Team America Rocketry Challenge

If you want to win the Team America Rocketry Challenge, your first step is to get RockSim. PERIOD! The results speak for themselves. Year after year, the winners use RockSim. They knew that for a challenging contest like TARC, they needed the best tools for the task. They wanted a tool that would give them an advantage because it is the most accurate in simulations, and could account for wind in the launch conditions.

It is ABSOLUTELY worth the investment.

Find out all you need to know about the RockSim Software! 

Besides giving you an edge in the contest, RockSim saves you money. With RockSim, you can run hundreds of simulations to tweak your design for optimum performance or you could spend hundreds of dollars on rocket engines to do the same thing. And if you happen to crash a rocket during your tests, just think how much time and money you'll have to spend to replace it. Yes, RockSim is an investment that has a proven track record of not only paying for itself but saving you a lot of money in other areas. With budgets extra tight this year, RockSim is an investment that you cannot pass up.

For TARC 2021-2022, RockSim is the program that easily allows you to calculate egg weight and parachute drag so you can find out how fast it will fall, and what the total descent time will be. 

Already have RockSim? Check out other products that are great for this year's competition!

This copy of RockSim can only be registered to a student computer. Teams using school computers can benefit from the purchase of a Permanent School Site License, which does not expire at the end of the 2021-2022 TARC season.

When you purchase the TARC RockSim, you must enter your TARC Team Number in the information before you can add the product to your cart. We cannot offer this special deal to teams who do not yet have their TARC Number.

This offer is only good for 2021-2022 student TARC/SLI/RFS contestants. This is not valid with any other offer, nor is this offer retroactive for orders previously purchased from Apogee Components. The registration is locked to a single computer.

Note: A license registration code will be issued only after the TARC number is confirmed.

Non-TARC Rocketry Competitions: The following rocketry competitions are also eligible for the discounted RockSim. 

• First Nations National Launch
• WSGC Collegiate Launch
• Student Launch Initiative
• Rockets for Schools

If you have a team participating in the above competitions, you can benefit from this deal as well, but you will need to provide documentation to prove registration in the program. Please email us or call us at (719) 535-9335 for more information on requirements. If your competition is not listed, please have your competition director contact Apogee for more information. 

This special offer is for the TARC student personal computers only. Teachers and mentors are not allowed to register the program on their own or school computers. You must purchase either an Individual License or a School Site License.

Teachers and mentors may purchase the licenses for the team members, and encouraged to do so if schools provide the funding. Just please make sure that you list your team number at the time of purchase so we can provide registration files accordingly. We will verify your TARC Number before we distribute registration codes.

1. Purchase TARC Temporary Student License(s)
   • Up to one per student team member
   • Enter your TARC ID Number
2. Download RockSim 10
   • Links will also be provided after purchase in your emailed receipt.
   • Downloaded software will run in trial mode until registration code is entered.
3. Enter your registration code into the software.
   • See our videos on how to install, register and unlock RockSim.
   • Tutorials on using RockSim can be found here.

Pick up everything from rail buttons to shock cord, motor mounts to bulkheads, hobby knives to fin jigs in our building supplies department!

If you don't know where to start, check out our TARC Parts Packs, to get a selection of items that are the most common to this year's challenge!

2021-2022 BT-80 TARC Bulk Pack of Parts 

Egg Protection Nest

Here's superior protection for your fragile egg. Made from soft flexible foam (like a sponge), the egg nest has one or two cavities that fit the eggs like a glove. It eliminates the pressure points on the egg, giving the egg maximum protection against breakage. It even allows the egg to be installed and removed much easier than any other method.

• Foam Egg Protectors

Also, see this video on how best to load the protectors into the body tube (Video #123).

Need the RockSim File for these? Click Here. 
 

Lightweight Foam Nose Cone

These were created with TARC Competitions in mind. These are flexible foam nose cones that give extra protection to the egg in your rocket. If the nose hits the ground first, the foam absorbs a lot of the shock, protecting the delicate egg and electronics. It also has a pocket in the base that can be used to hold the altimeter.

Foam Nose Cone for 66mm (BT-80) Tubes
Foam Nose Cone for 74mm (3" Thin Wall) Tubes

Need the RockSim File for these? Click Here. 

Nylon Parachutes

We carry a variety of Nylon Parachutes that will work great for the TARC Competition! Get maximum descent rate for the surface area used. Nylon cloth chutes are far more durable than plastic parachutes.
 

Rocket Motors

Apogee Components carries a selection of motors that might be useful for this competition (please check local regulations for legal rocket motors, especially if you are in California). 

Estes 24mm Single Use Motors
Estes 29mm Single Use Motors

Aerotech 24mm Single Use Motors
Aerotech 29mm Single Use Motors

Aerotech 24mm Reload Motors
Aerotech 29mm Reload Motors

Cesaroni 24mm Reload Motors
Cesaroni 29mm Reload Motors

Due to the rush of Team America orders, we recommend that you order your motors as soon as possible to avoid lengthy shipping delays, due to a shortage of motors. We try to keep as many stocked as possible, but sometimes our manufacturers cannot keep pace. Order early to avoid shortage problems later on!

Note: California rocketeers need to check local regulations for their rockets and motors, as they differ from the rest of the country. 

Body Tubes and Centering Rings

Apogee Components carries a lot of different size tubes and tube couplers to join these tubes together to make a longer tube. Centering rings for most sizes and cardstock material to cut your own also available.

Slotted Body Tubes

For quick, precise, and strong fin attachment, be sure to check out our collection of laser-cut slotted body tubes.  

Balsa Wood

Used for fins. If you can't find it locally at a hobby store, we have some here!

Fin Alignment Guide

Get perfectly aligned and spaced fins on your rocket with this simple cardboard fin jigs. It helps to make sure your rocket flies straight and true.

Practice Altimeters

There are less expensive altimeters that you can use for practice flights so you can save your official altimeter for the flights that really count. Check out the AltimeterOne and AltimeterTwo!

Non-Toxic Epoxy Clay

When using bigger rocket motors, you'll need extra strength to keep your fins attached to the rocket. Check out the Fix-It Clay!

 Sometimes it can be hard to order parts for your rocket because you don't know the proper name of the components. To make it easier, here are some illustrations that give the names that we typically call the parts and have them listed on our web site. You can use the search bar at the top of this page to find the items.

This illustration shows the common names of the external parts of a typical rocket. Click on the image to view a larger version. You can print it out and show it to your TARC teammates.

Click on this link which will take you to our special webpage that will assist you with the process of designing your rocket to win this contest. The information is not specific to egg-lofters, but it will give you an idea of the methods to use.

NOTE: We are not the official website of the contest, so our information is designed to help you succeed. For more information about the contest, please visit the NAR's website. For official rules, visit the TARC Rocket Contest web page.

TARC Related Peak-of-Flight Newsletter Articles

While we recommend you peruse all of our newsletter articles, here are a few key selections you shouldn't miss!

• Peak of Flight Newsletter #90 - "Hints and Tips On Winning The Team America Rocketry Challenge" - This older article comes from our e-zine newsletter archives. Since the event has changed from when this article was written, unfortunately, much of the information is out of date.
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #96 - Tells you how to increase the reliability and survivability of parachutes, and where to buy parachute material.
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #104 - How To Design and Build Engine Mounts
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #113 - How To Arrange Parts to Make Payload Compartments
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #133 - Foam parts in RockSim
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #136 - Make Your Own Paper Transition Sections
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #138 - Connecting Together Paper Transition Sections
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #209 - Tips following Tim's TARC judging experience in 2008
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #241 - How To Add New Parts To RockSim’s Databases 
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #249 - How To Zero In On The TARC Objectives
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #355 - Aligning Structural Paper Transitions
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #392 - Designing Egglofter Rockets
• Peak of Flight Newsletter #419 - Transitions for TARC Teams
• Peak-of-Flight Newsletter #449 - How to determine the Cd of a parachute

TARC 2017 Related Advanced Construction Videos

There are A LOT of good, free videos in our collection pertaining to all sorts of construction techniques you will need for TARC, but here are a few relevant to the 2017 competition!

• Video #123 - Using the Dual Egg Foam Protector
• Video #202 - Preventing Parachute Line Entanglement
• Video #205 - RockSim Tutorial: Simulating Two Pieces Coming Down At the Same Time
• Video #231 - Using The Removable Plastic Rivets on a TARC Rocket

Be sure to check out all the RockSim video tutorials, too! 

Need the RockSim File for the foam parts? Click Here. 

Other TARC Articles & Links to videos

RockSim Tutorial Videos - RockSim is the tool of choice for designing your winning TARC rockets. The FREE tutorial videos will guide you through an introduction of RockSim, and then walk you through some of the advanced features of the software so you can really tweak your design for precision performance. There are also some specific videos for TARC contestants that will help you learn some advanced simulation techniques.

How To Add New Parts, Such As A Parachute To Your RockSim Database - This new tutorial video will walk you step by step through the process of adding a chute into RockSim, so that you can use it in multiple designs.

Building High-Quality Rockets - Consistency is a big key in the TARC contest. Our Getting Started in rocketry page will show you how to build high-quality models so that you'll have an advantage over the other teams in the contest. See also our ADVANCED Construction videos (on YouTube) that will take you even further.

TARC Tactics Report - This is a special, in-depth report that describes the key things you'll need to concentrate on when you're designing and building your rocket. We are giving it away for free. The information is too valuable to freely distribute to people that don't want to buy their supplies from us. This was written for a previous year of TARC, but the information is still valuable!

TARC Impressions - This article reviews the results from the 2008 TARC contest. It gives some additional insight on those things you should concentrate on if you want to win this event.

Interpreting Altimeter Data - You've downloaded the flight data from the PerfectFlite altimeter to your computer. Now what? This report shows you how to read that information so that you can get some important information on how your rocket is flying. You'll be amazed at all the information that you will get from the simple altitude vs time plot.

Tracking Your Rockets - When you are performing your test flights, you should NOT use the electronic altimeter. Why? Because it may drift away and get lost. The altimeter should be saved until you are performing launches for the actual contest. While running your test flights, you should track your rockets using optical tracking. It is very cheap to do, and the results are highly accurate. This report will show you how to do optical tracking.

Starting a School Rocketry Program - In this article, you'll get information on how to set up your school's first rocketry program. This article is designed for people that have never built or flown a model rocket before. It explains what is involved when you first get started.