Attention Science Educators, Model Builders and Everyone Interested in Space Science!

Eggsperimental Rocketry is now within the reach of students and space enthusiasts of all ages across Ireland!

Your Science Class, Out-of-School Summer Group, Science Club, Retirement Group, family or even the lads from your local pub - most any organized, responsible group with adult supervision and an interest in learning about space science - can now participate, with safety, in an actual rocket launch! These are not toy rockets - they are capable of lofting eggstravagant payloads thousands of feet into the sky. But, don't worry about safety - you aren't required to handle rocket fuel or anything hazardous. Qualified Museum personnel will supply a commercial single-use rocket engine in your rocket at the launch site. Your team's goal is to design (or build from one of our kits) a lightweight balsa wood, paper and plastic rocket which fits the museum's rocket engine and which will allow a fresh hen's egg to be flown and recovered intact.

Contest Posters and a DVD showing the museum, last year's rocket launches and telling about the competition are available at no charge. Give us a ring or

Email the Planetarium Director

RULES OF THE COMPETITION

Rule 1. Egg up, egg down, no omelette!
Rule 2. (having complied with Rule 1) Whoever goes highest wins.

Launch sessions are held, weather permitting, on the LAST Sunday of each month, April through August, beginning at 3.00pm at the Maritime Museum.

Introductory sessions in rocket-building are given at the planetarium most anytime, by booking through reception. You can get all the help you can stand, just by coming to the planetarium for a day or two. We'll help you build an eggciting launch vehicle, using materials like balsa, plastic, paper and white carpenter's glue. The planetarium is a fun place to hang out and learn about astronomy while the glue dries and the one-time €5.00 "Rocketry Indoctrination Fee" covers your admission to the planetarium on successive days, until you've finished building your rocket.

We travel! School groups can be accomodated in their own science classrooms! Same deal as above, except travel expense for us is required and plan on a long one-day session.

"Egglofter Kits" (€50 through the Museum) contain not only the parts to build a rocket but, also, lots of information in the form of a CD-ROM containing plans, study materials and a teachers' guide. Construction materials consist of paper, balsa wood and plastic. Teams are free to deviate from the plans, as long as they follow our safety guidelines.

Speaking of deviating, there's even a special "Showboat" Award, presented to the team with the "most outrageous" rocket entered at each launch session. Altitude isn't the main consideration in the "Showboat" class. If you have an outrageous paint job or "Junkyard Wars" looks, as long as it can recover an egg intact, it's allowed. Here's an example.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE

All potentially hazardous materials such as rocket motors will remain with The Museum by way of explosives permit. Launches will be conducted only at The Museum, supervised by trained Museum personnel in accordance with government and industry accepted standards and practices to ensure the safety of all participants and observers.

RELAXED RULES

Once you've gained a little experience, you'll probably want to design your own. While you can build a complete "stock" configuration rocket from our kit, the rules are intentionally relaxed concerning design in order to promote originality and creativity. The basic rule is, "If it's safe, you can fly it". The museum's standard kit is sufficient to easily construct something that will fly safely, but teams are encouraged to redesign the kit or create their own rockets from scratch, using most any lightweight, non-metallic material in search of better aerodynamics, lower weight and, of course, better protection against acceleration and deceleration forces for their egg. Construction methods are similar to those used in building model airplanes and model-builders are encouraged to come up with creative designs. Complete safety and construction documentation is included with each kit on a CD-ROM. As only one example, kits include a standard thin-mill nylon parachute kit, but someone with a sewing machine and some silk could make one which might look better and land a bit more "over easy".

EVERYONE'S WELCOME!

The competition is open to anyone, with schools, science clubs and extracurricular groups especially welcome. Entries are divided into three categories by age group: 10-13 (Junior), 14-Leaving Certs (Senior) and 18+ or mixed ages (Open).

Winning teams from semi-final events win a free-of-charge rocket motor for launch in the next month's launch session.

For More Information, contact The Museum at 074 938 1363. (From N.I.: +353 74 938 1363) Winter hours are 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, Mon-Fri.

Contest Posters and a DVD showing the museum, last year's rocket launches and telling about the competition are available at no charge to all interested individuals or institutions. Give us a ring or

Email the Planetarium Director