Clemson rocket team goes ‘all in’ with Pocket Tens

Pocket Tens is 12 feet of fiberglass, carbon fiber and nylon.

It’s a tribute to an iconic Dabo Swinney quote.

It’s the reason Kyle Jones worked 50 hours in one week without being paid a single cent.

It’s why Tapp Rhoads stayed up all night to apply layers of carbon fiber and epoxy to the tail.

It’s a passion project that brought together about 70 students who worked countless hours over nearly 11 months, all for a single launch amid the mesquite and scrub brush of Midland, Texas.

Pocket Tens was the rocket that represented Clemson University in June in the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC). In collegiate rocket engineering, it is the equivalent of the College Football Playoff National Championship.

About 150 teams from more than 20 nations as far away as Australia competed. The only team from South Carolina was Clemson University Rocket Engineering (CURE).

CURE took third in a category that shoots rockets to about 10,000 feet with a commercial, off-the-shelf engine.

Rhoads, who received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and serves as CURE’s president, said the team members overcame many challenges, rallied around each other, pulled each other up when they were down and helped each other push forward when needed. 

“Getting to the award ceremony, we knew we had a shot and a lot of hope,” he said. “When we heard our names called, our first reaction as a team wasn’t that we had won but that we had won together. This was truly something special. The overwhelming joy and relief of thousands of hours of work as a team over the past few years all built to that moment. It is something none of us will ever forget. I am proud to be a part of our team and the Clemson Family.”

Eighteen members of CURE piled into rented vans and travelled 18 hours to Midland a few days before the competition

For several CURE members who graduated in May, the nine-day trip was one last blast– literally and figuratively– before starting graduate school or launching careers in industry.

The competition brought together universities and companies that lead in aerospace, said Jones, who recently received a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering, serves as chief engineer for CURE and will be headed to his fourth IREC.

“It’s a great way for students to get exposure and to show off Clemson not just on a national stage but an international stage,” he said. “On top of that, it’s just a great bonding experience.”

The rocket’s name comes from a 2008 press conference when Swinney was first named interim head football coach. He used the phrase “all in,” and that became a rallying cry for the Tiger nation, but CURE picked up on a different part of Swinney’s quote:

“You ever watch that old poker show on TV, ESPN?” Swinney said. “Boy, I love that poker show. We’ve got pocket tens. We don’t have a great hand, but we’ve got a chance, so we’re going all in.”

CURE members said they operate on a budget smaller than many competitors. While other teams focus solely on design and contract with professionals to make parts, virtually every piece on Pocket Tens was designed, hand-crafted and machined by Clemson students, CURE members said.

And this year brought a unique challenge for CURE. Hurricane Helene’s impact on the Clemson area shaved about a month of work time from an already tight schedule.

The final days before the competition are crunch time for CURE as the team makes final preparations for launch. But that’s part of the fun for Joshua McCarty, who received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and serves as CURE’s vice president.

“My favorite part about the competition is spending countless hours here in the lab days before the competition, staying up until 2 a.m.,” he said. “They are tiring, but the community is a good thing.”

CURE is competing in a category that shoots rockets to about 10,000 feet with a commercial, off-the-shelf engine.

While the launch is the most exciting feature of the competition, it’s only part of the judging. Competitors are also evaluated on a technical report, a presentation, how close the rocket comes to its anticipated height and whether it can be recovered after flight.

Students said that building the rocket has helped them acquire a wealth of practical experience that in some cases has already translated to the workplace.

“I’ve learned so much,” said Eric Baldwin, a junior mechanical engineering major who serves as a structures lead for CURE. “Last semester I got a co-op with Gulfstream Aerospace, and I don’t think I would have gotten it without this.”

CURE puts the spotlight on engineering but also includes several divisions that handle finances, sponsorships, administration and outreach. Garrett Pataky, associate professor of mechanical engineering, serves as faculty advisor.

“This is what hands-on education should look like,” Pataky said. “Students are applying what they learn in the classroom, solving real problems and working as a team under pressure. And they’re doing it in a way that represents the Clemson spirit—resourceful, determined and all in.”