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TEMPE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - The competition the team entered challenged the students to design, build and launch the best rocket they could.
"Whenever we first go started out, we really just wanted to build a rocket and get our feet in the water," Rocky Kimbrell said. "This was our first one, so we had no intention of trying to win."
The newly-formed Students for Exploration and Development of Space Team at Arizona State University ended up in the top three of a nationwide competition hosted by SEDS USA.
They designed, built and launched a rocket, beating out 25 other teams.
"This is our two-stage rocket," Breydan Dotson said. "We wrapped it in carbon fiber, that's what the black is. It was originally a cardboard tube."
"Design for the competition actually started back in November of last year," Kimbrell said. "We started actually building the first day of summer after the end of the spring semester. We launched October 7th in Solome in Arizona with the Superstition Space Society and so they allowed us to use their air space waiver."
"It went up 5,135 feet above the ground," Dotson said. "We were expecting that much because we ran simulations. We were off by 20 feet. It was a very good simulation. We were very proud."
Placings will be announced during Space Vision on November 18 in Cape Canaveral.
ASU Rocket Team GoFundMe page
https://www.gofundme.com/spacevision-2017-sedsasu-rocketry