Spacetrek

There is an extraordinary amount of influx of information available for students in today's digital age. Web has answers to all the queries raging from homework to curiosity. Exposure to technology has, in many ways, reduced the time that students spend outdoors. As such, many life lessons that they learn while on the field are no longer available anyway. Extra-curricular educational programs therefore have a greater responsibility of teaching the required life skills like team building, communication, leadership, problem solving and self confidence. Practical exposure of theoretical concepts studied in schools to reinforce learning is also an important component that educators need to take care of while planning lessons.

It is seen that STEAM programs usually take lead in educators' plans due to all-round value addition they provide to the whole learning procedure. Rocketry is one of the activities that are a favourite amongst educators and students alike. From understanding of basic physics through hands-on, applicative and highly enjoyable rocket making, to applying the core principles of engineering and design, rocketry is an activity that never seizes to be useful at any stage of a student's learning process. From making basic model rockets, launching water rockets several feet high, collecting data through in-flight computers launched with rockets, analysing information to working on complex rocket designs and flight simulations, the scope of rocketry is huge.

Children are natural engineers. There is an inborn creativity and inquisitiveness in children that needs to be kindled through practical STEAM based activities where they collaborate in groups to create. There are many engineering programs for school students that are available as hobby clubs or summer camps. Rocketry, however, stands out for many reasons:

Direct Application of Basic Principles of Physics:
While most engineering programs for school students focus on building-skills, rocketry programs make sure that engineering is a skill that student acquires as the next step of a thorough understanding of the basic principles. It takes students step by step through understanding, brain-storming, applying, problem-solving and successful execution. While students enjoy making rockets, they learn about the Newton's laws of motion, trajectories, gravitation and force through a practical approach. When they know what takes for the rocket to fly high, they understand what the books call the ‘Force' and the ‘Thrust'. Through this cause-and-effect learning they are able to reinforce the classroom concepts in a practical situation.

Rocketry is the greatest tool of space exploration:
The vast unknown black skies were far away from the reach of mankind till rockets launched various objects and people into space. Carrying information and material into space for the purpose of receiving information about those vast unexplored depths, rockets have become the basis of our interaction with the outer space. Rockets have been used to launch satellites and space shuttles. These rockets take spacecrafts to the moon and to the different planets in our solar system. Even the existence of the International Space Station (ISS) couldn't be accomplished without rockets.We owe much of our knowledge of space to rockets. It is an important tool to further research in the field of astronomy and space sciences.

Rocketry teaches children how to ‘listen':
Listening is an important skill. While it is an important skill for the success of any project during most engineering programs for school students, rocketry particularly puts attention to careful listening with concentration. A rocket design is an important part of rocketry. The structure of the rocket- its cylinder body, the pointed winds and the pointed nose contribute to its successful flight. When students build their rockets, they need to carefully listen to the instructions for getting the structure right. Launching rockets at correct angles, the launching mechanism and the rocket engine- they all work successfully when instructions are followed properly. And since there is nothing more exciting than to see their rockets being the best, students discipline themselves without any effort and learn to listen in a healthy spirit of competition.

Keeping all of this in view, Space Trek has designed rocketry program that ticks all these boxes and does more. Career engineers and educators have collaborated to design all Space Trek programs to create best of industry and academia experience for students.

Rocketry Programs at Space trek puts school students in the shoes of NASA scientists and engineers. They work on a simulated NASA mission and take on various roles to build, design, test and launch their rockets. All the rocket components are designed and 3D printed in the in-house fabrication lab. The use of state-of-the-art technology along with mentoring by expert trainers makes the program an exceptionally exciting experience for the students. Competing in teams to win a real life challenge, they employ the skills of problem solving, critical thinking and team management while they complete their rocketry mission with a successful water rocket launch. Space trek is located at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre. The STEM programs are not only educative and engaging; they also provide the much required guidance and inspiration to students for STEM careers ahead.

Explore Related Categories