The Northern Oklahoma College Rocket Team will be in Wisconsin April 26-28 as part of the 15th Annual First Nations Launch National Rocket Competition. Attending the event are (L-R): Grant Biggers (Enid), Andrew Lewis (Enid), Jayce Daniels (Enid), and Raven Bruce (Tonkawa). Taylor Steven is part of the team but is not traveling.
The team is sponsored by faculty mentors Dr. Frankie Wood-Black and Ken Black. This is NOC’s third year to compete in the competition.
The event is sponsored by NASA’s Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC)
This competition is an opportunity for students attending a Tribal College or University (TCU), a Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI), or who are active members of an American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) collegiate chapter at a non-TCU/NASNTI university/college to design, build, and fly a high-powered rocket to be launched at a competition at the Richard Bong State Recreational Area in Kansasville, WI.
The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium First Nations Launch competition offers Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI), as well as active American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) collegiate chapters the opportunity to demonstrate engineering and design skills through direct application in high-power rocketry.
The competition requires teams of undergraduate students to conceive, design, fabricate, and compete with high-power rockets. FNL is a ‘First Step’ experience designed for students with no prior experience working with high-powered rockets. Rocket motors and dimensions are restricted by competition parameters so that the knowledge, creativity, and imagination of the students are challenged. The end result is a great aerospace learning experience unique to the Native American communities.