Students Use Laptops To Power Rocket Launch (NAPSA)—Eight high school students will have an out-of-thisworld opportunity this year to design and construct a rocket and launchit into space. The student-designed rocket is expected to be 29 feet tall, weigh over 500 pounds andbe capable of reaching the stratosphere. To build the high-power rocket, students received brand-new Sony VAIO CW series laptops with the all-new Intel Core™ processors. Sony has also paired the students with an expert rocketeer mentor to turn their aeronautical dreamsinto a reality. “The laptops have more computational processing power than some of the first spacecraft to reach the moon. But can a laptop launch a rocket?” asked Thomas Atchison, director of the Association of Rocket Mavericks and a leading figure in the high-powerrocket community. “That is what this extraordinary group of high school students is going to find out, and I am very excited to give them an accelerated course in rocketry and the unique handson experience of building some- High school students are getting their chance to shoot for the stars thanks to the donation of laptops with launch capability. thing capable of blasting into space.” The VAIO Z@ Series: 13.1” screen, Intel Core i5 Processor with Turbo Boost provides the brains for the rocket, while the VAIO F Series: 16.4” screen, Intel Core i7 Processor with Turbo Boost will serve as mission control for the launch. Also benefiting from the Rocket Project is the nonprofit organization ReadySetLaunch. The organization provides high school students of financially disadvantaged backgrounds with free college counseling. Started by college students at Yale University and run by students for students, the organization works to level the playing field of college admissions by providing access to the crucial advice and mentoring that can make the difference in successfully navigating the often difficult process of college applications. As part of the Rocket Project, Sony and Intel will donate $1 to ReadySetLaunch for every new fan of the Sony Electronics Facebook page, up to $25,000, leading up to the April 2010 conclusion of the project. The Rocket Project will conclude with the students traveling to the famous Black Rock Desert in Nevada to put their experiment to the ultimate test by launching their rocket. For more information, you can visit the Rocket Project at www. sony.com/rocketproject. For more information on ReadySetLaunch, you can visit www.readysetlaunch.org. To become a fan of Sony Electronics on Facebook, visit www. facebook.com/sonyelectronics.
