SCIENCE CLUB SETS OFF ROCKETS

Members of the 4-H Science Club recently set off rockets on the main campus of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, with the assistance of Michael Hall, director of the Jackson River Governor’s School, and Leo Mulcahy, Manufacturing/Engineering Technology Program Head. The purpose of the project was to observe the dynamics of ballistic missiles. The students used a computer model to predict the maximum altitude the rockets would reach. They then took measurements and used trigonometry to determine the actually altitude. The model proved to be accurate within 2 percent. The Science Club, which is sponsored by the Virginia Cooperative Extension - Alleghany Office, meets twice a month in the Advanced Manufacturing Lab at DSLCC and includes students from the Covington and Alleghany school systems as well as a home schooled student. The group has been working on robotics for most of the year. For more information about the Science Club, contact the Extension Office at (540) 862-0369.