It’s Rocket Science 

29 June 2009
 
Students at Cheltenham’s Christ College took part in their own space race when they were guests at a rocket technology day hosted by Cheltenham College.
 
Presented by real-life rocket scientist Kate Robinson, the day began with a talk on the history of space flight, and the showing of rocket launches.
 
Kate is from Starchaser Industries UK, a company that specialises in space-related products and services.
 
The teams of students got down to building their own rockets with kits supplied by the Starchaser team.
 
Kate took a presentation on rocket propulsion technology, which showed the principles behind the working and manufacture of rocket engines. There were bangs and flashes galore as she demonstrated the combustible properties of various form of rocket fuel.
 
The teams took their rockets onto the school field, where, after the traditional countdown, they were fired electronically, and soared high into the air before deploying parachutes and floating gently to earth. In some cases, the parachutes failed to open, and these rockets return to earth was somewhat less gentle.
 
Kate said: “The students have been great, and have really enjoyed learning about the science behind rockets.”
 
Head of Science at Christ College Tom Carroll said: “It’s been a fascinating day that hopefully will inspire the rocket scientists and astronauts of tomorrow.”