Nov 1, 2024–On October 26 & 27, 2024, SystemsGo made history by having high school students successfully launch and recover two rockets at the Wings Over Houston Air Show at Ellington Airport. The rocketeers were students from Anahuac and Hardin-Jefferson High Schools, under the guidance of teachers Kirk Moore and Mike Fogo. Rebekah Hyatt, Executive Director of SystemsGo, and George Burns, Program Director, attended to assist in managing the launch teams. Joyce Abbey, SAIC, and long-time emcee for the SystemsGo rocket launches, helped out by handling the announcing duties.
Anahuac teacher and coach Kirk Moore, who has taught the SystemsGo STEM Engineering courses for 14 years, worked with Wings Over Houston organizers to arrange this special demonstration launch in front of an estimated 50,000 daily attendees at the popular annual event. Moore worked with Mike Fogo, Hardin-Jefferson, who has been with the program for 10 years. About two dozen students from both schools have been working on this project since the beginning of the school year.
They invested an estimated 200 man-hours in the design and fabrication, building and testing 4 rockets to maximize chances for a successful launch and recovery. Students participating:
TIna Ly SR
Ryan Tu SR
Tristan Deen SR
Drake Price SR
Kaden Fountain Sr
Joshua Moore JR
Porter Chenault JR
Emily Cabrera JR
Tyler Farrow JR
Kennedy Mayer JR
Kolton Hennigan JR
X’Zayvier Ledet JR
Connor Bogue SOPH
Jesus Gallegos SOPH
Alex Grande SOPH
Hunter Hill SOPH
Tammy Ly SOPH
Aaron Ramirez SOPH
Joshua Redman SOPH
Caleb Richey SOPH
The launch vehicle boasted these specs:
- Length: 58 inches
- Weight: 8 pounds
- Motor: Standard hybrid motor
- Using a smaller motor version I-225, to keep the range closer to the launch pad, keep the altitude under 1200 feet, and allow the audience to view all parts of the rocket flight.
- Payload: No payload as this is a demonstration
- Recover: Dual chute deployment recovery
According to Wings Over Houston representatives, the event would like to host the rocket teams next year.
The true success of the launch rests in the experience for the students, according to Moore.
“There are 8.2 billion people in the world, and the 24 students from the Combined Hardin Jefferson/Anahuac High Altitude rocket team were able to attempt something that has never been attempted,” Moore said, noting this is the first time the FAA has allowed this type of demonstration at an airshow. “There are so many that have helped these kids and I cannot begin to express my gratitude. Thank you all!”
Mike Fogo was similarly grateful to all involved.
“Those who have had me in class know my ways are different than most teachers,” Fogo said. “I hate worksheets and I hate giving tests when they are done to spit back facts that have been temporarily memorized. Today was a real test grade for these kids! Launch a rocket a projected 1400 feet in the air… get it back safely without causing damage to millions and millions of dollars worth of US Military aircraft and keep it from causing any type of harm to the over 50,000 who came to watch. Oh, and do it on a time schedule that was extremely tight and planned from the start right down to the minute! Thank you SystemsGo and the Wings Over Houston airshow, thank you to our administrators for taking the risk and allowing us to do these types of real-world projects.”
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SystemsGo is an innovative high school rocketry/aerospace engineering program based in Fredericksburg, Texas, that is now used in about 75 schools in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and internationally in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates.
SystemsGo takes a project-based approach to learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (or STEM), with the goal to develop workforce skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership; and to encourage careers in the engineering industries.
Students design and develop unmanned aerial vehicles for research and industrial applications. Advanced students develop hybrid rockets capable of launching scientific payloads to 50,000 feet at White Sands Missile Range.
Graduates work in leadership positions at NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and other prestigious industries and schools across the country.
To learn more about how the program is changing education, contact SystemsGo at:
www.systemsgo.org
Call 830-997-3567
Email info@systemsgo.org