Students participate in rocketry challenge

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says 14 groups of middle and high school students will take part in the 2008-09 Student Launch Initiative rocketry challenge.

The event will be held April 15-20 at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. During the annual event, NASA engineers will critique the youngsters' rockets. Launch activities will take place at Bragg Farms in Toney, Ala.

NASA said the annual event is designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- fields important to the space agency's exploration mission.

"Each team will design, build and field-test a rocket while gaining real experience in managing complex, technical development projects from the drawing board to the launch pad," NASA said. "They must address twin challenges: designing a vehicle capable of traveling to an altitude of 1 mile and devising an on-board science experiment that can survive the trip and deliver data when the rocket parachutes back to Earth."

Each team is eligible to participate in the program for one or two years. Each new team receives a $3,700 grant, and each returning team receives a $2,450 grant.