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. Her notable works include three separate national championships at the National Association of Rocketry's Annual Meet (2006, 2008, 2010).National Association of Rocketry, (n.d.). NARAM History and Past Champions. She is known for competing on the United States team in the World Space Modeling Championships in Serbia in 2010 and acting as assistant team manager of United States junior team in World Space Modeling ChampionshipsGašparovič, I. (2012). 2012 FAI World Championships For Space Models . (1), 1-14. in Liptovský Mikuláš Slovakia in 2012 and at the European Spacemodeling Championships in Shumen, Bulgaria in 2013 and Lviv, Ukraine in 2015.Steele, M. (September 25, 2012). 2012 World Space Modeling Championships - From Salt Lake City to Slovakia and Back. Utah Rocket Club. 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.
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.Koeppel, G. (August 31, 2004). Chandler Family Reels in Rocketry Awards. AZ Central.
Early life and education Kaitlyn (Katie) Savannah Steele was born in Murray, Utah. She is the daughter of Robyn Palmer and Matt Steele.North Coast Rocketry Steele graduated from Southern Utah University in 2014Southern Utah University. (November 2012). Managing Team USA in Model Rocket World Championships . EDGE Program Project Showcase: Education Designed to Give Experience, 1(1), 9-10. with a degree in elementary and special education.
Involvement in Model Rocketry
National Level Steele began her involvement in model rocketry at age eleven. Her fellow competitors included her three siblings. Steele competed in her first NARAM in 2004 in The Plains, Virginia.Peterson, P. (2004, November/December). NARAM-46 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 46(6), 18-25 In 2005, she competed in West Chester, Ohio.Stevens, C. (2005, November/December). NARAM-47 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 47(6), 12-15 In 2006, she competed in Phoenix, Arizona and earned her first national title.Gassaway, G. (2006, November/December). NARAM 48 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 48(6), 7-20 She also placed first for her research and development report, entitled Experimental Determination of Drag Coefficients.National Association of Rocketry. (2006). 2006 NARAM Live: Final Results. In 2007, she competed in Kalamazoo, Michigan, earning another first for her research and development report, A Comparison of Parachute Descent Rates.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 In 2008, the competition was again in The Plains, Virginia, where Steele earned her second national title.National Association of Rocketry. (2008). 2008 NARAM Live: Final Results.Filler, J. (2008, November/December). NARAM 50 Coverage. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 50(6), 20-34 In 2009, the competition moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where Steele placed fourthMiller, E. (2009, November/December). Research and Development. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 51(6), 29-30 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.Konshak, M. (2010, November/December). NARAM 52. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 52(6), 18-22 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.Stevens, C. (2011, November/December). Naram-53. Sport Rocketry Magazine: Official Journal of the National Association of Rocketry, 53(6), 8. Earlier that year, Steele and her two sisters competed in the Team America Rocketry Challenge 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).National Association of Rocketry. (n.d.). US Rocketry Records .
International Level 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.Barber, T. (2010). World Space Modeling Championships. September 2010. The Electronic Rocketeer, 1(27), Steele placed 11th in S5 Scale Altitude, though she had the highest recorded altitude in the event.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.Gassaway, G. (2010). WSMC 2010 S5 Results In 2011, Steele was invited to return to the International Team as an assistant team manager,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.Cochran, T. (2012). World Space Modeling Championships. September 2012. The Electronic Rocketeer, 1(52), alongside Quest Aerospace's Bill Stine for the junior World Space Modeling Championships team in the 2012 competition in Liptovsky-Mikulas, Slovakia.Gassaway, G. (2012). WSMC 2012 Team Roster. Steele reprised her position as team manager at the FAI European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria in 2013,Steele, M. (2013). 2013 European Championships US Space Modeling Team: Bulletin B. 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 YearNARAMEventPlaceDivision2004NARAM-46D Eggloft Altitude1A DivisionPlastic Model Conversion32005NARAM-47Set Duration (65 sec)1A DivisionA Cluster Altitude3C Streamer Duration Multiround3D Dual Egg Lofting Duration3Open Spot Landing3Plastic Model Conversion31/4A Helicopter Duration4NARAM 47 Meet Champions4NARAM 47 National Champions32006NARAM-481/2A Streamer Duration1A DivisionConcept Sport Scale1Research and Development Experimental Determination of Drag Coefficients11/4A Parachute Duration Multiround2F Altitude2Scale2B Helicopter Duration3B Boost Glider Duration Multiround4B Egg Lofting Duration4NARAM-48 Meet Champions2NARAM-48 National Champions12007NARAM-49B Egg Lofting Altitude1A DivisionResearch and Development Comparison of Parachute Descent Rates1B Streamer Duration2C Scale Altitude2A Boost Glider Duration4A Helicopter Duration4NARAM-49 Meet Champions2NARAM-49 National Champions22008NARAM-50B Streamer Duration Multiround1B DivisionD Egg Lofting Altitude1Scale1D Boost Glider Duration3Set Duration (50 sec)4NARAM-50 National Champions1NARAM-50 Meet Champions22009NARAM-51Random Altitude (175 m)2B DivisionA Streamer Duration3Peanut Sport Scale4Research and Development Simulator Accuracy of Low-Powered Models Compared to Actual42010NARAM-52A Cluster Altitude1B DivisionD Helicopter Duration1E Dual Egg Lofting Altitude2Research and Development Developing a Piston For Cluster Engine Models2B Streamer Duration31/4A Boost Glider Duration3F Super-Roc Altitude3Giant Sport Scale3NARAM-52 Meet Champions1NARAM-52 National Champions12011NARAM-531/4A Flex-Wing Boost Glider Duration1B Division1/8A Streamer Duration Multiround2Plastic Model Conversion3NARAM 53 National Champions2
References
External links Katie Savannah Steele on Twitter