Local children take flight with Edwards engineers Published May 4, 2010 By Kenji Thuloweit 95 Air Base Wing Public Affairs LANCASTER, Calif. -- A specially designed pink rocket launched flawlessly from its pad April 27. After the successful launch, the rocket deployed its parachute while the female pilot bailed out with her own chute, thus completing the test. However, while the rocket floated down to the ground successfully, the pilot's parachute got tangled and she hit the ground hard, literally loosing her head. Luckily, the female pilot was a Barbie doll and the rocket was a four-and-a-half-foot model rocket built by a student at Mariposa Elementary School. At Mariposa and Linda Verde elementary schools in Lancaster, 4th- and 5th-grade students have been getting involved with model rocketry with the help of an Edwards engineer. For the past nine years, Mariposa Elementary has delved into rocketry with the help of Revell Walker, 912th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, plastics fabricator. The school has recently created the district's first on-campus rocket club where members meet and fly their creations. "Model rocketry has allowed their imaginations to run wild," said Mr. Walker. The pink rocket piloted by "Barbie", complete with her own spacesuit, was designed by 9-year-old Samantha Blanchard and her father, John. Mr. Blanchard is lead flight systems engineer currently with the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base. The unique rocket was designed by computer software that confirmed its power and stability requirements. Samantha and her father built the rocket using assembly instructions from rocket club mentor Mr. Walker. Each year, the educators invite Mr. Walker to teach rocketry and space history, and later assist the students in building and flying model rockets. The support of both school principals and the thirst for science has now culminated in the school district's first rocket club, with 60 members and the first-ever rocket competition. Mariposa and Linda Verde elementary schools are preparing to meet at one of the schools to launch eggs into the air during the "Eggstraordinary" Space Challenge. The event will take place at the end of the school year, June 7. The ESC is a friendly contest between both schools in which teams from each school's 4th and 5th grade teams will design, build and fly a rocket that will carry a raw egg aloft and bring it back down safely. "It's going to be exciting, especially with both schools participating in this first-of-its-kind event", said Mr. Walker.