On Campus: Harper College Rocket Team Places at National Competition

After nearly a year of preparation, Harper College’s own rocket scientists have launched their rocket at the NASA University Student Launch Initiative, placing ahead of over 30 four-year universities, including Northwestern and MIT.

The team, made up of five Harper students and three students from DeVry, was required to design and build a reusable rocket that launched a mile high and returned its payloads safely to the ground. Harper’s team finished fourth at the national competition, held April 21.

“The dedication to and performance in NASA’s University Student Launch Initiative by Harper’s team is just amazing,” said Maggie Geppert, a Harper Physics professor and the team’s faculty sponsor. “They competed against the top engineering schools in the country and came in fourth place. I think this proves that being a top engineer doesn’t just depend on where you go to school, but who you are as well. I am very proud of the whole team.”

Scott Mueller of Elk Grove Village and Craig Babiarz of Rolling Meadows, both second-year Harper students, have spent the last nine months leading the team to create the reusable rocket launched at Bragg’s Farm in Toney, Ala. this spring. Their work included the creation of a four-legged robot that ejected from inside the rocket and navigated its way back to the launch stand on its own, a project designed to simulate putting an unmanned ground vehicle on Mars.

The team was evaluated on a series of criteria, including the rocket design, the rocket’s achieved height of 5,235 feet, the successful operation of the payload, a written report and a series of outreach activities designed to inspire young people to learn more about engineering.