SystemsGo is a classroom program used in the United States promote the study of engineering and the development of work force skills. It is intended to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mechanics. It is based in

Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. ...

. It allows students to learn more about the past, present, and future of rocket technology, as well as use information learned from independent study to complete hands-on projects.

Annual Rocket Meet

Every spring, teams from high schools in the US gather in at several sites to launch their semester project rockets. The program offers high school students three different levels of projects, ranging from a mid-sized rocket traveling to a one mile apogee to rockets weighing several hundred pounds with the potential to reach near-space altitudes.

Program levels

''Tsiolkovsky Level'' : The first stage of the Program, named after the Soviet rocket scientist

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (russian: Константи́н Эдуа́рдович Циолко́вский , , p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin ɪdʊˈardəvʲɪtɕ tsɨɐlˈkofskʲɪj , a=Ru-Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.oga; – 19 September 1935) ...

, requires students to propel a research package to an altitude of 5,280 feet (one mile) and to recover it after launch. ''Oberth Level'' : The intermediate stage, named after the German physicist

Hermann Oberth Hermann Julius Oberth (; 25 June 1894 – 28 December 1989) was an Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and engineer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics, along with Robert Esnault-Pelterie, Konstantin Ts ...

, gives students the goal of designing and launching a rocket able to reach

transonic Transonic (or transsonic) flow is air flowing around an object at a speed that generates regions of both subsonic and supersonic airflow around that object. The exact range of speeds depends on the object's critical Mach number, but transoni ...

velocity while maintaining a maximum altitude of less than 13,000 feet. ''Goddard Level'' : The most advanced level, named after the American engineer and rocket scientist

Robert H. Goddard Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945) was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket. Goddard successfully laun ...

, challenges students to create a rocket from scratch that can reach an altitude of 50,000 feet, which is considered to fall within the

near space The mesosphere (; ) is the third layer of the atmosphere, directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. In the mesosphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases. This characteristic is used to define its limits: it ...

region of Earth’s atmosphere. Rockets for this level are often several hundred pounds and can reach velocities of Mach 3 or even Mach 4. Launches for this level are hosted by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, c ...

at the

White Sands Missile Range White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established as the White Sands Proving Ground on 9July 1945. White Sands National P ...

, New Mexico.

Recognition

The SystemsGo program has been recognized and supported by such organizations as

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...

Dow Chemical The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational corporation, multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three List of largest chemical producers, larges ...

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

, and

The Space Foundation The Space Foundation is an American nonprofit organization whose mission is to advocate for all sectors of the global space industry through space awareness activities, educational programs, and major industry events. It was founded in 1983. Loc ...

References

{{reflist Aerospace