Sonic - Level 2 High Power Rocketry License

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of my most beloved video game mascots. He appears everywhere in my room, from my keychains to my wardrobe and even my plush toys. So naturally, it was only logical to also help launch Sonic to space! As a freshman mechanical engineering student, I joined the Tripoli Rocketry Association to gain a Level 2 Rocketry License. However, there remained one problem, no one in my entire university history has gained an L2 license! This meant I would have to be able to build a 6 foot rocket from start to finish and launch it over 3,000 feet into the air. To bring honor to the name “Rocket Raj”, I themed my rocket after Sonic! After a tedious process of 3D-printing the payload, CNC machining the coupler holes, epoxying the tubes together, and drilling the wooden fins, I ended the build with a bang by painting the entire rocket in sonic colors, and even inserted a sonic plush toy into the payload. Sonic the Hedgehog, and now an astronaut, in only three weeks of time was able to fly into the air and land safely. Throughout this process, people constantly asked how I was able to mentally finish and get through building such a complicated rocket without losing my mind. My answer was always that combining your love for something, in my case the video game mascot Sonic, with an exciting challenge you are willing to take makes a seemingly impossible task easily achievable.