USS Hornet Ultimate EGG Drop Contest

The Ultimate Egg Drop Contest

Starts at 1:00 PM on the Flight Deck

Important Contest Rule: To participate, your design must be completed at home and brought to the ship ready to go. There will be no workspace or materials provided for building on-site—the event is for testing only!

• Please bring your pre-built design and three eggs for testing.
• Scout Leaders: This event conforms with the BSA Supernova Engineering Activity “Design and Redesign.”

Admission & Logistics

We are proud to support our local community with special pricing for this event:

• Alameda Youths (Under 18): FREE with proof of residency!
• Children 6 & Under: Always FREE.
• Registration: While the ship is open to all, please pre-register for demonstrations at the information desk upon arrival or via our website to secure your spot.

Don’t miss this chance to explore a legendary aircraft carrier and sharpen your STEM skills!

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EGG DROP CONTEST: Operation Overboard

Think you have what it takes to protect a fragile payload from a high-altitude plunge? Put your engineering skills to the test and compete for the ultimate prize! Below are the official rules for this year’s competition:

RULES:

• Home-Built Designs: All projects must be fully engineered and constructed at home. Please bring your completed design to the event ready for flight; no assembly space or materials will be provided on-site.
• Egg Specifications: Each contestant is responsible for providing three (3) large, raw chicken eggs.
• Deployment: You will be given three chances to succeed. If an egg breaks, you may reset your design with a fresh egg for the next round, provided you still have attempts remaining.
• Prohibited Materials: To protect the flight deck surface and prevent foreign object debris (FOD) hazards, the following materials are strictly prohibited in design construction.
• Glass or Ceramics: No shards allowed.
• Hard Metals: No heavy steel plating or sharp protrusions.
• Chemicals: No pressurized canisters, flammable liquids, or reactive substances.
• Liquids: No water-balloon components or messy internal liquids (other than the egg itself).
• The top and bottom of the designs must be clearly marked for our flight crews to authorize launch. Designs will be released from a stationary position and not thrown or tossed.

THE CONTEST:

• The competition will proceed in “levels” of increasing difficulty. Designs will be released from the 04 Level (1 level above flight deck) in the first round. Contestants have 3 tries to pass this level. If their design survives impact, they advance to the next level—the 05 level. Surviving designs will continue to move up to the 06 Level and beyond until a final victor is determined.
• Note: In the event of a tie where multiple designs survive the highest reachable level (011 level), winners will be determined by the total weight of the design (the lighter design wins).

The Grand Prize

• The last engineer standing—whose design survives the highest drop—will be awarded a free STEAM Overnight experience for a family of four!

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher USS Hornet - Sea, Air and Space Museum