TITLE: Congratulating the McKinney High School Flying Lions Rocketry Team for winning an award at the 2017 NASA Student Launch.

SUMMARY: Congratulating the McKinney High School Flying Lions Rocketry Team for winning an award at the 2017 NASA Student Launch.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The McKinney High School Flying Lions Rocketry Team was a preliminary winner at the 2016-2017 NASA Student Launch challenge in Huntsville, Alabama, which was held from April 5 to 9, 2017; and WHEREAS, Hosted by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the 17th annual NASA Student Launch represented the culmination of eight months of teamwork by 60 middle school, high school, and college-level rocketry squads from 23 states; the middle and high school teams qualified for the competition by finishing among the top 25 at the Team America Rocketry Challenge in Washington, D.C., and their acceptance was based on a proposal detailing their rocket's design, recovery system, payload, safety measures, and educational engagement plans; the Flying Lions were one of only three middle and high school teams selected from Texas, and the group was named the preliminary winner of the Rocket Fair Display Award in its division at the Student Launch challenge; and WHEREAS, With advice from engineers at Raytheon and Emerson Electric, the team completed several technical design reviews via videoconference with NASA engineers during the school year as the students progressed through the design and build stages of their project; the end result was a 10-foot-tall 50-pound rocket that can reach a speed of 370 miles per hour and an altitude of one mile and can land safely by parachute for reuse; and WHEREAS, By creating a functional rocket in the NASA Student Launch, the members of the Flying Lions have broadened their knowledge in the vital areas of science, technology, engineering, and math while also experiencing the rewards of meeting a challenging goal, and they may indeed take pride in their impressive achievement; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the McKinney High School Flying Lions Rocketry Team on becoming the preliminary winner of the Rocket Fair Display Award at the 2017 NASA Student Launch and extend to the team's members sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the Flying Lions as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Sanford Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1618 was adopted by the House on May 4, 2017, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House