Katie Savannah Steele (born December 29, 1992) is an American model rocketeer. She is actively involved in National Association of Rocketry. She has been featured in several magazines, including Sport Rocketry.[1] Her notable works include three separate national championships at the National Association of Rocketry's Annual Meet (2006, 2008, 2010).[2] She is known for competing on the United States team in the World Space Modeling Championships[3] in Serbia in 2010 and acting as assistant team manager of United States junior team in World Space Modeling Championships[4] in Liptovský Mikuláš Slovakia in 2012 and at the European Spacemodeling Championships in Shumen, Bulgaria in 2013 and Lviv, Ukraine in 2015.[5] Steele and her two sisters, Caroline, and Cassidy have also competed as a team at the Team America Rocketry Challenge (2010). The Steele family has been involved with model rocketry since 2004.

Katie Savannah Steele
Accepting an award in Bulgaria in 2013
Born
Kaitlyn Savannah Steele

(1992-12-29) December 29, 1992 (age 31)
Alma materSouthern Utah University
OccupationSpecial Educator
Organizations

Steele and her sisters have been one of the factors within the field of hobby model rocketry to help create a new, young female influence within the hobby itself, which beforehand had been predominantly male.[6]

Early life and education

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Kaitlyn (Katie) Savannah Steele was born in Murray, Utah. She is the daughter of Robyn Palmer and Matt Steele.[7] Steele graduated from Southern Utah University in 2014[8] with a degree in elementary and special education.

Involvement in Model Rocketry

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National Level

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Steele began her involvement in model rocketry at age eleven. Her fellow competitors included her three siblings. Steele competed in her first NARAM[9] in 2004 in The Plains, Virginia.[10] In 2005, she competed in West Chester, Ohio.[11] In 2006, she competed in Phoenix, Arizona and earned her first national title.[12] She also placed first for her research and development report, entitled Experimental Determination of Drag Coefficients.[13] In 2007, she competed in Kalamazoo, Michigan, earning another first for her research and development report, A Comparison of Parachute Descent Rates.[14] In 2008, the competition was again in The Plains, Virginia, where Steele earned her second national title.[15][16] In 2009, the competition moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where Steele placed fourth[17] for her research and development report on simulator accuracy of low-powered models, and Steele earned her third national title in the 2010 competition in Pueblo, Colorado.[18] She also placed second for her research and development report on developing a piston for cluster engine models. In 2011, Steele placed second in the national meet, behind her younger sister.[19] Earlier that year, Steele and her two sisters competed in the Team America Rocketry Challenge[20] in Washington D.C., though they did not place in the competition. Steele currently holds three national records in events A Cluster Altitude (2008), D Eggloft Altitude (2008), and F Streamer Duration (2009).[21]

International Level

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Steele's international career began in 2010. During the summer 2009, fly-offs were held for members of the NAR who want to be part of the International Team at the 18th World Space Modeling Championships. Steele was invited to become a member of the United States World Space Modeling Team, and compete in Vldnik, Serbia in early September 2010, despite not having formally competed for the team.[22] Steele placed 11th in S5 Scale Altitude, though she had the highest recorded altitude in the event.[23][24] In 2011, Steele was invited to return to the International Team as an assistant team manager,[25][26] alongside Quest Aerospace's Bill Stine for the junior World Space Modeling Championships team in the 2012 competition in Liptovsky-Mikulas, Slovakia.[8][27] Steele reprised her position as team manager at the FAI European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria in 2013,[28] as well as in the FAI European Championships in Lviv, Ukraine in 2015, but was unable to return to the FAI World Space Modeling Championships in Lviv, Ukraine in 2016 due to scheduling conflicts.

National Event Awards

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Year NARAM Event Place Division
2004 NARAM-46[29] D Eggloft Altitude 1 A Division
Plastic Model Conversion 3
2005 NARAM-47[30] Set Duration (65 sec) 1 A Division
A Cluster Altitude 3
C Streamer Duration Multiround 3
D Dual Egg Lofting Duration 3
Open Spot Landing 3
Plastic Model Conversion 3
1/4A Helicopter Duration 4
NARAM 47 Meet Champions 4
NARAM 47 National Champions 3
2006 NARAM-48[31] 1/2A Streamer Duration 1 A Division
Concept Sport Scale 1
Research and Development

Experimental Determination of Drag Coefficients[31]

1
1/4A Parachute Duration Multiround 2
F Altitude 2
Scale 2
B Helicopter Duration 3
B Boost Glider Duration Multiround 4
B Egg Lofting Duration 4
NARAM-48 Meet Champions 2
NARAM-48 National Champions 1
2007 NARAM-49[32] B Egg Lofting Altitude 1 A Division
Research and Development

Comparison of Parachute Descent Rates[32]

1
B Streamer Duration 2
C Scale Altitude 2
A Boost Glider Duration 4
A Helicopter Duration 4
NARAM-49 Meet Champions 2
NARAM-49 National Champions 2
2008 NARAM-50[33] B Streamer Duration Multiround 1 B Division
D Egg Lofting Altitude 1
Scale 1
D Boost Glider Duration 3
Set Duration (50 sec) 4
NARAM-50 National Champions 1
NARAM-50 Meet Champions 2
2009 NARAM-51[34] Random Altitude (175 m) 2 B Division
A Streamer Duration 3
Peanut Sport Scale 4
Research and Development

Simulator Accuracy of Low-Powered Models Compared to Actual[34]

4
2010 NARAM-52[35] A Cluster Altitude 1 B Division
D Helicopter Duration 1
E Dual Egg Lofting Altitude 2
Research and Development

Developing a Piston For Cluster Engine Models[35]

2
B Streamer Duration 3
1/4A Boost Glider Duration 3
F Super-Roc Altitude 3
Giant Sport Scale 3
NARAM-52 Meet Champions[36] 1
NARAM-52 National Champions[37] 1
2011 NARAM-53[38] 1/4A Flex-Wing Boost Glider Duration 1 B Division
1/8A Streamer Duration Multiround 2
Plastic Model Conversion 3
NARAM 53 National Champions 2

References

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  1. ^ "National Association of Rocketry". Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  2. ^ National Association of Rocketry, (n.d.). NARAM History and Past Champions.
  3. ^ "National Association of Rocketry". Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  4. ^ Gašparovič, I. (2012). 2012 FAI World Championships For Space Models. (1), 1-14.
  5. ^ Steele, M. (September 25, 2012). 2012 World Space Modeling Championships - From Salt Lake City to Slovakia and Back[permanent dead link]. Utah Rocket Club.
  6. ^ Koeppel, G. (August 31, 2004). Chandler Family Reels in Rocketry Awards. AZ Central.
  7. ^ North Coast Rocketry
  8. ^ a b Southern Utah University. (November 2012). Managing Team USA in Model Rocket World Championships Archived January 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. EDGE Program Project Showcase: Education Designed to Give Experience, 1(1), 9-10.
  9. ^ "National Association of Rocketry". Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  10. ^ Peterson, P. (2004, November/December). NARAM-46 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 46(6), 18-25
  11. ^ Stevens, C. (2005, November/December). NARAM-47 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 47(6), 12-15
  12. ^ Gassaway, G. (2006, November/December). NARAM 48 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 48(6), 7-20
  13. ^ National Association of Rocketry. (2006). 2006 NARAM Live: Final Results.
  14. ^ Beach, T. (2007, November/December). NARAM 49 Coverage (Research and Development). Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 49(6), 10-12
  15. ^ National Association of Rocketry. (2008). 2008 NARAM Live: Final Results.
  16. ^ Filler, J. (2008, November/December). NARAM 50 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 50(6), 20-34
  17. ^ Miller, E. (2009, November/December). Research and Development. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 51(6), 29-30
  18. ^ Konshak, M. (2010, November/December). NARAM 52. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 52(6), 18-22
  19. ^ Stevens, C. (2011, November/December). Naram-53. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 53(6), 8.
  20. ^ "Home". rocketcontest.org.
  21. ^ National Association of Rocketry. (n.d.). US Rocketry Records Archived February 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  22. ^ Barber, T. (2010). World Space Modeling Championships. September 2010. The Electronic Rocketeer, 1(27),
  23. ^ Gassaway, G. (2011, January/February). World Space Modeling Championships 2010. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 53(1), 17-20, 26.
  24. ^ Gassaway, G. (2010). WSMC 2010 S5 Results
  25. ^ Gassaway, G. (2013, January/February). 19th World Space Modeling Championships. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 55(1), 6, 10.
  26. ^ Cochran, T. (2012). World Space Modeling Championships. September 2012. The Electronic Rocketeer, 1(52),
  27. ^ Gassaway, G. (2012). WSMC 2012 Team Roster.
  28. ^ Steele, M. (2013). 2013 European Championships US Space Modeling Team: Bulletin B.
  29. ^ "NARAM 46 Results | National Association of Rocketry". www.nar.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  30. ^ "NARAM 47 Results | National Association of Rocketry". www.nar.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  31. ^ a b "NARAM 48 Results | National Association of Rocketry". www.nar.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  32. ^ a b "NARAM 49 Results | National Association of Rocketry". www.nar.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  33. ^ "NARAM 50 Results | National Association of Rocketry". www.nar.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  34. ^ a b "NARAM 51 Results | National Association of Rocketry". www.nar.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  35. ^ a b Konshak, Mike (July 28, 2010). "NARAM-52 Standings". Peak City. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  36. ^ Konshak, Mike (July 28, 2010). "NARAM-52 Meet Champions". Peak City. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  37. ^ Konshak, Mike (July 28, 2010). "NARAM-52 National Champions". Peak City. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  38. ^ "NARAM 53 Results | National Association of Rocketry". www.nar.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
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