Stupid question...what is a University Launch?

Mark Koelsch

The University Launch is the annual college rocket competition held by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium. This is the fourth year it is happening; you may remember past years - two-stage, controlled decent, and taking a picture of a target. This year the goal is to deploy a ground excursion vehicle to travel the longest distance in a set amount of time.

If anyone would want to come to the launch and help out the university students and possibly help with the competition as well, it would be greatly appreciated. I am planning on helping out, but we will definitely need more people, both to RSO the rockets and to help with the spotting of the vehicles. I'm not sure what Frank or Bob would think of this, but if more people come they could possibly do more launches than just the university rockets.

Matt Woodruff
MSOE

I think that Bob and Frank should be consulted on what the regular TRA member can do to assist. If I had a suggestion to make it would be to have spotters located on the grounds at varying distances downrange to assist the teams to find their rockets. Coordination of this task wouldn't be difficult. Recovering the borrowed electronic hardware that TWA provides has always been a problem in the past.
SG

Is the competition launch this year really on the last weekend in April? (the 26th/27th)? I'll come down to help spotting and the like, as we don't have a team this year.

No, it is not the last weekend in April.
The University launch will be on Saturday May 3.
This is not a regular TWA launch.

The regular April launch is 19&20EX as shown.

Also, we still need volunteers to help out for Sheboygan's Rockets for School on May 9 &10.
So far there are 52 teams participating.

Are regular joes allowed to launch @ University launch? Did you get enough people to RSO/etc. to allow this?

I don't know if there'll be the opportunity for non-contest launches - the weather looks pretty prohibitive anyway. Since the contest calls for rockets to fly no more than 800ft up, there may be a contest despite low ceilings that would make other flights impossible.

The Space Grant Consortium advisory board had its spring meeting yesterday morning at Marquette, and they made a pretty big deal of thanking Tripoli Wisconsin for making it possible to do this contest. They seemed to think that I was a representative of TWA. Of course I'm not, but I'll pass along their gratitude. They're saying good things about you guys behind your back.

They also asked for help with the judging at Rockets for Schools. Apparently at last count there are a full 60 teams involved (at least according to the Space Explorers rep). If I understood correctly, they need people from 9-3 on Friday, the judging 9th.

Oops, that should be "from 9-3 on Friday the 9th".

The WSGC competition is scheduled for Saturday May 3rd, there will be a decision on Friday evening if it will be cancelled due to bad weather and possibly will be re-scheduled Sunday May 4th. If you can't keep your rocket on the ground, come on down this weekend. For additional information regarding the status of the launch, contact the TWA hotline (262-677-2249) Because of the judging on Friday evening of the WSGC rockets, the status of the launch will be announced later that evening, around 9pm.