The Underdog

The last snowfall of the long winter was melting away, good sense, the emergence of Spring in the Energy of Levi Lyle’s classroom as his physical science students diligently progressed on a rocket they’d been building.

Mr. Lyle was giving the parameters of the challenge, “ the rocket must weigh less than 650g, fly to an altitude of 750 feet, carry the payload of a raw egg, and return safely landing without compromising the egg in 36 seconds.

Groups of three and four, students choose a specialization, engine component, fins, and aerodynamics, parachute and recovery, mission control and safety team. Mr. Lyle begins every session with a peptalk, when you’re from a small rural community, you will be thought as the underdog in many of the things you endeavor. People think you are at a disadvantage because of where you come from, the truth is it’s the opposite. You have an advantage over those you compete with because you are from a small supportive community. You know what it means to be dedicated to multiple extracurricular activities. When we went to the state speech contest, many others only participate in speech; when you’re at Allstate band, many others are only in band; when you’re on the basketball court, many others are only involved in one sport. To the contra, you know what it means to be on a team, you understand the value of commitment for something bigger than yourself, you’ve learned to balance a sometimes impossible series of time conflicting extracurricular activities.

Students collaborate, disagree, experiment, discuss, communicate, compromise. A Zoom call with a former astronaut clarifies the mission and adds confidence.

It’s finally the end of March, the team is making finishing touches on their rocket and they’re ready for their first test flight. The peptalk today includes a short clip from the movie Armageddon. Mr. Lyle sets up the scene, “a global extinction level event is eminent, unless a team of underdog drillers made up of unlikely individuals from our walks of life can come together, and with only a short span of astronaut training, fulfill admission in outer space. The task, land, a rocket ship on an asteroid bearing towards planet earth, drill a hole to the center, where a nuke will be detonated pulverizing the asteroid and saving the world from its impact. Will they save the world? Do you believe you can succeed in the task that is before you? You are competing against more than 1100 schools, many with larger budgets, better access to specialized expertise. Know you can, and you will! Let’s get to it!”

On the day of flight, the professor from Coe college, a National Association of Rocketry (NAR) level three rocket flight certified judge, arrives at Keota High School precisely on the hour. It’s a calm day with clear sky and already warming temperatures at 9 AM.

A committed group of students gather on the Saturday morning to prep the rocket for its official judged launch. Set up takes about 30 minutes. Launch one ignites with a fiery plume accelerating straight as an arrow quickly leaving the perimeter of the baseball field far behind. We can skelter see the rocket as it achieves its maximum height. There is a pause as its momentum slows and it begins to freefall. Will the parachute deploy (we hold our breath).

The E12 engine, the largest in its class, has a four second delay in the ignition which initiates a small explosion to discharge the parachute. 1…2…, there were various options for delay time, a delay was chosen to optimize the distance/time ratio of the predicted path to the ground, 3… given the parachute dimensions and the rocket’s weight including the onboard payload, and accounting for wind speed, 4…

Poof! (You can feel the sigh of relief from all) It worked!!

The measurement team is counting out loud,… 20 seconds…, 25 seconds…, 29… 30… 31… 32… 33… touchdown.

The recovery team is in full pursuit. Did the egg survive the parachute deployment,… the jarring landing?

IT DID!!