Almost…

Two of my students are working on an incredible project. They’re putting together a two stage rocket that they built from scratch. I’m beyond excited for them to see this project become a success. Throughout the semester, they’ve purchased parts, crafted their own parts, spent time on the phone with experts, worked with physics teachers, and raised money. My class even pitched in $60 toward their project. Today, they let me know they were ready for a test launch, so I met them and their families by Buffalo Lake. We walked out to the center of the lake with their rocket and my cameras and set up to catch the launch.

It turned out the igniter malfunctioned and burnt out before the rocket could launch.

Setbacks and rockets go hand in hand, as we’ve seen recently with SpaceX and their wild successes and spectacular near misses. However, the mindset that goes with assessing problems, searching for solutions, and implementing new plans is the most important part of this project. It was an honor to be there, even if they didn’t achieve liftoff. I hope to be back with them later in the week when they try again.

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