Westridge Students Join Community of Rocketry Enthusiasts at Mojave Test Site

Over the weekend, the Upper School rocketry students trekked to the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR)’s test site in the Mojave Desert to launch rockets and learn with the FAR experts and other enthusiasts from across the region! FAR is an organization and facility for those who want to test and fly rockets of their own design, with necessary launch equipment, safety certifications, and permissions from the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies.

“The students camped out for the weekend while we worked on our rockets and attempted to launch,” said Upper School Rocketry Teacher Dan Perahya. “During this process, the students got to pick the brains of the on-site experts and ask them lots of questions.”

Although an issue with fuel nixed the Westridge lift-off, Perahya said that trip provided valuable learning and experiences. “Overall the trip was a huge success as the students did a lot of learning and were pushed outside their comfort zones,” Perahya said. “They will use their experience to improve the rockets and attempt to launch them again in the future.”

Westridge School, 324 Madeline Drive, Pasadena, (626) 799-1053 ext. 200 or visit www.westridge.org.