal to reinforce the HARA section and handle the increasing size of this event.  This was a great and welcome opportunity for our NAR to expand our "pay forward" activities into a highly sophisticated student high power program. 

 

Last month I mentioned the fact that the NAR Board of Trustees met at NARCON on March 12.  To see the full report of what we discussed and decided at this meeting, check out the minutes that have just been posted on the NAR website. 

 

As the almost-final step in our successful nine-year legal action against BATFE regulation of high-power rocket motors, we and TRA have filed a joint claim for $81,000 in legal fee recovery from BATFE based on the court's decision authorizing fee recovery after its ruling in our favor on the lawsuit.  Once the court finally adjudicates this claim and the agency actually pays it, I will initiate a process to seek NAR member input on what to do with our 50% share of whatever amount the court actually allows.

 

Congratulations to the 100 student teams from 30 states (plus the US Virgin Islands) that recently earned spots to fly in the national finals of the Team America Rocketry Challenge run by the NAR and our AIA partners on May 15 near Washington DC.  A big "thank you" to all the NAR members across the US who mentored and did flight observer duties in support of TARC teams this year, and to the 105 NAR members who will be coming to the Finals to run the range.  This is the biggest and most successful "pay forward" program the NAR has ever had, and your efforts are truly making a diference in inspiring young people toward careers in aerospace and toward rocketry as a hobby.  

 

We are continuing to discover and resolve database and data mangement issues that have resulted from our November headquarters management software system conversion.   This month we discovered that a software "feature" we did not recognize had led to new NAR members not getting added to the mailing list for Sport Rocketry magazine.  Those of you who joined as new members from November 15 through December have missed two issues (Jan/Feb and Mar/Apr) and we will be sending them to you.  Those who joined in January or February missed the Mar/Apr issue, and our remaining supply of this issue does not permit us to send you a copy, so we will add two months to your membership.  The May/June issue will be shipping next week, so everyone was a member as of last week will be getting this issue.  My apologies for our mistake.

 

Be safe, have fun, and pay forward.