US students prevail in rocket-powered egg challenge

A group of Alabama students claimed the International Rocketry Challenge crown in Paris last week, pipping their British and French rivals into second and third places, respectively. The seven students from the Russellville City Schools – competing as RCS Engineers – were pitted against the UK's "Team Terminator", from James …

[JimmyPage]

Well done all !

And great to see some gender balance in engineering. Y'all deserve one of these ------------?

[Don Casey]

No surprise

For those on the other side of the pond... Alabama is home to Redstone Arsenal/Marshall Space Flight Center near Huntsville. Where the Saturn rockets and Army missiles are/were built.

[hammarbtyp]

Happy times

Anyone remember the great egg race? These sort of challenges bring back warm memories when engineering involved more than minecraft

[Lester Haines]

Re: Happy times

I do indeed. Top engineering boffinry.

[FredBloggs61]

Re: Happy times

Professor Heinz Wolff in all his glory -- don't half bring back memories.

[TechicallyConfused]

Re: Happy times

Loved that program.

Does anyone remember "Now Get Out of That" Loved that too.

[Anonymous Custard]

Re: Happy times

Indeed, met him a few years back and he's still on cracking form.

Alternatively I also give you Scrapheap Challenge in a similar(ish) mad engineering vein.

TGER never did rockets (at least that I can recall), but SC did them in some form or other at least twice - S01E06 and S10E07.

The second one's rocket powered trains, not quite the same but great fun and includes a home-made jet engine. First one's proper rockets though, albeit with snow globes rather than eggs. And had Bowser Munson in it, which is always a bonus.

[Anonymous Custard]

Re: Happy times

Oh, and for those who want to waste a bit of time, I give you:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/great_egg_race/

Complete with 13 episodes from 1979-1986. Includes the first one (Egg Mobiles), in which the Prof was only a judge, not the presenter (that was Brian "Playschool" Cant, plus Charlotte Allen). Learn something new every day researching el Reg posts...

[slightly-pedantic]

Re: Happy times

One of the regular judges, Prof Michael French died recently. Some of the younger people at his memorial event held an egg race in his memory.

[Gene Cash]

Wow, egg lofting!

I remember doing that back in the '80s with Estes kits. That is a seriously difficult engineering challenge.

I see Russellville is 75 miles from Huntsville, where Werner von Braun and the rest put together the first US satellite.

[Roq D. Kasba]

Would have been two eggs if it was a UK contest

Only in France is one egg une oeuf.

[Lester Haines]

Re: Would have been two eggs if it was a UK contest

Terrible stuff. Proceed immediately to the corner with the pointy chapeau.

[Roq D. Kasba]

Re: Would have been two eggs if it was a UK contest

Surely a contender for comment of the week ;-)

I was quite proud of it!!