In this episdode, we welcome Steve Taylor from The Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA)
Each year, ESRA accepts over 150 collegiate teams from around the world to compete in the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) for the prestigious title of overall winner!
Each team designs, builds, tests and launches rockets with a payload size of up to 2.2 Kg and target altitudes of either 10,000, 30,000, 45,000 even up to 100,000 feet! Rockets are typically 4 to 8 inches in diameter and 8 to 20 ft. long. Multistage rockets and all chemical propulsion types (solid, liquid, and hybrid) are allowed. The goal is to have participants learn their skills by doing (motto: Learn by doing) in a safe educational rich environment.
The IREC has been an annual occurrence since 2006. The competition achieved international status in 2011 – when schools from Canada and Brazil joined – and has continued to grow rapidly ever since. More than 1,800 students attended the 2024 competition, representing over 120 schools from 22 countries on 5 different continents.
ESRA has operated the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) since 2006.
Competitions have been held in the following locations:
2006-2016 - Green River, Utah
2017-2024 - Spaceport America, New Mexico
This year, it happens at 2025 - Spaceport Midland, Texas.
For more info, Visit: https://soundingrocket.org
Mentioned in this episode:
The Rocketry Forum
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.