UKROC 2026 – Meet the Teams – Down to Earth
In the lead up to the UKROC 2026 National Final, we’re spotlighting the teams behind the rockets! Meet Team Down to Earth…
Intro
- Team name – Down to Earth
- School/club – 230th Sheffield Air Scouts
- Region/location – North England / Sheffield
- Fun fact – We’re all in Year 8 and have been friends since Year 1! Even though we now go to different secondary schools, we still have the opportunity to see each other every Monday at Air Scouts.
Eva, Ellie, Lydia
How did you find out about UKROC?
Our Scout leader found out about the competition from her children’s school and then contacted the University of Sheffield to see if they could sponsor our Air Scouts and Air Explorers to take part. Our Scout leader asked all the Scouts who wanted to participate and we put our names down.
What have you enjoyed most about the UKROC project?
We have enjoyed working together as a team and building and designing our rockets. We enjoyed doing something that we wouldn’t usually do, using OpenRocket and designing a rocket and learning how they work. We also enjoyed launching our rocket on launch day and going up to the launch pad to actually launch it on the day.
Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?
Definitely! It is really good fun and is very exciting. It’s a great opportunity because it allows you to experience something new and learn about things you wouldn’t normally learn about in school lessons or normal Scout nights.
What does the teacher/club leader think about UKROC?
UKROC perfectly complements our Air Scouts aviation, aeronautics and STEM focus. The competition challenges young people to develop vital skills in teamwork, design, presentation, and software like OpenRocket. It combines scientific concepts with hands-on building and creative decoration, every single team member can contribute to a successful outcome. Regardless of where they come in the competition, designing and building a rocket that successfully launches is a huge achievement and an incredibly exciting experience for them.
Want to share your experience? Email us ukroc@adsgroup.org.uk.