Team USA TARC Captain on the Rush of Rocketry

John Easum became interested in rocketry after his eighth grade teacher received an email about the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC).

A few of Easum's friends asked if he wanted to lead the project, even though his knowledge of rocketry was small. Accepting the challenge, he quickly became interested in overcoming the challenges of rocketry and discovered his new passion.

Now, the 18-year-old member of Rockwall-Heath High School's Heath Side Boys Rocketry is in Le Bourget, France, with his team to participate in Friday's International Rocketry Challenge, part of the 2011 Paris International Air Show. The team from Heath, Texas, won TARC in May, advancing to the international competition.

"Rocketry is fast and loud," said Easum. "Being able to say 'I designed and built a 10-foot rocket that goes 0 to 450 mph in 2.1 seconds' is not something many high schoolers get to say."

In the fall, Easum will attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he plans to major in engineering physics. While in France, he's looking forward to visiting the Raytheon pavilion and seeing the engineering marvels first hand.