Calling all UK schools for the BBC micro:bit Model Rocket Car Competition

Schoolkids using BBC micro:bit on rocket car

Ever wondered how fast a rocket car made of foam can go? Well, wonder no more, as that’s exactly what students across the UK will be finding out, using the BBC micro:bit mini-computer.

The BLOODHOUND Project – an international education initiative focused around a 1,000mph World Land Speed Record – has partnered with Microsoft, The British Army, Buckingham Palace and a number of other organisations to run a national competition inviting every school in the UK to host their own foam Rocket Car race.

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Launching on April 18 at Kennet Secondary School in Berkshire, and the Edinburgh College Midlothian Campus in Scotland, the “Race for the Line” BBC micro:bit Model Rocket Car Competition will encourage pupils aged 11 to 16 to work together to make a foam rocket car powered by a small solid fuel rocket motor, and pit it against rival teams.

To find out how fast their cars go, pupils will have to program a BBC micro:bit device to capture real-time data from the vehicles and download it using a Microsoft Office add-on. Using this data, the students will tweak their designs to make their car go as fast as possible.

Once the vehicles have been built and tested, schools will hold their own rocket car race days between April 19 and June 30, with the fastest cars from each school going through to a national competition on June 30 at the Santa Pod Raceway in Northampton. The final in Scotland takes place slightly earlier on June 9 in Edinburgh.

The top three fastest teams will be the overall winners of the national competition and receive a cash prize for their schools. The overall winning team will win a trip to Newquay to watch Bloodhound professionals launch a real rocket.

Schools that wish to take part, will need to register online. To support the competition, the British Army has made 10,000 kits available for schools that register before April 29.

 

 

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