Illinois Space Society

Student Launch 2015-2016

Maxi-MAV Preliminary Design Review

March 14, 2015

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Illinois Space Society

104 S. Wright Street

Room 321D

Urbana, Illinois 61801

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Table of Contents Acronym Dictionary ....................................................................................................................... 4

General Information ........................................................................................................................ 5

Managers ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Major Subteam 1: Structures and Recovery ............................................................................... 5

Major Subteam 2: AGSE ............................................................................................................ 5

Minor Subteams .......................................................................................................................... 5

NAR Section ............................................................................................................................... 6

I) Summary of FRR report .............................................................................................................. 7

Launch Vehicle Summary........................................................................................................... 7

Payload Summary ....................................................................................................................... 7

II) Changes made since CDR .......................................................................................................... 7

Changes to Structures and Recovery .......................................................................................... 7

Changes to AGSE ....................................................................................................................... 8

CDR Feedback ............................................................................................................................ 8

III) Vehicle Criteria......................................................................................................................... 9

Design and Construction of Vehicle ....................................................................................... 9

System Review.......................................................................................................................... 12

Booster System ..................................................................................................................... 12

Coupler System ..................................................................................................................... 14

Upper Airframe System ........................................................................................................ 16

Subsystem Design and Construction ........................................................................................ 17

Motor Subsystem .................................................................................................................. 17

Fin Subsystem ....................................................................................................................... 20

Avionics/Payload Bay Subsystem ........................................................................................ 21

Rail Button Subsystem .......................................................................................................... 25

Recovery System ...................................................................................................................... 27

Structural Elements ............................................................................................................... 27

Electrical Elements ............................................................................................................... 29

Redundancy........................................................................................................................... 30

Parachute sizing and descent rates ........................................................................................ 30

Main Parachute Terminal Velocity ....................................................................................... 31

Drogue Parachute Terminal Velocity ................................................................................... 32

Ejection Charge Testing and Shear Pins ............................................................................... 32

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Rocket-locating Transmitters ................................................................................................ 33

Sensitivity of the Recovery System ...................................................................................... 33

Parachute Sizing.................................................................................................................... 33

Safety and Failure Analysis .................................................................................................. 35

Vehicle Dimensioned Drawings ............................................................................................... 36

Mass Report .............................................................................................................................. 39

Mission Performance Predictions ............................................................................................. 41

Kinetic energy of the vehicle during launch ......................................................................... 42

Kinetic Energy of Booster under the Drogue Parachute ....................................................... 42

Kinetic Energy of the Upper Airframe Tube and Coupler under the Drogue Parachute ...... 42

Kinetic Energy of Booster upon Landing ............................................................................. 43

Kinetic Energy of Coupler upon Landing ............................................................................. 43

Kinetic Energy of Upper Airframe Tube upon Landing ....................................................... 43

Stability Margin .................................................................................................................... 43

Nose Cone Terms:................................................................................................................. 43

Fin Terms: ............................................................................................................................. 43

Center of Pressure: ................................................................................................................ 44

Verification ............................................................................................................................... 46

Safety and Environment ............................................................................................................ 54

Safety Officer ........................................................................................................................ 54

NAR Personnel Duties .......................................................................................................... 54

Hazard Recognition .............................................................................................................. 54

Law Compliance ................................................................................................................... 55

Motor and Energetic Device Handling ................................................................................. 55

Preliminary Hazard Analysis ................................................................................................ 56

Environmental Concerns ....................................................................................................... 61

Safety During Construction .................................................................................................. 65

Payload Integration ................................................................................................................... 65

IV) AGSE/Payload Criteria .......................................................................................................... 66

Selection, Design, and Verification of Payload ........................................................................ 66

System Review...................................................................................................................... 66

Payload Design ......................................................................................................................... 84

Design and construction of the payload ................................................................................ 84

Flight performance predictions ............................................................................................. 85

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Test and verification program ............................................................................................... 85

Verification ............................................................................................................................... 85

Requirements ........................................................................................................................ 85

Safety and Environment ............................................................................................................ 94

Safety and Failure Analysis ...................................................................................................... 94

Payload Concept Features and Definition ................................................................................. 97

Creativity and Originality ..................................................................................................... 97

Uniqueness or significance ................................................................................................... 98

Science Value.......................................................................................................................... 100

Approach to workmanship .................................................................................................. 100

Precision of instrumentation and repeatability ................................................................... 101

V) Launch Operations Procedures .............................................................................................. 102

Checklist ................................................................................................................................. 102

Comprehensive Checklist ................................................................................................... 105

Launch concerns, operation procedures, and Quality Assurance ........................................... 108

Motor preparation ............................................................................................................... 108

Setup on launcher ................................................................................................................ 108

Launch procedure................................................................................................................ 109

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................. 109

VI) Project Plan........................................................................................................................... 109

Budget Plan ......................................................................................................................... 109

Funding plan ....................................................................................................................... 112

Timeline .............................................................................................................................. 113

Educational Engagement .................................................................................................... 116

VII) Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 118

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................. 119

Appendix B ................................................................................................................................. 122

Appendix C ................................................................................................................................. 123

Appendix D ................................................................................................................................. 126

Appendix E ................................................................................................................................. 128

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Acronym Dictionary

AGSE: (Autonomous Ground Support Equipment) This is a combination of crane, rail, and

ignition systems used to robotically accomplish the mission goals.

CAD: (Computer Aided Design) Computer software that allows the design, assembly, and

annotation of rocket and AGSE components.

CDR: (Critical Design Review) A design review that shows that the design is ready for full scale

production and fabrication.

CFC: (Chlorofluorocarbons) Commonly used in aerosol cans until the 1980’s and were

determined to be damaging to the ozone layer.

CIA: (Central Illinois Aerospace) A local rocketry club that assists the team with test launching

the rockets. They also provide their expertise during the design and building phase of the

competition.

ISS: (Illinois Space Society) The parent group of the team competing in the Student Launch

competition.

LPG: (Liquid Propane Gas) The most common propellant used in spray paint cans, and is less

harmful to the ozone than CFC’s.

NAR: (National Association of Rocketry) Governs the use of high powered rocketry to ensure the

safety of the participants, spectators, and the environment.

PDR: (Preliminary Design Review) A design review that shows a feasible concept that will be the

subject of future work.

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General Information Team Leader

Ian Charter, Project Manager

Phone: (815) 278-1294

Email: icharte2@illinois.edu

Safety Officer

Andrew Koehler

Managers

Project Manager: Ian

Safety Officer: Andrew

Structures and Recovery Manager: Stephen

AGSE Manager: Ben

Webmaster: Lui

Educational Outreach Director: Chris

Major Subteam 1: Structures and Recovery The first main subteam of about 10 students is the Structures and Recovery Team. This

team will be responsible for the design and construction of the vehicle, including systems for

parachute deployment and sample containment. The Structures and Recovery manager is Stephen.

Brian, Alli, Andrew, and David are key technical members for the Structures and Recovery teams.

Specifically, Brian is responsible for the design of the vehicle, and Andrew is responsible for

construction procedures. Alli is charged with management of the recovery systems, and David is

in charge of the sample canister and hatch systems.

Major Subteam 2: AGSE The second major subteam is the Autonomous Ground Support Equipment (AGSE) Team.

This team will be responsible for the design and construction of a robotic system to contain the

sample within the vehicle, as well as systems to erect the rocket from the horizontal position and

install the motor igniter. Ben is the AGSE manager. Brandon, Nick, Chris, and Alex are key

technical personnel for the AGSE systems. Ben is responsible for the compatibility between AGSE

components, and Brandon is in charge of the sample retrieval system. Alex is charged with

managing the ignition system, Nick is in charge of the lifting system, and Chris is in charge of

mass requirements.

Minor Subteams Minor subteams of around 5 students will be responsible for web design, safety planning,

and educational outreach. Each student on these subteams is also a member of either the AGSE or

Structures and Recovery subteams. Lui will manage the web design subteam, Andrew the safety

subteam, and Chris will manage the educational outreach activities.

In general, subteam managers are charged with organizing their respective teams, planning

necessary meetings, and overseeing progress on technical designs. That said, every team member

including managers will play a role in the technical design of their assigned systems. Although

key technical members are listed for the major subteams, whenever possible technical work will

be divided equally between all team members. The team’s goal is to draw on the knowledge of

past members, while also giving new members hands-on experience with the design and build

process.

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NAR Section The ISS Tech Team will be working with members of Central Illinois Aerospace (CIA) to

facilitate test launches and review system designs. Specifically, Mark Joseph will be the NAR

mentor for the ISS Tech Team. CIA is section 527 of the National Association of Rocketry. The

CIA organizes bi-weekly launches at several locations close to the university, depending on the

time of year and launch field conditions.

Figure 1. Complete CAD drawing of the rocket and AGSE system.

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I) Summary of FRR report Launch Vehicle Summary

Payload Summary The team will be building off of last year’s design, keeping a similar rail and igniter

insertion system. An actuator will be used to raise up the rail system, with a limit switch at the

base of the launch pad so that when the rail is 5 degrees off of the vertical, the switch will be

triggered stopping the actuator. The igniter system will use a similar actuator, with a “Z” shaped

piece and a thin, wooden rod attached to the opposite end of the piece, with the igniter fashioned

onto the end. The actuator will raise the Z-piece and, in turn, raise the igniter. Screwed onto the

blast plate will be a guide cone that the igniter will rise through to more accurately aim the igniter

into the rocket.

The team has designed a robotic crane-like mechanism to retrieve the payload. The crane

is a three segment structure, with 360° rotation and a vertical arm fashioned at the end of a

horizontal beam jutting outward from the base of the structure. At the bottom of the vertical arm

is an electromagnet holding onto a curved piece cut from the rocket’s body tube, with clips along

the underside. The crane will rotate and pick up the payload by pressing these clips onto said

payload. The arm shall then rotate over to the rocket and shut off the electromagnet, releasing the

payload and hatch door. Finally, the hatch will be sealed with small permanent magnets attached

to the rocket and bay door, along with a tubular latch fastened to the inside of the rocket and will

seal itself to a small, block on the hatch door.

II) Changes made since CDR Changes to Structures and Recovery In order to insure the structural integrity of the motor mount tube during flight, the motor

mount tube is no longer flush with the end of booster tube, but is rather inserted half an inch into

it. This allows a fillet to be added on the underside of the bottom most centering ring to better

connect it to the outer booster tube.

The main parachute was changed from a 72” IRIS Ultra to a 60” IRIS Ultra. This was done

due to concerns about drift distances as well as budget concerns. In order to ensure that the rocket

fell within the required lateral 2500ft the team decided to use a smaller parachute rather than deploy

at a lower altitude, since anything significantly past 450ft AGL poses a potential danger in the

event there is any delay in deployment. Additionally, since Illinois Space Society already owns a

60” IRIS ultra, using it allows for a significant cost decrease (~$250). Kinetic energy analysis

following the change indicates that all segments of the rocket will still fall well under the 75 ftlbf

requirement with some (~15 percent) margin to account for any unexpected behavior.

For the recovery equipment, U-bolts replaced eye bolts at the two ends of the coupler. U-

bolts provide greater functional strength when compared to eye bolts and the bulkhead provided

enough room to properly install a U-bolt.

Following the completion of construction, the discovery was made that the rocket was

significantly under the design mass. In order to achieve satisfactory performance, the team added

ballast mass. This was accomplished by adding a ~1.1 lb mixture of epoxy and lead BB’s into the

channel between the motor mount tube and booster tube on top of the topmost centering ring.

Additional quick links are used at each connection point as well and do not affect the performance

of the recovery equipment. Finally, a threaded and fastened thread of nuts is added to the inside of

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the nose cone. This combination of ballast allowed us to achieve performance close to design

specifications without affecting the stability of the vehicle.

In order to allow for consistent insertion of the payload, the width of the hole in the

switchband for the hatch door had to be adjusted from 1.5 in to 2. Consequently, the cutout in the

coupler also had to be expanded from 1.25 to 1.5. The corners are still rounded and the fit is tight

so no structural issues are expected.

Changes to AGSE Since CDR the only major change to the AGSE system is the way the crane is being

rotated. Originally the crane was going to rotate via a belt system, but after testing it was

determined that this system is too unreliable. To fix this issue, a bicycle chain and gear system was

implemented. This system allows for a much more precise rotation angle with no slipping

occurring at any of the interface points.

CDR Feedback What was your decision process to remove the active drag system from the rocket design?

The decision to remove the active drag was primarily based on a high level of confidence

in the flight simulations. It was decided that reaching the desired height would be more accurate

by properly construction and ballasting of the rocket rather than an experimental active drag

system.

Overall excellent presentation. We really appreciated you verifying both commercial

simulation programs with custom programs and hand calculations. All questions from PDR

were answered, and any questions we could think of during the presentation were answered

later. This is the sign of a well prepared document, and we commend you on your efforts.

Keep up the great work!

Thank you!

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III) Vehicle Criteria

Figure 2. Unpainted competition rocket

Design and Construction of Vehicle

Flight Reliability and Confidence It is important that the reliability and confidence of the flight vehicle's design is mature.

The hand calculations, coded simulations, and OpenRocket simulations that the team conducted

of the predicted flight profile all demonstrate the maturity of the flight vehicle's design. The team

is highly confident in the design of the vehicle. Team members met for an average of six hours per

week, and the design was developed among team members throughout this time period. The design

has been overseen and reviewed by team members with significant rocketry experience and by the

team’s NAR mentor.

The subscale launch also played a major role in the team’s confidence. During the subscale

building process, team members were able to get hands on experience in building a high powered

rocket. This experience was further developed with the construction of the full scale vehicle.

The full scale launch will also be a major milestone in proving the team’s design and

ensuring the reliability and safety of the vehicle. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen weather

conditions, the team has not yet been able to launch the rocket. However, the rocket is completely

prepared for a launch which will be rescheduled to be in the upcoming week. This test launch will

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provide useful data to the team showing if the simulations were accurate in estimating the

performance of the rocket.

Additionally, the team has been able to learn from the past failures and successes of other

teams due to former experience in the competition. ISS has participated in this competition six

times, giving the current team access to a number of old design documents and reports. Critical

parts of the rocket have previously been used by ISS teams and local rocketry clubs. The team

believes the current design defines an advanced system for completing the mission requirements,

without sacrificing confidence in flight safety and reliability.

The vehicle details were continuously analyzed and redefined to achieve the best possible

design meeting all mission requirements for the project. The vehicle is flight ready and the only

construction left is that of the latch-door system and to paint the exterior of the rocket.

Mission Statement

“The mission of the Illinois Space Society Student Launch Team is to safely launch and

recover a reusable high power rocket simulating a Mars Sample Return. This includes design and

construction of an Autonomous Ground Support Equipment system to simulate the loading of a

Martian soil sample and the vehicle launch procedures. The vehicle will be tracked and recovered

after launch. The vehicle will launch to 5,280 feet at which point the drogue will deployed,

followed by the main at 450 feet above ground. The vehicle shall be designed to be reusable upon

recovery, and all components shall land with less than 75 ft-lbf of kinetic energy.”

Requirements Official project requirements and their respective design features and verification methods are

given in the Vehicle Requirement table of this report. However the team has determined several unofficial

requirements to serve as project goals. Many of these are closely related to official requirements.

1.) The vehicle must conform to the highest safety standards at all times.

2.) The vehicle shall attain a maximum altitude of 5,280 ft.

3.) The vehicle shall be highly reusable, such that the ISS may recreationally launch the

vehicle with minimum effort upon competition completion.

4.) The vehicle shall be able to function both with the custom AGSE system, as well as a

standard high power rocketry launch rail configuration.

5.) The vehicle shall have a visually appealing design, reflecting the months of extreme

effort dedicated to its design and construction.

6.) The vehicle design and construction shall serve as a high level learning experience for

team members, providing all team members with significant crucial experience in the real

world design and engineering process.

7.) The vehicle design must be well defined and reports shall be given with the highest

amount of detail possible.

Mission Success Criteria

The team will consider the mission a success if the vehicle fulfills all NASA requirements

and if superior safety standards are maintained throughout the project. During the build process

and launch procedures, mission success will depend heavily on team members following all safety

standards laid out later in this document. Minimizing safety risks for team members and observers

is considered critical for success in the competition. On competition day, the rocket should secure

the sample in its payload bay, launch to an apogee of 5,280 feet, and then land safely at a reasonable

distance from the launch pad. The rocket’s recovery system will be deemed successful if the drogue

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and main parachutes deploy successfully and if the onboard altimeters record relevant data

throughout the flight.

Approach to Workmanship

As a responsible team, safety as well as the quality of the final product are held in the

highest importance. A detailed agenda and construction procedures has been created to provide

every member with vital knowledge of proper and safe construction techniques. In addition the

team can consult experienced members and the team mentor for further clarification of proper

technique. As well as benefiting safety considerations, these moves create a redundancy in

knowledge that will allow the Illinois Space Society to continue construction uninterrupted and on

schedule in the event that certain personnel are unable to attend a build session. All construction

will be overseen by the safety officer and one veteran member of the group that can provide hands-

on instruction to help both ensure the safety of every participating member and that the work is

being done correctly for a quality build. The aforementioned team mentor will be involved with

the team for every test and will consistently check in on the team during construction to ensure all

proper precautions are being met. The combination of these efforts will allow the team to create a

quality project without endangering any individual on the team. Should any danger arise every

member has been instructed to err on the side of caution and the safety of themselves and of the

team, regardless of any potential impact on the quality of the project itself. In general, ISS strives

to apply proper workmanship both to enhance the probability of mission success, and to mitigate

any safety risks.

Major milestone schedule

The major milestones for the launch vehicle can be seen in Table 1 below. Completed tasks

are shown in green, milestones which are behind schedule are in red, and those which are to be

completed in the future are shown in blue.

Table 1. Major Milestone Schedule

Date Milestone Completion

August 30, 2015 Team compiled and established goals

September 11, 2015 Proposal documentation submitted

November 6, 2015 Preliminary Design Review documentation submitted

November 16, 2015 PDR video teleconference presentation delivered

December 9, 2015 Subscale build begins

December 19, 2015 Subscale is launched and data gathered

January 15, 2016 Critical Design Review documentation submitted

January 18, 2016 Begin finalizing building instructions

January 20, 2016 All parts to be inventoried and inspected, build plan

reviewed

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January 22, 2016 CDR video teleconference presentation

February 27, 2016 Component testing

Week of March 14, 2016 Full Scale test flight, test recovery system

March 14, 2016 Flight Readiness Review documentation due

April 14, 2016 Launch Readiness Review

April 16, 2016 Launch full scale flight vehicle

April 17, 2016 Review & reflect on flight results and feedback

April 29, 2016 Post Launch Assessment Review document due

System Review

Booster System

The booster system includes everything contained within the rocket’s lower body tube. It

includes complete subsystems for the motor, fins, and rail buttons, and houses the first (drogue)

recovery stage. Here a generalized description of each subsystem will be given, but more detail

can be found in the subsystem descriptions section of this paper.

The overall booster system is 40.75 inches in length, including a 40.25 inch body tube and

a inch motor retainer that hangs .5 inch off the aft end of the rocket. Team members chose to

construct the body tube from 4.014 inch diameter Blue Tube, with the motor mount tube being

made of 3.10 inch diameter Blue Tube. The motor subsystem is located at the rear of the booster

section, and the fins pass through the outer body tube and are secured to the motor mount tube in

between the two lowermost centering rings. The drogue parachute is stored above the motor

subsystem, and rail buttons are secured along one side of the main body tube and attached to

centering rings via plywood blocks.

When designing the overall vehicle, team members researched various materials for

construction of the main body and fins. Initially, aircraft plywood and balsa wood were considered

as possible materials for the fins while Blue Tube, carbon fiber, and fiberglass were evaluated for

possible use in the main body. Each material was later assessed in light of its respective advantages

and disadvantages as seen in Table 2 below. A value of 5 represents the best possible score in a

category, while 1 represents the poorest possible score in a category.

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Table 2. Material Trade Study

Material Strength Cost Ease of Use Safety

Aircraft plywood 3 2 3 4

Balsa wood 1 5 5 4

Blue Tube 4 4 4 4

Carbon fiber 5 1 2 3

Fiberglass 4 3 2 2

Team members first decided on a material for the main body of the rocket. Blue Tube was

ultimately chosen because it was the most reasonable choice based on strength, cost, ease of use,

and safety. For example, the added strength of carbon fiber was unnecessary and did not justify its

cost. The heat capacity of Blue Tube is sufficient to protect against the heat output of the motor, it

poses fewer safety concerns when it is being cut, and is easier to work with than carbon fiber.

These benefits, combined with its high strength and affordability, led Blue Tube to emerge as the

chosen material for the main body. During last year’s Student Launch competition, the team

decided to use Blue Tube and it was a great success. There were no problems with Blue Tube and

it proved to be a durable, inexpensive, and reliable material.

Focus then shifted to deciding between fiberglass and aircraft plywood for the fins. Team

members decided that the material would have to be moderately strong and relatively easy to work

with, especially because fins require extensive shaping and sanding before being attached to the

rocket. Aircraft plywood is low cost and easy to work with, but is not as strong as fiberglass.

Though pricier than and not as easy to shape as aircraft plywood, fiberglass is much stronger and

last years’ team had success with fiberglass fins. This previous design gave the team valuable

experience with fiberglass fabrication, including necessary safety measures and allows the team to

create a custom shape of the design.

The team has access to a lab that was used previously to manufacture the fiberglass sheets

and then cut out the shape of the fins. Ultimately, the extra strength and reliability led the team to

choose fiberglass as the fin material. The team plans on utilizing the diamond table saw in the

fiberglass lab again this year to custom-cut fiberglass fins.

An Aeropack flanged retainer is employed to ensure the motor casing doesn’t move

forward or aft during the duration of flight. The retainer is installed on the bottom most centering

ring via a series of 12 screws circulating the retainer.

In order to further secure the motor mount tube to the booster tube, the team chose to install

the motor mount tube further into the booster so that the bottom most centering ring is not flush

with the end of the body tube (it’s inserted about .5 in in). This allowed for the installation of a

fillet on the bottom of the lower-most centering ring and further improve the structural integrity of

the system as a whole.

A CAD mock-up of the overall booster design, as well as an inward facing view of the

system that utilizes transparency to see internal components, can be seen below in Figure 3 and

Figure 4.

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Figure 3. Booster airframe model shown as designed.

Figure 4. Inward view of booster tube.

Coupler System

The coupler system serves as the connection point between the booster system and the

upper airframe system. It contains the complete subsystems for the avionics bay and hatch, as well

as parts of the recovery subsystem. As with the booster section overview, a very general overview

of the subsystems is given here. Additional subsystem details can be found in Subsystem

Descriptions.

The coupler itself is constructed from 3.9 inch diameter Blue Tube, allowing it to slide into

both the booster and upper airframe. To facilitate integration with the rest of vehicle, a 7.125 inch

long piece of 4.014 inch diameter Blue Tube acts as a switch band around the middle of the coupler.

This switch band leaves 3.9375 in of 3.9 inch Blue Tube exposed on each side, and the additional

diameter acts as backstop for the booster and upper airframe when they are slid onto the coupler.

Altogether, the coupler has a total length of 15.5 inches. Nylon shear pins will be drilled into

airframe and coupler tube and utilized to prevent the sections of the rocket from separating prior

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to previously planned recovery events. Ejection charges will break these shear pins and allow for

the deployment of drogue and main parachutes.

Because we’ve chosen to eject at the nosecone rather than the at the coupler, the upper

airframe is locked to the coupler via 3 3/16” machine screws and matching T-nuts to ensure that

the two pieces will not be separated at any step during flight. This system still allows the coupler

to be fully removed for easy access to the internals as needed.

Inside the coupler, avionics and hatch hardware is mounted via a system of rails and support

boards. Two paired bulkheads cap each end of the coupler, secured in place by nuts at the end of

each rail. These bulkhead caps consist of a 3.733 inch diameter bulkhead (matching the inner

diameter of the coupler tube) and a 3.9 inch diameter bulkhead (matching the inner diameter of

the airframe tubes and outer diameter of the coupler tube) glued together. These bulkheads protect

the altimeters and other delicate electronics, prevents air from entering the coupler to keep the

altimeters accurate, and also provides a place to mount ejection charges for both parachutes. The

altimeters inside the coupler directly control the timing of the ejection charges.

Trimmed coupler bulkheads inside the coupler serve to separate the central payload

containment area from altimeter sleds on either end of the coupler. Additionally, these bulkheads

will serve as a mounting point for mortice latches and magnets that will keep the hatch door

attached to the rocket during flight.

A CAD mock-up of the overall coupler design, as well as internal views, can be seen below

in Figure 5, Figure 6, and Figure 7.

Figure 5. Rocket coupler shown with the hatch (white) attached.

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Figure 6. Internal components of the rocket coupler. The payload bay is shown in the

center with altimeters placed on either end.

Figure 7. Underside view of coupler internals.

Upper Airframe System The upper airframe system includes all components in the vehicle’s upper body tube and nose cone.

It serves as the storage space for the main parachute, a key part of the recovery subsystem. The upper

airframe is 42.625 inches in length, including the 16.5-inch aerodynamic nose cone fixed to the top of the

body tube. A CAD mock-up of the overall upper airframe design can be seen in Figure 8 below.

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Figure 8. External view of the upper airframe of the rocket.

Subsystem Design and Construction

Motor Subsystem

The first critical subsystem of the vehicle is the motor subsystem. The motor serves as the

vehicle’s sole propulsion system for the flight. The motor itself used for the flight is the Aerotech

K1000T-P. An Aerotech motor was chosen as they are a highly reputable company that the team

and team mentor have had significant dealings with in the past. Additionally, Aerotech is one of

the most well-known motor manufacturers, and a large number of motor hardware products

compatible with Aerotech products are available. The K1000T-P was chosen over similar motors

such as the Aerotech K780 because the K1000T very quickly reaches its maximum thrust, allowing

a high exit rail velocity that is important for overall flight stability. The thrust curve and other

import aspects of the K1000T are included and discussed in the mission performance section of

this paper.

The main components of the motor subsystem are shown in Figure 9 below. Shown in light

gray is the vehicle’s motor casing inside the motor mount tube, shown in light blue. The eye bolt

for the drogue parachute, which screws directly into the motor case, is shown in light grey.

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Figure 9. Motor system shown inside the lower airframe.

In terms of safety, the motor case is possibly the most important flight component to

consider. The motor case is designed to contain the propellant grains of the Aerotech reloadable

motor. Due to this, the motor casing (an RMS 75/2560) is professionally fabricated from precisely

machined aluminum. This ensures that the propellant can burn in a proper environment without

adversely affecting the remainder of the vehicle. This component also serves as the lower

attachment point for the drogue parachute shock cord.

Housing the motor case and shown below in Figure 10 is the motor mount tube with its

three centering rings. The motor mount tube is a 3.1 inch diameter piece of Blue Tube, allowing

for the installation of the motor case without adapters, and 20 inches in length. This component is

designed to house the motor case separately from the rest of the vehicle. The vehicle’s centering

rings can be seen in brown. These are used to ensure that the motor mount tube, and thus the motor

casing and motor itself, are seated directly and securely in the center of the vehicle. These rings

are composed of high quality plywood and are designed for the specific purpose of centering the

motor. The vehicle contains three centering rings: one at the extreme aft end of the booster tube,

one at the top surface of the fins, and one near the top of the motor mount tube.

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Figure 10. Motor mount tube with centering rings attached and the motor case inserted.

The final component of the motor subsystem is the motor retainer, shown below in black

in Figure 11. This is a high strength aluminum component used to prevent the motor from shifting

its position forward or aft during flight. The retainer consists of two pieces: a body and a screw on

cap. The body of the retainer is permanently fixed to the lowest centering ring. After the motor

case is slid into the rocket, the retainer cap securely threads on to the body of the retainer. This

prevents the motor from inadvertently moving during flight and also provides a quick method of

loading and removing the motor casing.

Figure 11. Rear of the rocket showing the motor retainer and motor case.

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Fin Subsystem

The vehicle’s Fin Subsystem is designed to provide the vehicle with an aerodynamic

restoring force that will stabilize the rocket’s flight path and move the nose back to a stable path.

The design includes three trapezoidal fins spaced 120 degrees apart. Trapezoidal fins were chosen

to allow a larger amount of surface area to be farther away from the fuselage, helping to stabilize

the rocket. It was decided that the fins will have a root chord of 11.813 inches, a height of 5.25

inches, and a tip chord of 6.25 inches. These dimensions were determined through OpenRocket

simulation and a custom matlab script to optimize for stability and to reach the target altitude of

5,280 feet. These software packages allowed the team to obtain an estimate of vehicle stability and

alter dimensions and characteristics of the fins as necessary to achieve suitable stability. The fins

will not extend beyond the aft end of the rocket to ensure that the fins do not break in the event

that the rocket lands on the aft end. The fins will extend through the body of the vehicle and be

epoxied directly to the motor mount tube, as well as to the outer booster tube. To further ensure

structural integrity, the fins will be attached between the lower and middle centering rings,

providing additional contact surfaces where epoxy may be applied. A dimensional drawing of the

fins and a representation of their placement can be seen below in Figure 12 and Figure 13.

Figure 12. Dimensioned drawing of the rocket fins.

21

Figure 13. Rocket cross-section shown from below.

Avionics/Payload Bay Subsystem

The avionics and payload bays are located in the vehicle’s center coupler and contain the

components necessary for securing the sample and deploying the vehicle’s parachutes. The main

coupler piece is composed of 15 inches of Blue Tube designed to function as a coupler for 4.014

inch Blue Tube airframes. It can be seen in light blue in Figure 14 below. Taking into account the

two airframe bulkheads that extend from the coupler, the full length of the coupler subsystem is

15.5 inches. The switch band, a 7.125 inch long piece of 4.014 inch diameter Blue Tube, can be

seen in dark blue wrapped around the coupler. This piece serves as a backstop for the booster and

upper airframe when they are slid onto the coupler, a mounting point for the rotary switches which

arm the vehicle’s avionics, and as a location for small drilled holes to allow for proper operation

of altimeters. The magnetically sealed hatch door can be seen on the switch band in silver in Figure

14.

Figure 14. Main coupler and payload bay.

22

As a supplement for the above image, Figure 15 and Figure 16 below show the avionics

and payload bays stripped of the coupler tube and switch band. The brown disks shown are the

coupler and airframe bulkheads, composed of high quality plywood. These provide a physical

barrier between the recovery electronics and the remainder of the vehicle. Shown in dark gray on

the bulkheads are terminal blocks designed to accommodate the E-matches that will ignite the

ejection charges. Wires connect to one side of these blocks from the altimeters, and the E-matches

are attached to the other side. Also mounted on the bulkhead and shown in white are charge cups

designed to hold the recovery system’s ejection charges. These are small PVC cups that will be

filled with black powder. An E-match will then be inserted into the charge cups. The caps are then

covered with foil tape to contain the powder. The final components mounted to the bulkheads are

the u-bolts and quick links, shown in dark gray. The u-bolts run through the bulkheads and are

attached with a nut and washer on each side, as well as a small amount of epoxy. These provide a

secure attachment point for the parachute shock cords. The quick links, shown below as gray ovals,

are used to attach the parachute shock cords to the u-bolts. These provide for a strong attachment

point that may be easily assembled before flight and removed afterward.

Looking at the inner components, there are two threaded aluminum rails that span the

length of the coupler. These rods are attached to each bulkhead via a nut and washer on each side.

These both hold the bulkheads on the coupler and provide a rail system for which to slide the

payload and avionics sleds into the coupler. The avionics and payload sleds are shown as light

brown rectangles. These are thin sleds composed of aircraft plywood with small tubes linking the

sled to the threaded rods. These tubes will be 3D printed to the specifications by a team member

using their own 3D printer, which the team used in last year’s competition. These tubes serve as

guides, allowing the sled to smoothly slide on the rails and remain fixed within the system. The

Stratologger altimeter and Telemetrum altimeter can be found on either avionics sled and shown

in light gray are. The altimeters are installed on the opposite side of the hatch door to place them

closer to the outward facing rotary switches that will be used to turn on these altimeters on launch

day. These will be used to record the flight profile and deploy the main and drogue parachutes.

The electrical diagram of the altimeters is shown farther down in Figure 17. Once the vehicle

reaches apogee, the altimeters will trigger the drogue ejection charge to release the drogue

parachute. Later during descent, the altimeters will trigger the main ejection charge to release the

main parachute.

Trimmed bulkheads and a payload containment sled serve as a way to isolate the payload

from the recovery equipment in the unlikely event that the gripper on the hatch door fails and drops

the payload inside the rocket. The bulkheads are trimmed to allow for wires to cross the length of

the coupler from either altimeter to the ejection charges and to allow for the installation of a ~6

inch tracking antenna to the Telemetrum altimeter.

23

Figure 15. Side views of coupler internals.

Figure 16. Placement of altimeters in coupler, with Telemetrum on the left sled and

Stratologger on the right sled.

24

Figure 17. Electrical schematic of recovery equipment.

These trimmed bulkheads will also serve as the mounting point for the internal magnets

and mortice latch that will keep the hatch door in place during the flight of the rocket. When the

hatch door is placed into the rocket, the latches will lock into the strike plate blocks install on either

end of the hatch door. The strike plate blocks are shown below in Figure 17 on a payload equipped

hatch door.

Figure 18. Hatch door with strike plate blocks installed on both ends.

25

Rail Button Subsystem

The rail button subsystem is responsible for holding the vehicle to the launch rail during

the initial stage of the flight. The rail buttons will be standard 1515 rail buttons designed to work

on a 1.5 inch slotted rail. Each rail button will be attached to a mounting point secured to one of

the vehicles centering rings. This mounting point will consists of a plywood block with a T-nut.

This allows the rail buttons to easily screw in and out in case one needs to be replaced, but it also

provides for a secure mounting configuration. Additionally, this method mitigates any damage to

the structural integrity of the relatively thin centering rings. A close up of one of the rail buttons

can be seen below in yellow in Figure 19. The mounting hardware can be seen below in Figure 20.

Figure 19. Close-up of 1515 rail button.

26

Figure 20. Rail button mounting hardware.

Two rail buttons were chosen for the rocket. Two will be capable of holding the vehicle to

the launch rail. No more than two rail buttons were chosen, as additional buttons increase the drag

on the rail as the vehicle launches and negatively impacts the exit rail velocity. The placement of

both rail buttons can be seen in Figure 21 below.

Figure 21. Placement of rail buttons along the booster tube.

27

Recovery System

Structural Elements

The recovery systems require the most consideration in regards to safety. All of the

attachment mechanisms have been designed for safety as well as reliability during flight.

The rocket consists of two parachutes, the drogue and the main parachute. The drogue is

stored in the booster section of the rocket. It is located below the avionics bay and above the motor

mount tube. It is attached to the vehicle using a ½” diameter Tubular Kevlar shock cord. To attach

the shock cord to the parachute in a safe and secure way, the shroud lines are passed through a

loop in in the shock cord and then the parachute is passed through the looped shroud lines. The

shock cord is then attached to the motor mount using a steel quick link and a steel eye bolt. The

eye bolt is attached to the top of the motor mount in a slot designed for this purpose. The steel

quick link attaches the Kevlar shock cord to the steel eye bolt. This quick link allows for easy

assembling on launch day as well as increases safety. The drogue is also attached to the avionics

bay. A u-bolt is screwed into a plywood bulkhead that is attached to the avionics bay. The U-bolt

is attached using a nut and washer on each side of the bulkhead. In order to ensure that everything

is structurally sound, epoxy will also be added to the nuts and washers. Pictured below in Figure

22 is an image of the bulkhead parachute attachment point.

Figure 22. Bulkhead parachute attachment point.

28

The rocket’s main parachute is located in the upper airframe. It is positioned above the

avionics bay and under the nose cone. The shock cord attachment technique is the same as above,

but instead of attaching the shock cord for the main parachute to the motor mount, the Kevlar cord

is attached to the nosecone. Slots were cut into the plastic nose cone and a Kevlar strap (½ inch

tubular Kevlar) was threaded through to serve as the attachment point for the quick links. A picture

of this slot is shown below in Figure 23. Using the steel quick link and the u-bolts, the attachment

is the same as for the drogue parachute.

Figure 23. Slots for nosecone attachment point with the shock cord threaded through.

Both of the vehicle’s shock cords will be composed of high strength half inch tubular

Kevlar. Kevlar is significantly stronger than steel, having a tensile strength of about 520,000 psi.

The parachute’s canopies are composed of high strength rip stop nylon. The shroud lines and

bridles are constructed out of high strength spectra, nylon, and Kevlar. All of these material are

sufficiently strong and prove the components to be robust.

Nylon 4-40 shear pins are utilized to keep the rocket in place before the ejection charges

fire. In order to ensure that the shear pins at the nosecone break when the charges fire, pieces of

29

brass shim stock were epoxied to the nosecone. This provides a sharp surface against which the

shear pins will cut away from when the charge blows. A picture of this configuration is shown

below in Figure 24.

Figure 24. Brass fittings on the nose cone to aid separation of the shear pins.

Electrical Elements

The altimeters recording the official competition altitude as well as deploying the main and

drogue parachutes consist of one StratoLogger and one Telemetrum altimeter. These are

commercially available barometric altimeters which meet all competition requirements. These

components have been used many times by the ISS team in the past, and their reliability has been

proven over countless flights.

All altimeters are attached to plywood sleds in their respective avionics bays. On the

opposing side of each sled, 9 volt batteries are fixed with zip ties to ensure stability. Connecting

wires run around the side of the sled and attach to the designated altimeter. Rotary switches which

have been inserted through the vehicle's airframe are also wired to the switch pins of the

corresponding altimeters. These switches allow for greater ease in turning the altimeters on and

off, before and after launch. In order for the ejection charge to function properly, the wires are

30

connected to the terminal blocks via a small hole in the bulkheads. They are attached to one side

of the terminal block, while an electric match is attached to the other side of the terminal block.

This allows for an easy attachment and integration on launch day, as well as providing a secure

connection. These electronic matches set off the ejection charges when triggered by the altimeters.

Electronic testing was completed throughout the duration of construction. Power lifetime

testing is crucial in order to ensure that the vehicle can maintain operation for over an hour. The

altimeters were turned on and left alone overnight to ensure that they had a sufficient power

lifetime

We also tested that the onboard electrical equipment wouldn't interfere with each other and

that nearby pieces such as the mortice latches, threaded rods, and rare earth magnets wouldn’t

interfere with the altimeters. This testing comprised of powering on all electronics in the same area

at a distance apart smaller than how they are installed into the coupler to add in a safety factor. and

then testing the functionality of each of the individual components. Tests confirmed that all

recovery equipment would function within the confines of the coupler.

Redundancy

Redundancy is another critical aspect that the team strived to employ in every part of the

recovery system. Redundant altitude measurement and ejection systems are vital not only to

mission success, but also to the safety of observers on the ground.

All ejection events are triggered by a primary and secondary charge, with primary charges

triggered by one altimeter and secondary charges by a separate altimeter. Each altimeter also has

its own power supply. The redundancy employed in the ejection charges ensures that even with

complete failure of an entire altimeter or battery, all parachutes still have a complete backup

system. The newly added charge-released locking mechanisms on the main parachute are also fully

redundant as well. There is a primary and a secondary mechanism, and again each is linked to its

own altimeter with its own power supply. In the event of failure of one altimeter or mechanism,

the other independent system should perform all the duties needed for a successful recovery.

Parachute sizing and descent rates

The ISS team completed sizing the parachutes in order to determine which parachute would

safely return the rocket to the ground in order for the rocket to be reusable. After the measurements

were taken, the ISS team took inventory of the numerous parachutes currently in the team’s

possession. The team determined the size through various simulations in OpenRocket and the

team’s personal simulation. Through those methods, it was determined that the suitable main

parachute would be the Iris Ultra 60” parachute. The simulated terminal descent speed for this

parachute was 18.7 ft/s. Through these simulations, it was also concluded that the 15” Fruity

Chutes parachute would be the best option for the drogue parachute, with a simulated descent

speed of 91.6 ft/s. Using these parachutes also keeps the rocket within the drift distances required

by the competition. ISS already owns and has used the 60” IRIS ultra in previous flights so the

team is confident in its performance.

Shown below in Figure 25 and Figure 26 are pictures of the chosen main and drogue

parachutes retrieved from the Fruity Chutes website.

31

Figure 25. IRIS Ultra 60 inch parachute.

Figure 26. Drogue parachute (15" Fruity Chutes).

In addition to the OpenRocket simulation data, terminal velocity calculations were

completed by hand. The terminal velocity equation is shown below:

𝑽𝑻 = √𝟐𝒎𝒈

𝒑𝑨𝑪𝒅

Where is the parachute’s terminal velocity, m is the mass of the components descending

under the parachute, g is gravity, p is the air density, A is the frontal area, and is the drag

coefficient. Below are the calculations for the main parachute and the drogue.

Main Parachute Terminal Velocity

m= 21.3 lbm (total)- 2.60625 lbm (propellant)-0.494 lbm (drogue parachute and shock

cord)-.834 lbm (main parachute and shock cord) = 17.37 lbm

g= 32. 174ft/s2

p= 0.0765lbm/ft3

32

A= πr2=(2.5)2= 6.25ft2

Cd= 2.2

VT=18.39ft/s

Drogue Parachute Terminal Velocity

m= 21.3 lbm (total)- 2.60625 lbm (propellant)-0.494 lbm (drogue parachute and shock

cord)= 18.2 lbm

g= 32. 174ft/s2

p= 0.0765lbm/ft3

A= πr2=(0.625)2=0.391ft2

Cd= 1.6

VT=88.257ft/s

If the vehicle lands with a terminal velocity under 25 ft/s, it is generally considered safe.

Both the OpenRocket simulated value of 18.7 ft/s and the hand-calculated value of 18.39 ft/sec

fall short of this upper limit. There is a 0.31 gap between the simulated and the hand-calculated

value, within an acceptable range for this stage in the design. It is also important that the vehicle

does not descend too slowly, as it will increase the drift distances and make retrieving the vehicle

more difficult. All calculated values prove that the vehicle will be within range of safe decent

speeds and will ease recovery of the vehicle post-launch.

Ejection Charge Testing and Shear Pins

Ejection charge testing was completed prior to the planned test flight of the full scale

vehicle. This process was done with the rocket in its launch ready state, including the loaded

parachutes. Fragile components were removed and replaced with a mass of its respective weight.

The only other change in testing compared to actual launches is that instead of connecting the E-

matches to the altimeters, there will be a wire running from the E-match to a remote firing system

controlled by the ISS team. This gives the team the ability to place the vehicle on a test stand and

remotely ignite the ejection charge in order to deploy the parachutes one at a time.

Shear pins are used to keep the vehicle intact before the ejection charges are fired, therefore

it is important to determine the proper amount of shear pins to use. The following line of logic was

used to determine the amount of shear pins to use at each joint:

Joint 1: Upper Airframe and Nosecone 1. Mass of objects that could force the nosecone out during flight:

a) 7oz nosecone

b) 1.6lb attachment equipment (quick links and shock cord)

c) 1.2lb main parachute

d) TOTAL: 3.2 lbs (worst scenario in which everything pushes on nosecone)

2. 50g jerk when drogue shock cord fully expands (generous estimate)

3. 150 lbf on nosecone (F=ma) 4. 4-40 Nylon screws have 50-70lbf of shearing strength 5. 3 Nylon Screws at Joint 1

Joint 2: Booster Subsystem and Coupler

33

1. Weight of sections that could separate early:

a) Coupler Subsection: 4.6lbs

b) Upper Airframe: 3.4 lbs

c) TOTAL: 8 lbs

2. 9g Drag Separation (calculated from OpenRocket data)

3. 72 lbf at joint

4. Safety factor of 100 lbf at joint

5. 4-40 Nylon Screws have 50-70 lbf of shearing strength

6. 2 Nylon Screws at Joint 2

During ejection charge testing, the ISS team also tested how easily the black powder charge is

able to break the pins. An iterative process was followed in which an amount was estimated amount

(using online calculators) and increased up 0.5g at a time until the shear pins reliably broke. It was

found that 1.5 grams for the drogue parachute (Joint 2 above) and 2 for the main (Joint 1 above)

was sufficient to break the shear pins. An increment of 0.5g was added to each charge to serve as

a backup in the event that the main charges fail.

Rocket-locating Transmitters

The team utilizing is the onboard Telemetrum for post-launch tracking, which uses a

frequency of 434.850 MHz (Channel 3) and has a range of 20 miles.

During the team’s planned full-scale test flight, both will get a fix prior to being inserted

in the rocket and properly lock onto a sufficient number (4+) of GPS satellites. To mitigate any

risk of a future failure, the team will be sure that all trackers used will have excellent battery

condition and acquire a good fix on their location prior to being inserted in the rocket.

Sensitivity of the Recovery System

The potential effects of electromagnetic interference were also considered during the

design and building of the vehicle. Any unwanted interference could be detrimental to electrical

components and consequently impact rocket performance, so the team tried to prevent this as much

as possible. The rocket only contains two transmitters that each produce a relatively weak

electromagnetic field, and additional components do not appear to produce excessively strong

fields either. All electrical wires were braided to mitigate the risk of interference, and team

members ensured that no onboard components are overly sensitive to any unpredictable outside

interference.

Parachute Sizing

The parachutes are attached on to the vehicle with the use of steel quick links, as stated

before. These quick links will have the parachute tightly knotted on one end and will attach to the

U-bolt on each side of the coupler. This allows for greater ease in attaching and removing the

parachute before and after launch.

The deployment system for this vehicle is based on a standard dual deployment system. At

apogee, set for around 5,280 feet, the primary altimeter located within the avionics bay will send

a signal to an E-match, igniting the black powder charge on the lower bulkhead of the avionics

bay. This black powder charge will break the shear pins connecting the avionics bay to the booster

airframe and allow for the drogue parachute to deploy. All vehicle components will remain

tethered together during this portion of descent. In the event that the ejection charge is not able to

successfully deploy the drogue parachute, a second altimeter will send a signal to a second E-

match, thus igniting another ejection charge. This signal will be sent a second after apogee. If the

34

first ejection charge does deploy the drogue parachute, the secondary charge will harmlessly ignite

in the open air. Figure 27 depicts the completed drogue parachute deployment.

Figure 27. Deployment of the drogue parachute.

After the vehicle has descended with the drogue parachute to 450 feet above ground level

as seen in Figure 28. The primary altimeter, located in the avionics bay, will send a signal to an E-

match, igniting a black powder charge. This system also uses a redundant deployment method

where all components are fully independent. For the case in which the ejection charge fail at 450

feet, a second charge will be utilized at an altitude of 400 ft. As stated in the changes since CDR

section, the parachute is now ejected from the nose cone. Therefore, when the black powder charge

is ignited, the shear pins between the nosecone and the upper airframe will break and the main

parachute will be released.

Figure 28. Deployment of the main parachute.

The drogue and main parachutes implemented in this vehicle have been used for previous

flights of Illinois Space Society Student Launch projects, and consequently team members have

significant experience with packing these parachutes such that they will properly deploy. With

vehicle construction complete, the team has determined the best method of packing the parachutes

and will include the detailed process within the preflight checklist.

35

Safety and Failure Analysis

Table 3. Safety and Failure Analysis

Risk Impact Probability Mitigation

Working with

tools and

machinery

Can cause physical

harm to team members

that can be permanent.

Low to

Moderate

Each member was required to take a

general lab testing course. The

members will also be trained to use

the tools and machinery by the

safety officer or other members.

Working with

black powder

There can be possible

injuries like skin burns

as well as respiratory

issues.

Low Black powder is only handled with

the team manager or any other

member with certification to work

with black powder.

Parachutes are

not deployed

Can be dangerous to

all participating in the

launch. The rocket

will crash into the

ground, rendering the

rocket unusable.

Low All team members are trained in

how to fold parachutes to minimize

entanglement and ejection charge

testing ensured that the sections

would properly separate

Component(s)

come loose

Either everything else

stays secure or the

component(s) knocks

other components off

Low All items are secured with nuts and

bolts. Other components will be

epoxied in order to ensure that all

components stay secure during

flight.

Parachute

deploys early

The flight could take

another path and drift

outside of the

designated safe area.

Low Multiple people are trained in

setting up and viewing the settings

for each altimeter. Before each

launch the team will consult

software and listen to the beeps

emitting from the altimeter to

confirm that the parachutes will

deploy at the right altitude.

Parachute does

not open all the

way

Can be dangerous to

all participating in the

launch. The rocket

will crash into the

ground, rendering the

rocket not usable.

Low to

Moderate

The ISS team has had a lot of

experience with wrapping

parachutes, and success during

previous launches. Team members

will make sure that the parachutes

are wrapped properly and will test

their deployment when testing the

parachute deployment system

during the test flight.

36

Vehicle Dimensioned Drawings Dimensioned drawings of the vehicle are shown below.

Figure 29. Dimensioned drawing of full vehicle.

37

Figure 30. Dimensioned drawing of the rocket fins.

Figure 31. Dimensioned Drawing of the coupler.

38

Figure 32. RMS 75/2560 motor case dimensions.

39

Mass Report Included in the table below is a breakdown of masses by each individual component. As

the team received materials and the components of the rocket, the masses were verified by the

team using a digital scale. Where parts occur in multiple quantities, the weight given is for the sum

of all of the given part. The only additional mass that will be added to the rocket after this point

will be to add paint to the rocket.

Table 4. Rocket Mass Breakdown

Subsystem Component (Quantity) Material Weight (lbs)

Booster Trapezoidal Fin (3) Fiberglass 2.53

Body Tube Blue Tube 2.0 1.59

Centering Ring (3) Plywood 0.06

Motor Mount Tube Blue Tube 2.0 0.45

Motor Retainer Assembly Aluminum 0.19

Fruity Chutes 15” Drogue Nylon 0.09

Drogue Shock Cord ½” Tubular Kevlar 0.4

Rail Button (2) Delrin-Plastic 0.03

K1000T Motor Assembly* Various 5.67

Epoxy West Systems 1.19

Ballast Lead BB’s and Epoxy 1.10

Booster Total 13.3

Coupler Body Tube Blue Tube 2.0 0.42

Switch band Blue Tube 2.0 0.23

Coupler Bulkhead (4) Plywood 0.46

Tube Bulkhead (2) Plywood 0.24

Eyebolt (2) Forged Steel 0.40

Eyebolt Nut (2) Aluminum 0.10

Eyebolt Washer (2) Aluminum 0.02

40

Stratologger Onboard Altimeter 0.03

Telemetrum Onboard Altimeter 0.03

9V Battery Duracell 0.11

Telemetrum Battery Li-Po 0.20

Battery Clip Plastic 0.05

Threaded Rod (2) Aluminum 0.28

Payload PVC Pipe w/ Sand 0.25

Rotary Switch (2) Plastic 0.03

Charge Cup (4) PVC 0.02

Avionic Sled (2) Plywood 0.20

Coupler Magnet (4) Iron Alloy 0.40

Shear Pin (6) Nylon 0.02

Union 2648 Tubular Latch Zinc Finish 0.44

Strike Plate/Wooden Block Plywood 0.10

Epoxy West Systems 0.11

Ballast QuickLinks 0.46

Coupler Total 4.6

Upper Airframe 4.00” X 16.5 Nosecone Polypropylene Plastic 0.72

Body Tube Blue Tube 2.0 0.86

Iris Ultra 72” Parachute Nylon 0.44

Shock Cord ½” Tubular Kevlar 0.4

Epoxy West Systems .06

Ballast QuickLinks .92

Upper Airframe Total 3.4

41

TOTAL

MASS

21.3

*K1000T Motor Assembly Weight is broken down as follows:

Table 5. Breakdown of K1000T motor assembly by mass

Component Mass (lbs)

Propellant 2.60

RMS-75/2560 Aluminum Motor Case 1.23

Misc. Material 1.84

K1000T Motor Assembly 5.67

Mission Performance Predictions Table 6. Drift Distances at Different Wind Speeds

Wind Speed [mph] OpenRocket Prediction [ft]

0 7

5 312.5

10 675

15 1,125

20 1,600

Worse-case analysis was also performed with a 5 degree launch angle (similar to the launch

rail that will be used) and 20 mph winds acting in the direction of travel. Even at these conditions,

drift was simulated to be 2,482 ft on OpenRocket and 2494 ft on the custom matlab script. A plot

of this data is included in the table below. The team is fully confident in the vehicle’s ability to

stay within 2,500 ft of the launch site come launch day.

42

Figure 33. Lateral distance in worst case scenario.

Kinetic energy of the vehicle during launch

In regards to energy, during launch, as the vehicle rises, the energy is primarily chemical

energy. As it continues to rise, it is converted to kinetic energy. Once the vehicle gets close to

reaching apogee, all of the chemical energy has been changed to kinetic and potential energy. As

the vehicle reaches apogee, almost all of the energy has become potential energy. During the

descent of the vehicle, most of the potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. Shown below

are the calculated kinetic energies during each phase of the rocket during its descent stage: with

the drogue parachute and during landing. These figures were calculated by hand using the

equation for kinetic energy below:

Ek=1/2mv2

Where is the kinetic energy, m is the mass of a given rocket sections, is the terminal

velocity of that respective rocket section. Simulated descent rates were used over the hand

calculated values since they were the larger of the two.

Kinetic Energy of Booster under the Drogue Parachute

m= 11.54 lbm=0.36 slugs

VT= 91.6fts

Ek=1/2(0.36slugs)(91.6fts)2= 1510.3ft-lbf

Kinetic Energy of the Upper Airframe Tube and Coupler descending with the Drogue Parachute

m= 4.6 lbm (mass of coupler)+3.4 lbm (mass of Upper Airframe Tube)=8 lbm= 0.250 slugs

VT= 91.6fts

Ek=1/2(0.250slugs)(91.6fts)2= 1048.82ft-lbf

43

Kinetic Energy of Booster upon Landing

m= 11.54 lbm= 0.358 slugs

VT= 18.7fts

Ek=1/2(0.3652slugs)(18.7fts)2= 57.7 ft-lbf

Kinetic Energy of Coupler upon Landing

m= 4.83 lbm= 0.15 slugs

VT= 18.7fts

Ek=1/2(0.15slugs)(18.7fts)2= 26.23 ft-lbf

Kinetic Energy of Upper Airframe Tube upon Landing

m= 3.54 lbm= 0.11 slugs

VT= 18.7fts

Ek=1/2(0.11slugs)(18.7fts)2= 19.23 ft-lbf

As shown by these calculations, no vehicle section is expected to exceed the 75ft-lbf

limitation of kinetic energy. The heaviest section of the vehicle is expected to fall about 20% under

the maximum energy limit. This certifies that the design has a large safety margin. Kinetic energy

will be measured using actual flight data following the test launch.

Stability Margin The location of the vehicle’s Center of Pressure was determined analytically through the

use of the Barrowman equations. These represent an analytical method of finding the center of

pressure based on vehicle geometry. These equations are given below.

Nose Cone Terms:

(𝐂𝐍)𝐍 = 𝟐

𝐗𝐍=0.466𝐋𝐍

Fin Terms:

(CN)F = [1 +R

R + S]

[

4 ∗ N ∗ (sd)2

1 + √1 + (2 ∗ LF

CR + CT)2

]

XF = XB +XR

3(CR + 2CT

CR + CT) +

1

6[(CR + CT −

CRCT

CR + CT)]

44

Center of Pressure:

Xbar =((CN)NXN + (CN)FXF)

(CN)R

(CN)R is the sum of the coefficients CNN+(CN)T+(CN)F. Xbar is the final answer found

through this analysis, and is a measure of the distance between the center of pressure and the tip

of the vehicle’s nose cone. The meanings of the quantities in the above equations are given

below.

The characteristics of the vehicle are given below:

Table 7. Vehicle Characteristics

Quantity Value (inches)

Ln 16.496

d 4.014

Cr 11.813

Ct 6.25

S 5.25

Lf 5.5241

R 2.007

Xr 4.5

Xb 77.438

45

Quantity Value (inches)

N 3

Note that the all transition terms are zero, since the vehicle airframe has a constant diameter.

(𝐂𝐍)𝐍 = 𝟐

XN=0.466*16.496 = 7.687 inches

(CN)F=[𝟏 +𝟐.𝟎𝟎𝟕

𝟐.𝟎𝟎𝟕+𝟓.𝟐𝟓] ∗ [

𝟒∗𝟑∗(𝟓.𝟐𝟓

𝟒.𝟎𝟏𝟒)𝟐

𝟏+√𝟏+(𝟐∗𝟓.𝟓

𝟏𝟏+.𝟔.𝟐𝟓)𝟐

]= 𝟏𝟐. 𝟎𝟔 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬

XF=𝟕𝟖. 𝟐𝟓 +𝟒.𝟒𝟎𝟓

𝟑(𝟏𝟏+𝟐∗𝟔.𝟐𝟓

𝟏𝟏+𝟔.𝟐𝟓) +

𝟏

𝟔[(𝟏𝟏 + 𝟔. 𝟐𝟓 −

𝟏𝟏∗𝟔.𝟐𝟓

𝟏𝟏+𝟔.𝟐𝟓)] = 81.79 inches

(𝐂𝐍)𝐑 = 𝟐 + 𝟎 + 𝟏𝟐. 𝟎𝟔 = 𝟏𝟒. 𝟎𝟔𝟒

Xbar= (𝟐∗𝟕.𝟔𝟖𝟕+ 𝟏𝟐.𝟎𝟔∗𝟖𝟏.𝟕𝟗

𝟏𝟒.𝟎𝟔𝟒) = 71.249 inches

The center of pressure as calculated above is 71.2487 inches from the tip of the nose cone.

This is very accurate when compared to the simulated value computed by OpenRocket, which

yields a center of pressure 71.299 inches from the nose cone. For the purposes of center of pressure

location, it is believed that OpenRocket is likely more correct than the manual calculation but

either result will prove sufficient for a stable rocket. Both of these calculations were derived from

actual measurements of the rocket following the completion of construction.

After the construction of the rocket, the actual center of gravity for the completed rocket

was determined experimentally by balancing the rocket after quick links were added for ballast.

This calculation resulted in a center of gravity of 62.125 inches. The OpenRocket and custom

simulator were subsequently adjusted to account for this new

The vehicle stability margin is defined as:

SM = (Cp-Cg)/D

where Cp is the center of pressure, Cg is the center of gravity and D is the rocket diameter. The

standard recommended stability margin is between 2 and 2.5 calibers, where a caliber is defined

as the rocket diameter. An under stable vehicle will experience aerodynamic moments detrimental

to the flight safety and stability, and an overly stable vehicle may turn into the wind causing an

elevated amount of horizontal motion to occur.

The OpenRocket simulation gives a simulated stability margin of 2.28 calibers. Using the

analytically derived Center of Pressure location 71.2487 inches, and diameter 4.014 inches, the

stability margin is calculated to be 2.27 calibers. Both of these values fall within the stable range

46

and gives confidence in the stability of the design. The team trusts both OpenRocket’s calculation

for the center of pressure and the one calculated by hand.

Figure 34. OpenRocket representation of vehicle.

Verification Table 8 given below lists all project requirements placed on the vehicle, as well as the

design features that satisfy these requirements and the methods of verification.

47

Table 8. Vehicle Requirements and Verification

Requirement Design Feature Verification Method Confirmation

Deliver payload to

altitude of 5,280 feet

above ground level.

The combination of the Aerotech

K1000T-P motor and vehicle

geometry will allow the rocket to

reach this target altitude.

Modeling, simulation, and

test flight. A barometric

altimeter will be used to

record official altitude.

Models were further refined after the

subscale launch and will their accuracy

will also be checked following the test

launch of the full scale vehicle.

Designed to be

recoverable and

reusable.

All materials used in

construction have been evaluated

for durability. The rocket will

utilize a dual deployment

recovery system to ensure that

each section of the rocket lands

with less than 75 ft-lbf of kinetic

energy.

Hand calculation of the

kinetic energy of each

rocket section upon

landing; adequate

construction techniques;

visual inspection for any

flaws in vehicle and

components.

Ejection charges were tested to reliably

separate the sections of the rocket. All

materials were inspected as they arrived.

Have a maximum of 4

independent sections.

During apogee and descent, the

rocket has been designed to

break apart into 3 independent

sections: booster, coupler and

upper airframe.

Modeling and visual

inspection.

There are only 3 sections

Rocket limited to a

single stage.

The rocket will only carry one

single-stage motor, the Aerotech

K1000T-P.

Modeling and selection of

correct motor.

There is only one motor installed

Capable of being

prepared for flight

within 2 hours.

Vehicle components such as the

motor retention system and

payload sleds have been chosen

to allow for quick assembly.

Assembly testing and

practice prior to launch

events.

In preparation for the test flight, the team

was able to assemble the full vehicle

minus the motor within an hour

48

Requirement Design Feature Verification Method Confirmation

Capable of remaining

in launch ready

position for 1 hour.

All power supplies are designed

to function for well in excess of

this time limit.

Testing all electronic

components to ensure they

have sufficient power

lifetimes.

As discussed in the recovery section, the

electronics were left on overnight to

ensure sufficiently long power lifetimes.

Capable of being

launched by a 12 volt

direct current firing

system.

The vehicle employs a standard

motor igniter compatible with

the standard 12 volt system.

Design and inspection. Igniter is designed for a 12 volt direct

current firing system

Use a solid motor

propulsion system

using APCP that is

approved and certified.

An Aerotech K1000T-P

reloadable rocket motor will be

used and has been certified by

the TRA.

Design and inspection. K1000T-P is still being used and follows

all certifications and rules

Total impulse provided

by the launch vehicle

should not exceed

5,120 Newton-seconds.

The total impulse of the

Aerotech K1000T-P is 2511.5

Ns.

Design and inspection. K1000T-P has a total impulse of 2511.5

Ns

Team must provide and

inert of replicated

version of the motor,

with matching weight

and size.

A hollow motor shell will be

produced and filled with ballast

to match the weight of the

functional motor.

Design and inspection The 3D-printed shell was filled with

ballast and weighed inside the motor

casing to match the weight of the

functional motor

Burst/Ultimate pressure

Vs. Max Expected

Operating Pressure

shall be 4:1, with

supporting design

documentation.

The vehicle does not contain any

pressure vessels.

Design and inspection. Vehicle does not contain any pressure

vessels

49

Requirement Design Feature Verification Method Confirmation

Pressure vessels must

contain solenoid

pressure relief valves

that sees complete

pressure of tank.

The vehicle does not contain any

pressure vessels.

Design and inspection. The vehicle does not contain any

pressure vessels.

Complete pedigree of

tank must be provided,

its history, number of

pressure cycles put on

the tank, by whom and

when.

The vehicle does not contain any

pressure vessels.

Design and inspection. The vehicle does not contain any

pressure vessels.

Launch and recover a

subscale model of the

full-scale rocket prior

to CDR that should

perform similarly to the

full-scale model.

A subscale rocket was

contruction and launched this

last December. The rocket was

about a 1:2 scale model of the

full scale and closely matched

the aerodynamics of the full

scale design at the time.

Subscale was successfully

launched and recovered on

December 19, 2015.

Shares a similar stability

margin to the full scale

design and is about a 1:2

scale model of the full-

scale.

Subscale was successfully launched and

recovered on December 19, 2015. Shares

a similar stability margin to the full scale

design and is about a 1:2 scale model of

the full-scale.

Prior to FRR, the full-

scale rocket shall be

launched and

recovered, in order to

ensure that the vehicle

and recovery system

function properly, in

fully ballasted

configuration, with no

The team has constructed and

properly ballasted the full scale

vehicle for launch.

With supervision of the

team’s NRA mentor, a test

flight is planned to safely

launch and recover the

vehicle.

Due to unforeseen weather conditions the

launch was delayed. The vehicle will

launch as soon as weather conditions

improve.

50

Requirement Design Feature Verification Method Confirmation

additional

modifications being

made after successful

completion of test

flight.

Maximum budget of

$7,500

The current budget of the final

system is $3851.30 and future

spending will be tracked to

ensure the limit is not exceeded.

Budget planning and

keeping track of expenses.

Current budget is still well within the

requirement

Deploy drogue chute at

apogee.

The primary altimeter will detect

when the rocket has reached

apogee. It will then trigger an E-

match to ignite the black powder

charge on the lower bulkhead of

the coupler, separating the

booster and coupler and

releasing the drogue parachute.

Modeling and testing of

parachute deployment

systems.

Test Flight will confirm if the drogue

chute deploys at apogee. Multiple people

are trained on the altimeters and have

repeatedly checked the settings of the

altimeter to confirm the deployment

altitude.

Deploy main chute at a

lower altitude.

The primary altimeter will detect

when the rocket has descended

to 450 feet. It will then trigger an

E-match to ignite the black

powder charge on the upper

bulkhead of the coupler,

separating the coupler and upper

airframe tube and releasing the

main parachute.

Modeling and testing of

parachute deployment

systems.

Test Flight will fully confirm if the

drogue chute deploys at apogee. Multiple

people are trained on the altimeters and

have repeatedly checked the settings of

the altimeter to confirm the deployment

altitude.

51

Requirement Design Feature Verification Method Confirmation

Each independent

section of the launch

vehicle shall have a

maximum kinetic

energy of 75 ft- lbf.

The main and drogue parachutes

were chosen to provide enough

drag to slow each rocket section

to a terminal velocity that

allowed for an acceptable

maximum kinetic energy. See

Kinetic Energy calculations in

Mission Performance Criteria

section.

Hand calculations of the

kinetic energy of each

rocket section upon

landing. To be confirmed

based on empirical test

data.

Velocity data from test launch will

confirm that the rocket will fall within

limits. More accurate models since CDR

give confidence that it will fulfill this

requirement.

Electrical circuits of the

recovery system shall

be completely

independent of

electrical circuits of the

payload.

The only function of the

recovery electronics are to

record the flight profile and

ignite ejection charges.

Design and inspection. Altimeters still serve the same purposes

The recovery system

must contain

redundant,

commercially available

altimeters.

Each ejection event is controlled

by fully redundant and

independent avionics

components.

Design and inspection. Altimeters are installed and tested.

Dedicated arming

switches shall arm each

altimeter from the

exterior of the rocket.

Both altimeters have a dedicated

rotary switch on the exterior of

the rocket.

Design and inspection. Rotary switches are installed on the

exterior of the rocket.

Altimeters must have

dedicated power

supplies.

Each altimeter has its own

battery power supply.

Design and inspection. The altimeters utilize different types of

batteries so sharing a battery is

functionally impossible

52

Requirement Design Feature Verification Method Confirmation

Arming switches must

be capable of being

locked in the ON

position.

The rotary switches chosen are

capable of being locked in the

ON position.

Design and inspection. Installed rotary switches require a

screwdriver in order to switch between

ON and OFF

Removable shear pins

shall be used for both

the main parachute and

drogue parachute

compartments.

Shear pins connect the booster

and coupler, which separate to

deploy the drogue parachute.

Shear pins also connect the

coupler and upper airframe tube,

which separate to deploy the

main parachute. A final set of

shear pins connects the upper

airframe to the nose cone.

Design and inspection. Removable Nylon shear pins are installed

between the coupler and booster tube and

the upper airframe and nosecone.

Electronic tracking

devices shall be

installed in the launch

vehicle.

The vehicle will utilize the GPS

capabilities of the Telemetrum

altimeter.

Design and inspection. Tracking capabilities of the telemetrum

have been intensively testing at different

lengths. Will be fully tested during test

flight.

Any untethered section

or payload component

shall have its own

electronic tracking

devices.

There are no untethered sections. Design and inspection. There are no untethered sections.

Recovery systems

electronics cannot

interfere with any other

on- board electronic

devices during flight.

No onboard components are

expected to interfere with the

recovery electronics or vice-

versa.

Interference and

functional testing of

recovery components

upon construction of

coupler.

As discussed in the interference section,

no onboard materials suffer from

interference.

53

Requirement Design Feature Verification Method Confirmation

Recovery system

altimeters must be

physically located in a

separate compartment

from other radio

frequency transmitting

and/or magnetic wave

producing devices.

Altimeters are installed into their

own bays, safe from any

interference from the magnets in

the payload bay.

Design and inspection. Altimeters are installed into their own

bays, safe from any interference from the

magnets in the payload bay.

Recovery system

electronics shall be

shielded from onboard

transmitting devices.

The recovery electronics are

located in a physically separate

compartment from the radio

frequency transmitter.

Design and inspection. The recovery electronics are located in a

physically separate compartment from

the radio frequency transmitter.

Recovery system

electronics shall be

shielded from devices

that may generate

magnetic waves.

The recovery system electronics

shall be shielded from the

crane’s electromagnet.

Design and inspection. The recovery electronics are located in a

physically separate compartment from

the payload bay.

Recovery system

electronics shall be

shielded from any other

devices that may

interfere with proper

operation of recovery

system electronics.

No onboard components are

expected to interfere with

recovery electronics. The

electronics are physically

isolated and shielded regardless.

Testing to ensure recovery

systems will function

when all electronics are

running.

As discussed in the interference section,

no onboard materials suffer from

interference.

54

Safety and Environment

Safety Officer

The safety officer this year is Andrew Koehler. He is a sophomore in aerospace engineering

with prior experience working with high power rockets. The safety officer will guarantee that each

member of the group is knowledgeable and informed on the risks inherent to their respective sub-

teams. Every member in the Structures and Recovery team and the AGSE team will complete

essential lab safety training and will be aware of the dangers of handling and disposing of

hazardous materials. As such, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) will be provided for those

working with these dangerous components and materials. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

will also be required and provided to all team members working under any sort of risk, mainly

those operating machinery or handling lab substances. The safety officer will supervise all aspects

of construction and ensure that all involved are implementing the proper safety procedures. The

Engineering Student Project Lab (ESPL) will handle larger machinery that the Student Launch

team members do not have qualifications for to ensure that members do not handle equipment

above their training or experience level. In the event that the safety officer or the team mentor

cannot supervise a potentially dangerous situation, the project manager, team leader, or more

experienced individuals in the group are able to supervise and step in.

Before each test and launch of the rocket, all active and involved members will be briefed

and instructed on precautionary measures to remind them of the potential hazards with the launch

and recovery of a high power rocket. The team will coordinate with the local RSO (Range Safety

Officer) and the team mentor to schedule the test launches during the course of the year. A safety

code has been attached to the bottom of this document which will be read to all team members by

the safety officer and understood by all before any construction of the rocket occurs.

NAR Personnel Duties

The team mentor this year will be Mark Joseph (NAR 76446 Level 2), and he has flown

over 15 flights under this certification. Mark has been the Team Mentor for this University’s

Student Launch team in 2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 so he is familiar with the team and

has experience with high power rocketry competitions.

Mark is the team’s NAR mentor and is responsible for the acquisition of FAA permits for

airspace for the subscale and full scale test launches. The permits will provide assurance of clear

skies at the launch and ensure that there will be no impact on commercial aviation. In addition,

they will ensure the group’s compliance with the NAR safety code, which has been attached in

Appendix C. The team mentor will also be in charge of handling all dangerous materials. This

includes, but is not limited to, motor handling, construction, transportation, and use of black

powder ejection charges. The mentor will also be informed of design decisions and construction

work by the team and given the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions to team members

for safety purposes.

Hazard Recognition

Before any post-design construction or manufacturing commenced on the project, the

safety officer provided a presentation on accident avoidance strategies and recognizing the dangers

involved with both the Structures and Recovery and AGSE teams. The safety officer, team mentor,

and experienced members will also give a presentation on the proper use of the tools and facilities

that will be in use over the course of the project.

The presentation will discuss the various risks that can be encountered while working that

are described above in the Risk Mitigation section. For example, AGSE team members, before

working with any electronics, will be briefed on the process of identifying an improper grounding

55

of a power source or an incorrectly wired system. The Structures and Recovery team would also

receive a briefing on structural dangers that may involve the improper handling of heavy metal

parts or equipment. The emphasis of this presentation will be on recognizing when a certain hazard

can be handled by the members if they are knowledgeable, by the team mentor or safety officer,

or if the situation must be brought to the attention of a higher official. Their safety knowledge will

be greatly enhanced and practiced through machine and lab training conducted by the most

knowledgeable members of the team, including the safety officer and team mentor if needed.

Powerful permanent magnets and electromagnetic components will be used by the crane

to place the sample in the hatch and by the hatch door to secure it during the rocket’s flight. The

Safety Officer will ensure that team members are aware of the dangers of having magnets near

electronics. Appropriate safety measures will be taken, including sealing the hatch section off from

the section with the electronics, ensuring that magnetic components are kept a safe distance from

electronic components.

Briefings will be conducted by the safety officer and team mentor before every test flight,

covering the present risks and hazards involved with launching a large, high power rocket.

This will be similar to the presentation covering general hazards of working with machinery and

equipment or electronics, but the pre-flight briefing will involve rocket launch specifics. A general

lesson of mindfulness will be emphasized, so that if any team member is ever unsure of what to

do in a potentially dangerous situation, they will take necessary precautions and alert the team

leader or a higher official if needed.

Law Compliance

The team’s safety officer will be responsible for educating all involved members of the

regulations regarding the use of airspace: Federal Aviation Regulations 14 CFR, Subchapter F,

Part 101, Subpart C; Amateur Rockets, Code of Federal Regulation 27 Part 55: Commerce in

Explosives; and fire prevention, NFPA1127, “Code for High Power Rocket Motors.”; as well as

all applicable laws. ISS will be contacting the FAA before any test flights are done, but only after

having approval from the local RSO. All of the flights will be suborbital, remain in the United

States, and be evaluated and deemed safe for all members of the team and community.

Only the team mentor will handle, purchase, store, and transport all explosives and motors.

There will also be fire extinguishers on hand in all locations where construction or storage will

take place. The team mentor and safety officer will brief the team on launch procedure etiquette,

as well as accident avoidance and hazard recognition. All team members will be required to review

and sign a team safety agreement and abide by the terms within, which include all pertinent laws

and regulations. Environmental regulations will be referenced during the course of this project to

ensure compliance. The group’s safety officer is responsible for finding these relevant regulations

for the handling and proper disposal of hazardous or environmentally harmful materials.

Motor and Energetic Device Handling

All handling of the motor and other energetic devices will be handled by the team mentor,

Mark Joseph, who has NAR level 2 clearance. Mark will also transport and store the motors for

all the team’s launches and tests. For insurance purposes, Mark will also be the sole owner of the

motor because he is the only one legally allowed to operate the motor and take on liability issues.

56

Preliminary Hazard Analysis

When considering hazards, it is appropriate to consider hazards to personnel as well as

hazards to the vehicle which are found in Table 9. Personnel Hazard Analysis An environmental

hazard analysis is included later on in the section. When doing a hazard analysis, it is appropriate

to consider the hazard, the cause of the hazard, and what the team can do to mitigate this hazard

when working on the rocket and launching the rocket. These hazards were identified partially from

prior knowledge and partially from the material data sheets found on the team’s documents

webpage. The probabilities of the hazard occurring is ranked on a scale from 1-5, the legend of

which can be found under the Preliminary Safety Analysis section. The severity of each hazard is

also ranked on a scale of 1-5, where 1 represents little to no harm being done, and 5 represents

irreparable damage being done.

57

Table 9. Personnel Hazard Analysis

Key Hazard Cause Probability Severity Mitigation

Verification (N/A is

marked if relevant to

rocket’s flight)

H1 Chemical

Burns from

the rocket

motor

Mishandling of

the rocket motor

and/or faulty

installation of the

motor

1 4 Ensure that the team mentor will

be working with all components

related to the motor, as per

regulations, and that the minimum

distance table in consulted before

all launches and tests of the motor.

N/A

H2 Burns from

black

powder

usage

Mishandling of

the black powder

or insufficient

tests done on the

black powder

1 4 Ensure that the team mentor will

be on hand to monitor the tests of

the black powder. Team mentor

will perform the actual handling of

the black powder charges.

N/A

H3 Skin

Irritation

Contact with

epoxy or other

hazardous

materials

1 3 Ensure that all team members that

work with material dangerous

enough to induce chemical burns

are wearing nitrile gloves and the

rest of their skin is covered.

Team members were safe

and careful with their use

of epoxy.

H4 Sensitization

to Epoxy

and

Dermatitis

Contact with

epoxy/ epoxy

fumes

2 4 Ensure that all team members

working with epoxy know not to

breathe in fumes from the epoxy

directly, especially if the epoxy is

highly concentrated.

Team members made

sure to not inhale fumes

while working with

epoxy.

58

H5 Bodily

injury from

heavy

machinery

Improper usage

of machining

equipment or

other tools

2 4 Each team member will be

required to take a general lab

safety course, and team members

using tools they have not used

before will be trained under the

supervision of the safety officer

and/or more experienced members.

Team members were

made sure to follow all

safety protocol and to ask

for help when needed

before using a machine

for the first time.

H6 Electric

hazard such

as electric

shock

Improper usage

of electrical

equipment

2 4 Ensure that all team members have

worked with sensitive electronics

before, and that proper grounding

procedures are followed.

Team members made

sure to always be aware

of the inherent danger in

working with electronics.

H7 Cuts from

rocket

assembly,

use of power

tools

Unsafe practices

in rocket

construction, like

the improper use

of power tools

3 2 Ensure that all team members are

handling power tools and other

tools properly according to the

relevant safety manuals.

Team members were all

properly trained before

they used power tools.

H8 Electric

hazards like

burns from

battery acid

Improper usage

of electrical

equipment

1 3 Ensure old batteries are thrown

out, and that new batteries are not

faulty. Sufficient testing of the

batteries is required.

Team members tested

batteries to make sure

that they were adequate.

H9 Debris from

fiberglass in

eyes

Improper sanding

procedures and

improper use of

PPE

2 3 Stress the importance of drilling

and construction safety, and ensure

that all members working on

sanding follow the safety

guidelines and wear Personal

Protective Equipment.

Team members always

wore safety glasses when

there was a risk of getting

debris in their eyes.

59

H10 Smoke

Inhalation

Members

working on

ejection charge

testing could

inhale smoke

from the charges

1 3 Ensure all members are wearing

personal protective equipment like

smoke masks and goggles. Also

make sure all charge testing is

done with the team mentor.

Team members always

ensured that the room

was properly ventilated

and that they did not

breathe in smoke.

H11 Dust

Inhalation

Members could

inhale dust from

cutting fiberglass

2 3 Ensure that all team members

working on materials with

fiberglass in them understand the

risks and use personal protective

equipment to cover their mouths

from the dust.

Team members always

ensured that the room

was properly ventilated

and that they did not

breathe in dust.

H12 Welding

burns or

damage to

eyes and

lungs

Improper welding

techniques could

cause damage to

the eyes or the

lungs, and also

could cause

severe burns

2 4 Before any member attempts to do

any welding, make sure they know

the risks associated with it, and the

things they can do to be safe when

welding, such as wearing masks,

ear plugs and gloves, as well as

welding with an experienced

welder before completing the first

attempt.

Team members made

sure that they knew what

they were doing before

trying any potentially

dangerous task.

H13 Hearing

damage

from

overuse of

power tools

Improper use of

PPE could cause

hearing damage

when using

power tools

2 2 Ensure that all members that are

going to use power tools wear ear

plugs so their hearing does not get

damaged in any way.

Team members always

wore ear protection when

using loud power tools.

60

H14 Getting

caught in

spinning

tools

Improper use of

spinning

tools/members

not paying

attention.

1 4 Ensure that all members read the

safety statement and be vigilant at

all times when dealing with any

spinning tools.

Team members were

careful and made sure not

to wear loose clothing.

H15 Inhalation of

solder fumes

Long duration

soldering in a

low/no

ventilation area

2 4 Ensure that the room is well

ventilated and that everyone

knows the risk of lead oxide vapor

inhalation.

Team members always

ensured that the room

was properly ventilated

and that they did not

breathe in solder fumes.

H16 Inhalation of

spray paint

propellant

Spray painting a

component with

no ventilation or

little to no airflow

1 4 Ensure that there is proper

ventilation and that all team

members follow the proper safety

measures.

Team members always

ensured that the room

was properly ventilated

and that they did not

breathe in fumes.

H17 Combustion

of spray

paint

propellant

Spray painting a

component near

an open flame or

electrical spark.

1 4 Ensure that there are no open

flames present and that all nearby

electrical components are shut off.

Team members made

sure that there never was

an open flame nearby.

61

The NESC Risk Matrix is a visual representation of the different situations that can

possibly occur. The red squares indicate high risk situations and these situations are to be avoided

whenever possible. The yellow squares indicate moderate risk situations, and the green squares

indicate low risk situations. Below the NESC Risk table can be found for the possible hazards.

NESC Risk Matrix

Pro

bab

ilit

y

5

4 H15

3

H7

2

H13 H9, H11 H4, H5, H6,

H12

1

H3, H8, H10 H1, H2, H14,

H16, H17

1 2 3 4 5

Severity

Environmental Concerns

There are many environmental concerns to be considered when launching from a field. For

instance, on launch day there could be too much wind, causing the launch to be delayed. It could

also have rained in the days before the launch, causing the ground to be muddy and soft. The day

of the launch could be cloudy and the team could potentially lose the rocket if the on board GPS

fails. In addition, the rocket could affect the environment through a rocket motor explosion or an

excess of exhaust, potentially damage its surroundings. If the rocket were to explode, debris would

be all over the field and be potentially harmful if cleanup is not done properly. The rocket could

launch and become unstable, thus posing a threat to nearby spectators and occupied areas. The

parachutes of the rocket could not deploy and cause damage to the surrounding environment

because the rocket then would not be able to achieve a soft landing. There are also several

environmental concerns to be considered during the building of the rocket and AGSE system.

Below are tables of both the effect of the environment on the rocket and the effect of the rocket on

the environment. The impact of these effects and mitigation to the effect are also tabulated. Also

tabulated is the probability of the environmental effect (ranked 1-5 with the legend being found in

the Preliminary Safety Analysis section), and the severity of each environmental effect. A 1

represents no significant environmental effect, and 5 represents a catastrophic environmental

effect.

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Table 10. Environmental Hazards on the Rocket

Key Environmental

Concern

Impact Probability Severity Mitigation

E1 Wind Too much wind could cause the

rocket to go off target and sight of the

rocket could be lost during the flight

2 3 Delay launch until the wind dies down and

the Field Safety Office gives the go.

E2 Rain before the

launch causes

mud on launch

pad

Could cause the AGSE and/or the

vehicle to sink into the mud, causing

complications of the launch

1 3 Delay launch until conditions are desirable

or move the launch pad to a different area.

E3 Rain on launch

day

Could cause complications with the

AGSE equipment

1 3 Delay set up until rain stops and the Range

Safety Officer gives the go for launch.

E4 Too much cloud

cover

Too much cloud cover could make

locating the rocket difficult if the on

board GPS fails

1 2 Test the GPS to make sure it isn’t faulty as

well as make sure the conditions for

launch are desirable.

E5 High

Temperatures

Different components of the rocket

could warp or overheat

1 4 Keep the rocket in a climate controlled

environment for as long as possible and

don’t bring it into extreme heat

E6 Low

temperatures

Different components could become

icy and fail, or collect condensation

1 3 Keep the rocket in a climate controlled

environment for as long as possible and

don’t bring it into extreme cold

E7 Terrain Different bodies of water or trees

could affect the rocket when it comes

down.

2 4 Ensure the area that is being launched into

has no such terrain issues.

E8 Lightning during

launch day

Could hit the rocket causing damage

to it.

1 3 Do not launch when lightning is present or

even might be present.

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Table 11. Environmental Hazards on the Environment

Key Environmental

Concern

Impact Probability Severity Mitigation

E9 Rocket Explosion If the vehicle explodes it

could set fire to the

surrounding area and/or cause

bodily harm to the bystanders

1 5 Make sure the team mentor helps in testing

the motor significantly so it is known for

certain that the rocket is safe

E10 Unstable Rocket

Launch causing

damage to

surrounding area

An unstable launch could

cause the rocket to go off its

targeted trajectory and could

do damage to the surrounding

area

1 4 Make sure the launch pad is very stable by

checking the conditions of the ground and

proper testing of the AGSE system.

Ell Parachutes don’t

deploy or deploy too

late

The rocket will come crashing

down and possibly cause

damage to the environment of

the bystanders

2 4 Proper testing of the black powder charges

will occur to ensure the parachutes deploy

on time.

E12 Failure to recover the

rocket

The rocket will stay lying in

the surrounding environment

causing potential damage to

farm equipment and wildlife.

1 2 Ensure GPS is working as well as tracking

the rocket through the air.

E13 Fire from motor

exhaust

A fire could happen if field

conditions are dry enough,

causing damage to the

surrounding environment and

possibly the bystanders

2 4 Ensure people are clear of the exhaust,

there is a large enough blast plate to deflect

the flame, and make sure the surrounding

environment isn’t significantly flammable.

A fire extinguisher will be located nearby

in case a fire does occur.

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Key Environmental

Concern

Impact Probability Severity Mitigation

E14 Battery acid leak Harmful acid could get into

the ground causing damage to

the field and possibly local

wildlife.

1 3 Make sure proper cleanup procedures

would be followed in the event of a leak

E15 Vapors produced

from soldering

During the soldering of wires

lead oxide vapors are

produced that are toxic to

those that inhale it.

4 1 The amount of soldering that needs to be

done will produce a minimal amount of

harmful gas.

E16 Harmful substances

getting into

groundwater

Improper disposal of batteries,

solder, and chemicals could

contaminate the groundwater

and cause health concerns for

those that use that water.

1 4 All necessary precautions are in place to

ensure the proper disposal of any

substances deemed harmful to the

environment.

E17 Aerosol from the

spray paint

The propellant used in spray

paint cans is harmful to the

ozone layer and can increase

global warming

5 1 The amount or aerosol being released into

the atmosphere is minimal from the few

cans of spray paint that will be used. The

cans will also be checked to ensure they

use LPG propellant rather than the more

damaging CFC.

E18 Improper disposal of

non- biodegradable

material

Materials such as plastics,

fiberglass, and left over epoxy

will not degrade if sent to a

landfill, and could be harmful

to animals in the future.

2 2 Care will be implemented to ensure proper

recycling and disposal of leftover materials

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Below the NESC Risk table can be found for the possible environmental hazards, the guidelines

of which can be found at the beginning of this section.

NESC Risk Matrix

Pro

bab

ilit

y

5 E17

4 E15

3

2 E18 E1 E7, E11,

E13

1 E4, E12 E2, E3, E6, E8,

E14 E5, E10, E16 E9

1 2 3 4 5

Severity

Safety During Construction

During the construction process safety was the number one priority. Everyone involved

with hands on work used PPE and followed all of the lab safety rules. For example, team members

were careful when using power tools and made sure to always wear gloves and have proper

ventilation in the room when using epoxy. Fortunately, there were no accidents or injuries during

the construction process. This is a validation of the safety plan and construction methods outlined

previously.

Payload Integration The AGSE system, more specifically the crane, will work first to place the sample into the

hatch door. Then the crane will place the entire hatch door onto the rocket, guided to the correct

position by 2 magnets on each side of the hatch door and corresponding internal magnets placed

along the lip of the hole (created by the tube of the coupler as a result of cutting a smaller hole into

it than into the switchband). As the hatch door is placed, mortice latches inside the bay will

interface with strike plate blocks on the hatch door and lock the door into place for the duration of

flight. These latches can be disengaged after flight via holes cut into the coupler tube and the

insertion of rods to unlock them.

There will be an interface physically, as well, between the vehicle and the AGSE. The

vehicle will be connected to the AGSE system via rail buttons that are meant to slide up and down

the rail. This connection will allow the AGSE to raise the vehicle to the five degrees off of vertical

and also give it guidance when it is launched. From the perspective of the rocket and the rail, this

system is no different than the interface between a standard high power rocket and a launch rail.

This significantly simplifies integration procedures.

66

The other way the vehicle interfaces physically with the AGSE is through the ignition

system. The AGSE will autonomously interface with the vehicle when the igniter system is used

to insert the igniter into the vehicle’s motor. This interface is necessary to ignite the motor which

makes the ignition system a critical portion of the AGSE’s design. This interface requires the

vehicle be held steady during the igniter insertion. As the vehicle is fixed to the rail, the motion is

restricted by default.

The payload containment bay itself is composed of Blue Tube and high strength aircraft

grade plywood. The housing is slotted on guide rails to fix the assembly in place. All permanent

attachments are reinforced through the use of high strength epoxy.

IV) AGSE/Payload Criteria

Figure 35. Fully assembled AGSE system with the rocket in the 5 degree from vertical

launch position.

Selection, Design, and Verification of Payload

System Review

The Autonomous Ground Support Equipment (AGSE) system is designed to collect a

sample, place it firmly in the rocket, raise the rocket from a horizontal orientation to a vertical

orientation, and insert the igniter into the rocket motor. The sample will be collected from a

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predetermined location and orientation, so the autonomous movements of the system are all

preprogrammed and are not dynamic.

A successful run of the system will see the sample payload lifted from a predetermined

position 12 inches away from the AGSE and outer mold line of the launch vehicle and placed

safety into the hatch. Following this, the rocket will autonomously raise to a position 5 degrees

off of vertical. The igniter will be positioned to the top of the motor fuel grain within the rocket

and then the system will await launch approval from the range safety officer. The AGSE system

is divided into five subsystems which all function together to complete the operations listed

above. The remainder of this section contains a brief system description, while the following

sections describe each of these subsystems in greater detail.

The first of these subsystems is the sample collection crane, which contains the sample

collection arm with its imbedded hatch door. This system is required to perform the actions of

collecting the sample, and firmly attaching the sample and hatch door to the rocket body. The

sample collection crane consists of an aluminum base made primarily of the same 8020 rail used

for the launch rail system. The actual crane will be constructed on a rotary steel bearing, made

primarily of carbon fiber tubes. The two degrees of freedom of this crane will be controlled by

belts attached to stepper motors. An electromagnet will be placed on the end of the crane and

used to hold the hatch and clip system into place until it is powered down.

Second is the launch pad and rail system, which contains the main structure of the launch

pad, as well as the rail that is used to hold the rocket straight during its ascent. The launch pad

and rail system also includes the rail support placed several feet out from the pad itself which

supports the rocket and rail in the horizontal start orientation. The launch pad system is

constructed of aluminum 8020 rail with a 1” thickness. The launch pad itself is constructed of ⅜”

steel to withstand the blast of the rocket engine. The launch rail uses a thicker 1.5” 8020 rail to

hold the rocket stable during the first several feet of flight.

Next, the igniter subsystem is located on the base of the launch pad, and is used to insert

the motor igniter prior to launch. This system consists of a linear actuator that performs the

insertion, as well as a bent aluminum piece that is used to hold the igniter below the motor.

Fourth, the hatch and clip system that is used as the end effector of the robotic crane. The rocket

hatch is included within this system, as it is directly used to pick up the sample before being

attached to the rocket. The hatch itself is made of blue tube, as it will be cut from the rocket

body. Magnets will be included into the top and bottom of this hatch piece to allow for

attachment both to the crane and to the rocket body.

The fifth subsystem is the electronics system which controls and powers all of the

components in the above three systems. This system is controlled by an Arduino and several

motor controls. A series of limit switches, resistors, LED’s, and momentary switches will also be

implemented to accomplish mission goals. Along with these, two stepper motors, two linear

actuators, and one electromagnet will be integral to the AGSE’s success. The electronics are all

powered by a 3 cell Lithium Polymer battery.

The creativity in the team’s design comes from the electromagnet and hatch system. It’s

innovative design allows the team to overcome the challenge provided by a non-gravity assisted

system. It still allows for direct placement of the payload without letting it fall. That aside, it’s

different from a basic claw/crane system design. Because the system’s retrieval capabilities is

based around an electromagnet, it is possible to change the hatch to something that can pick up a

payload of many different shapes and sizes, making the design malleable and adaptable. A step-

by-step procedure for the AGSE system can be found below:

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1. The robotic crane will start with the electromagnet situated above the hatch door.

2. Power is run through the system, activating the electromagnet and attaching the hatch

to the electromagnet.

3. The robotic crane will rotate to a position over the payload.

4. The vertical arm piece will lower and push the clips securely onto the payload.

5. The vertical arm will rise back up to a height just above the rocket.

6. The crane shall then rotate over to the vehicle.

7. The vertical crane piece will be lowered into the vehicle bay.

8. When the hatch door is flush with the vehicle, the magnets inside the rocket will grip

the steel on the hatch door.

9. A tubular latch bolted on the inside of the rocket will slide and lock the hatch, securing

it firmly in place.

10. Power to the electromagnet will be shut off, releasing the hatch from the crane.

11. The vertical crane piece will be raised slightly, in order to avoid contact with the

rocket when the crane rotating away from the rocket.

12. The crane will rotate away from the rail system and vehicle.

13. The rail system actuator will raise the vehicle to a position of 5° off of the vertical.

14. The igniter system actuator will raise the dowel rod until the igniter is in the tube,

triggering a limit switch when enough pressure is applied.

Figure 36. Assembled AGSE system in horizontal position without rocket.

Mission Success Criteria

The primary goal for the team is the safe retrieval of the payload, placement of the payload

in the rocket, and successfully preparing the rocket for launch by rising the rail system to 5 degrees

off the vertical and then inserting the igniter into the vehicle. Mission success is achieved when

the payload is safely and securely placed into the vehicle, the vehicle is correctly angled to its

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launch position, and the igniter is correctly inserted into the vehicle. An essential aspect of the

AGSE system is reusability. All parts shall be undamaged and not require human interaction

between each run. This is achieved by meticulous testing to assure no subsystem is damaged. With

everything being automated, there is no need for outside interference except during the initial

setup. All subsystems are isolated and monitored through the Arduino, to ensure that no subsystem

is a threat to any other subsystem. The team has also implemented LED lights to indicate activity

and power. This is a vital safety measure, both for the structure, and the team operating the

structure, giving a clear and concise idea of what is going on.

The purpose of the AGSE system is imitating a sample return mission on Mars, or

somewhere else with gravity significantly less than that of earth. Because of these constraints,

the AGSE is designed to be gravity independent, atmosphere independent, magnetic field

independent, and fully autonomous. The AGSE will be able to pick up a sample payload and

place is in a rocket, just as it would in a sample return mission. The conditions during the

competition are not the same as the conditions on Mars so the test is not perfect. However, the

design would still function in a Martian environment. Some of the components would need to be

swapped for similarly functioning ones due to radiation and extreme temperatures but the cost of

such components is too high for this project.

The rocket is not the size of a rocket to land on Mars or elsewhere, but the design of the

payload holding system could be scaled up for an actual Mars mission rocket. The rocket used

for the competition will show the design used in the system could be implemented in a sample

return mission.

A potential flaw in the accuracy of the system with relevance to the Mars simulation is

the team’s assumption that the ground will be flat, and that the payload will be stationary in a

specific radius from the crane. In a realistic situation, it would be difficult to place the payload or

crane system in a position where the crane could reach the payload. Again, this is under the

assumption that this operates on a flat surface.

The mission will be considered successful if the AGSE system is able to pick up the

sample, secure it in the rocket, lift the rocket, and ignite the rocket all autonomously. The success

will be measured visually by seeing the payload is secured in the rocket and with a digital level

to ensure the correct final position of the rocket.

AGSE Design and Subsystem Overview Crane System

The base for the robotic crane system is a 1’x1’x2’ rectangular prism made up of 1” square

80/20 rails. There is a 1’ square aluminum plate with a thickness of ⅛” attached to the top of the

base and a wooden shelf with dimensions 12”x10”x1/4” mounted inside this base to hold

electronics. This shelf was chosen to be wood to prevent issues with shorting out the electronic

components on a metal plate. It also allows for easy mounting of electronic components as the

material is simple to drill through. Wood is also lightweight which is important to make sure that

the AGSE is under the competition weight limit.

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Figure 37. Electronics and mounting plate showing all of the motor drivers.

A 4” steel turntable is mounted to the center of the top aluminum plate. An ABS plastic 3D

printed mount is attached to the top of this turntable using four screws. This mount has a square

1” hole which holds a square carbon fiber tube. A NEMA 17 stepper motor attached to a 3D printed

mount on top of the aluminum plate operates a gear and chain system attached to this carbon fiber

segment, giving the crane a full 360 degrees of rotation using the steel turntable. Surrounding the

vertical crane piece is a 3D printed gear, wrapped around by a bike chain fitted to the teeth of the

gears. The chain will loop around to the motor and another gear, allowing the crane to rotate on

top of the ball bearings.

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Figure 38. The drive system that allows the crane to rotate.

The horizontal segment of the crane arm is a 1” square carbon fiber tube mounted on top

of the first segment. This mount is a custom made ABS plastic 3D printed piece which allows for

the attachment of both carbon fiber rods, and also has a mount for the second NEMA 17 stepper

motor.

At the end of the vertical carbon fiber tube is another custom 3D printed piece, where two

0.25” diameter carbon fiber rods are run through in a vertical orientation. This 3D printed mount

has two sets of two holes offset vertically to constrain the movement of the carbon fiber rods to a

single dimension. At the top end, the rods are held stationary together with a 3D printed cap that

is press-fit onto the ends of both rods. At the bottom, they attach to the electromagnet via an ABS

plastic 3D printed piece. The rods are epoxied into place on this end, and the electromagnet is

attached to the same piece via two screws.

A NEMA 17 stepper motor is attached to the rear of the horizontal carbon fiber tube with

a plastic mount. This stepper motor controls a pulley system that extends above and below the

horizontal crane arm, through a slot cut in the first vertical carbon fiber tube, and attaches on one

end to the aluminum cap and at the other end to the mount of the electromagnetic hatch system. A

diagram of the robotic crane system is shown below.

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Figure 39. Top view of dimensions for AGSE.

Figure 40. Robotic crane system for sample placement.

Rail System The rail system harbors the rocket horizontally and secures it via rail buttons until the crane

system places the payload within the rocket. The system then the raises the rocket from its

horizontal position to 5° off vertical for launch. When that final position is reached, a limit switch

is triggered to tell the Arduino computer to halt movement of the actuator. Due to the design of

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the actuator, even when the power is cut to it there is enough friction within the gears of the actuator

itself to keep the rail secure and the actuator locked into position. There is concern for the wobbling

of the system as the rocket raises due to the length of the rail and the weight of the rocket. To

address this problem, there is a stabilizing rail attached to the base of the system extending in the

same direction as the rail holding the rocket. This rail ensures that the system will not tip over

because the center of gravity of the system is not outside the base railing. When the AGSE was

tested to raise the rocket, very little out of plane movement occurred and the system proved to be

stable.

Figure 41. Mechanism to lift the launch rail and rocket.

The system is comprised of the following: an 8’ long 1.5” thick rail made from 80/20

aluminum; a linear actuator with an 18” stroke and 400 lbs of maximum output force all powered

by a 12V DC motor; the stabilizing rail and three hinges to connect the rail to the base plate; the

rail to the actuator; and the actuator to a base stabilizing rail.

The base of the actuator is placed 4.6” in front of the hinge on the base plate and is 24.3”

below it. The tip of the actuator is placed about 20.1” along the launch rail giving the actuator an

unextended length of 28.8”. For simplification in force calculation, the maximum extended

length of the actuator was conservatively calculated when the rail is perfectly vertical, as

opposed to 5° off vertical. At this extended length the actuator will be 39.1”. This means that

with the actuator extending at 0.6” per second, the total runtime of the system is approximately

17 seconds.

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Figure 42. Actuator in position to raise the rail.

The 80/20 aluminum was chosen for the rail because it is strong enough to support the

weight of the rocket, lightweight enough so as to not impose weight penalties as per competition

restrictions, and it is relatively cheap and reliable. The 8’ rail weighs 10.75 lb and has a center of

mass 4’ from the pivot point; the rocket weighs 22.51 lb and the base of the rocket rests 6” above

the pivot on the base plate. This puts the combined center of mass for both the rocket and the rail

at 41.57” from the pivot on the base plate. The base stabilizing rail is intended to keep the AGSE

from tipping over, so the rail extends after this point to ensure stability as the rail is relatively

lightweight and does not add any volume to the system.

Using Python, the geometric constraints, and the weights of the components, the force

exerted by the actuator on the rail was found and plotted as an equation of time and can be seen

below. The maximum force needed by the actuator is only 82.75 lb which is significantly lower

75

than the team’s previous, successful design. This difference is due to the rail being ⅔ the length

of last year’s and the rocket being both smaller and more lightweight. The script for this

calculation is located in Appendix D.

Figure 43. Force vs. Time for actuator lifting the rail and rocket.

Figure 44. Dimensions of launch pads with segments cut out to lower mass.

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Igniter System The igniter is attached to the end of a wooden rod which is inserted into the rocket. The

rod then goes into a plastic connection piece designed to hold the rod above the limit switch,

which is attached to one end of a piece of aluminum in a “Z” shape. A linear actuator is attached

to the other end of the “Z” piece. This configuration ensures that the linear actuator will be far

enough away to not be damaged when the rocket is fired. The linear actuator has a 24 inch stroke

and a strength of 35 pounds force which is sufficient to raise the igniter and insert it into the

rocket and more than sufficient to lift the igniter, wooden rod, and “Z” piece. Out of the insertion

point there is a cone to guide the igniter to the proper spot and ensure it enters the motor. The

igniter will start just above the launch pad through a hole created to allow the passage of the

igniter and wooden rod. The linear actuator moves at a speed of 0.6 inches per second, so it will

take approximately 40 seconds to lift the igniter the full 24 inches into the motor. Once the

igniter reaches the top of the motor it will trigger the limit switch attached to the rod and the

linear actuator will stop. The connection piece ensures that the limit switch will not be pressed

as the linear actuator is raising the wooden rod. The friction between the inside of the piece and

the surface of the wooden rod is sufficient such that the rod will not move farther into the

connection piece until the top of the motor is preventing it raising any higher. This will not only

ensure the igniter gets all the way to the top of the motor, but will also stop the igniter if it got

caught on anything inside the motor so as not to cause damage to the fuel grain. The whole

system is tilted to a five degree angle from the vertical to match the rocket in its final position.

Figure 45. Ignition system lowered and ready to raise.

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Electromagnetic Hatch System

An electromagnet is used to pick up and deposit the hatch onto the body of the rocket. This

system allows the hatch to detach cleanly from the AGSE without the use of any unreliable

mechanical components.

The electromagnet is powered by the same 12 V Lithium Polymer battery that services the

other components of the AGSE system. The logic of when to turn the electromagnet on and off

will be handed by the same Arduino Mega that is controlling the motors in the crane system. A

relay will be wired to a digital pin on the Arduino that way the 5 V signal of the Arduino can

control the more powerful 12 V supplied to the electromagnet. Since the physical design of the

clips and the precision of the stepper motors involved allows the AGSES system to run without

any complicated sensors (Cameras, IR, pressure, etc.) there is no decision making for the system

to spend valuable time and power on. Its dimensions are shown in Figure 46 below. The magnet

is mostly rectangular, with a few divots for screws and a connector for wires, shown in blue.

Figure 46. Dimensions of the electromagnet (inches).

The AGSE system is designed so that the hatch-piece (consisting of the rectangular piece

of Blue Tube), plastic clips, steel strip, and 4 permanent magnets--starts clip-side-down on the

ground. The crane, consisting of the electromagnet and guiding piece, is then lowered into position

over the hatch-piece. The Arduino then sends a 5 V signal via digital pin to a relay, causing 12 V

of power to be sent to the electromagnet, turning it on. The guiding piece here will ensure

consistent orientation of the hatch-piece when attached to the electromagnet. The crane then moves

this whole assembly (now consisting of clips, steel strip, permanent magnets, Blue Tube,

electromagnet and guiding piece) over top of the payload. The assembly is then lowered onto the

payload, causing the clips to grab the payload and clip it into place. The crane then lifts upward,

and positions the apparatus over top of the hole in the rocket. The hatch-piece with attached

payload is then slowly lowered into its position. The permanent magnets on the hatch-piece will

help it snap into position, and the latches on the rocket will cause the hatch to lock into its proper

position in the rocket. The electromagnet is then shut off via the Arduino, and the arm of the crane

(now consisting of only the magnet and guide-piece) is moved out of the way of the rocket before

the rails lift it into launch position.

The piece of Blue Tube cut out to make the hatch is geometrically described as a segment

taken from a hollow cylinder. Seen from the top, it is a 6 inch by 2 inch rectangle with the 6 inch

side along the long axis of the rocket. The weight of the hatch-piece is approximately 0.03 pounds.

For the hatch, Blue Tube was chosen because the most logical way of making a hatch that fits

perfectly into a hole cut into the side of the rocket is to use the piece that was cut. Since it was

decided Blue Tube was the best material for the main body of the rocket, by extension, the hatch

was Blue Tube as well.

78

Figure 47. Mechanism of the electromagnetic hatch and clips to pick up payload

Figure 48. The clips attached to the payload which will eventually be attached to the hatch

The steel strip is a 3” by 1” by 1/10” strip of metal attached to the underside of the hatch,

between the clips. Steel was chosen because it is cheap, common, and ferromagnetic. This piece

was added so that the electromagnet will have something to cling to on the hatch itself. The team

used plain steel and not permanent magnets so that when the time comes for the crane to let go of

the hatch, the bond could be easily severed by turning off the electromagnet, and not having to

worry about the hatch sticking to the crane. It is estimated to weigh approximately 0.02 lbs.

79

The purpose of the guide piece is to ensure that when the electromagnet picks up the hatch

and temporarily attaches it to the crane, that the orientation of the hatch and clips is the same every

time. This will allow more precision when fine-tuning the AGSE commands. The material for the

guide piece needed to be easy to work with, and strong enough to attach the vertical arm bar of the

crane to. The guide piece will be an arc of steel designed to fit over top of the Blue Tube. It will

be 1/10” thick, 5” long, and 1 ⅜” wide and have a weight of 0.20 lbs.

The use of ABS plastic in the clips was because the task required a strong material that

could be easily formed into the specific shape, and have some flexibility to it. Since the Illinois

Space Society has ample access to 3D printers, a 3D printable plastic was the obvious choice.

Additionally, using 3D printed ABS allows for cheap rapid prototyping, meaning many minor

variations of the gripper design can be tested, and the design can be fine-tuned for maximum

reliability. Weight estimates are 0.02 lbs each, 0.04 lbs for both clips combined. The exact weight

of the clips will be dependent on the 3D printing fill percentage that produces the most reliable

results.

Iron alloy magnets were significantly cheaper than their rare earth counterparts, and are

strong enough for these needs. Additionally, the magnets could not be too strong, as too strong of

a magnet would run the risk of interfering with the flight electronics. They are 0.01 lbs each, a

total of 0.04 lbs for four of them. Last year, two of these magnets were used to keep a hatch door

on a hinge shut. These were the same magnets in the same position relative to the flight electronics.

This produced no interference with the flight equipment. However, in the unlikely event that

testing reveals the magnets interfere with any flight electronics, the addition of the mortice latches

means the strength of the magnets could be decreased and the latches would still hold the hatch

door in place.

The mortice latches were a change added from PDR when one of the reviewers brought up

the concern that the magnets were not enough to prevent the hatch door from flying off during the

launch. Mortice latches were chosen for their reliability and one-way operation. They allow the

crane to easily slide the hatch into place, but make it incredibly difficult for the hatch to fly off

during launch. This system is speedy and effective, allowing a safer launch while only sacrificing

negligible AGSE speed. They weigh 0.22 lbs each. Dimensions are in Figure 49.The latches will

be modified so that they do not interfere with the rest of the operation.

Figure 49. Dimensions of the latches

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Electronics The entire electronics subsystem will be powered by a single 11.1 V 5200 mAh Flite Pro

LiPO battery, with all of the programming being operated through an Arduino Mega. The

Arduino will be wired up to a solderless breadboard, with all other electronic components wired

up to said breadboard. This includes the two Nema 17 Stepper Motors, an electromagnet, two

linear actuators, two limit switches, and two LED indicators. Finally, there will be a handmade,

wooden control box housing the safety switches and LED indicators. One indicator will be

orange, lighting up when there is power to the system. If the system is active, it will blink, and if

the system is paused it will stay a solid orange. The other LED shall be green to show when the

system is finished and ready to launch.

Along with the LED lights, the wooden controller has two switches, a master switch and

a pause switch. The master switch shall be placed in series between the battery and all other

components. With that in place, the operator of the AGSE system will then have the ability to cut

power to all AGSE components instantly in the case of an emergency. This switch will be used

to activate the system and later to completely shut it down. The other switch is a push-button

pause switch, which can pause the system at any time and then be resumed by triggering the

switch again. Due to the importance of the LED indicators and the switches, power will be

supplied to LEDs at all times and be constantly updated to match the state of the switches. Both

limit switches and the pause switch will have pull up resistors so that a steady signal is read by

the computer. Further LED’s may be added to ensure power is reaching all aspects of the AGSE

system as well to show that switches are in working order. The wattage at all of the limit

switches and the pause switch will be minimal because they are used for signals. The LED’s also

have a small consumption of 100 mW per diode. For the master switch the largest wattage it

would experience would be no more than 200 Watts, the sum of the total power draw of all

components.

For the sample retrieval system, two electric motors will be connected to motor

controllers that will in turn be controlled by the Arduino. The first of these stepper motors will be

placed at the base of the main tower for the crane, allowing the crane to rotate the horizontal arm

from a position over the payload to one above the hatch. The second would be higher up on the

tower, and through use of a belt will allow the crane to raise and lower vertical arm holding the

hatch. The lower motor is stationary and will not require any kind of special wiring

considerations. Wiring for the motor on top of the first vertical piece will be run up through the

central carbon fiber tube, allowing free rotation of the crane without putting the wires at risk of

breaking.

An electromagnet will be attached to the end of the vertical bar, and will be used to pick

up the payload. The wiring for this electromagnet will be run up though the first vertical piece of

the crane, in an identical fashion to the upper-most stepper motor, from there, these wires will be

run along the horizontal arm of the crane and down to the electromagnet itself. The power for the

electromagnet will flow through a relay, allowing control over whether or not the electromagnet

is active. Sufficient length of wiring will be included to allow for the electromagnet to reach all

the way to the ground when picking up the hatch. When the crane is raised to place the hatch

onto the rocket, this wiring will be run over a horizontal bar which is located at the halfway point

of the crane, keeping it from being severed or getting in the way of operations.

The next subsystem is a linear actuator placed at the base of the launch pad with a limit

switch placed underneath the launch pad to be triggered when the actuator is 5 degrees off of the

vertical as desired. The wiring for these components has already been run in past years, and will

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be run inside the upper channel of the 80/20 rail to avoid tripping hazards. Lastly, the igniter

system will also have a linear actuator and a limit switch to control its system, the wiring for

these components will be run in an identical fashion to those for the rail actuator. All of the

wiring can be seen in Figure 50.

The coding for all subsystems will be executed via the Arduino Mega. Each subsystem

will be isolated from one another, with a function for each task. No function will run without a

proper signal received from each previous task. That is, no subsystem will run unless all previous

subsystems successfully ran. This ensures safety through the knowledge that if one task fails, the

system itself stops. The crane will be programmed to move based on absolute angles, instead of

operation time or relative angles, so the crane will run to the exact positions each time. The

linear actuators run continuously, stopping when a limit switch is triggered, giving precise

positions the team can physically see and change when needed.

Figure 50. AGSE Electrical Wiring Diagram

The power provided by the battery for the AGSE system must meet two key requirements.

Power must be provided at the voltage required by each individual component, and the total current

provided by the battery must be sufficient to power.

The voltages required by each component have been tracked throughout the design process

to ensure complete compatibility of the system. Table 12below shows the voltages of each

electronic component.

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Table 12. Voltage of Electronic Components on AGSE

Component Input Voltage [V]

Arduino Mega 7-12

Nema 17 Stepper Motors 4.2

Electromagnet 110 lb 12

Linear Actuators 12

As can be seen from the above table, all of the components can receive power from the

11.1 V battery being used to power the system, with the exception of the Nema 17 stepper motors.

These motors will be powered from an Arduino shield, which has a built in DC-DC converter to

take 11. V power and switch it down to the approximately 5 V required by the motors. As such,

all components will be receiving power at their required voltages from the currently planned

system.

The power modes of the system have also been identified to calculate the maximum current

draw required from the battery, to ensure the system is capable of operating in its full power mode.

These power modes are summarized in Table 13 below.

Table 13. Power Modes of the Electronic Components of the AGSE

Component Idle [A] Crane Operating [A] Linear Actuator Operating [A]

Arduino Mega 0.25 0.25 0.25

Nema 17 Stepper Motors (2) 0.00 3.00 0.00

Electromagnet 110 lb 0.00 0.50 0.00

Linear Actuator 0.00 0.00 5.00

Total 0.25 3.75 5.25

The table shows that the largest power requirement during any mode is when one of the

linear actuators is active. The linear actuators will not be active at the same time as any other major

component, as the movements they perform must be sequential. The lithium-polymer battery

chosen for the system is capable of providing power at a rate of 260 A continuously, more than

sufficient for the purposes of the AGSE system as designed.

Components and Mass Statement The AGSE system relies heavily on each individual subsystem’s success. Therefore, it is

imperative that each subsystem consists of reliable and reusable parts. The crane subsystem is built

on a 1’x1’x2’ base, with a 4” roundtable mounted on top. The crane is composed of carbon fiber

tubes and rods, and attached with aluminum braces. These are known to be structurally sturdy and

lightweight, the driving attributes behind the team’s choice. The crane will be moved via 2 stepper

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motors. Again, these are lightweight and compact, but more importantly they have the capability

to output more than the required torque to move the subsystem.

Both the igniter and rail subsystems consist of 80/20 rails and a single linear actuator in

each subsystem. The 80/20 rails are perfect for rail buttons and are easily worked with. They can

be attached together with simple aluminum or steel pieces and screws. The actuators are strong

and reliable. They can consistently output the same force at the same rate every time, drawing

exactly the same amount of power that the team’s LiPo battery can provide. The final subsystem

to consider is the hatch and electromagnet subsystem. The electromagnet is consistent, aiding in

the reliability and repeatability of the system as a whole.

The most important thing the team needed to pay attention to was the weight of this

subsystem, since it can affect the performance of the crane subsystem. Therefore, it is constructed

of lightweight magnetic strips, a guide system, and a reliable electromagnet. The electromagnet is

ideal in picking up the payload and releasing it as it can easily be turned on and off by allowing or

disconnecting power.

Table 14. Mass Statement for AGSE

Component Per Unit Mass [lb] Quantity Total Mass [lb]

Linear Actuator for Igniter System 4.00 1 4.00

MB3U Bracket 2.00 2 4.00

1515 Aluminum Launch Rail 72” 8.06 1 8.06

1515 Aluminum Launch Rail 24” 2.69 1 2.69

Launch Rail Hinge 2.00 1 2.00

Linear Actuator for Rail System 4.00 1 4.00

Electric Wires, Connectors, and LED’s 0.50 1 0.50

XT-60 Wire Connectors (1 pair) 0.32 20 6.40

Electronic switches (Kill, Limit, Pause) 0.50 1 0.50

Blast Plate 25.00 1 25.00

Structure 80/20’s 1010 Rail - 72” 3.10 11 34.10

Z Piece for Igniter System 2.00 1 2.00

Dow Rod 0.02 1 .02

3D Printed Dow Rod Guide Tube .01 1 .01

3 Cell Lipo Battery 0.84 1 0.84

Bread Board 0.07 1 0.07

Arduino Mega 0.08 1 0.08

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M/M Jumpers 0.03 1 0.03

Square Turntable 1.00 1 1.00

Chain 0.39 1 0.39

3D Printed Gear 0.06 1 0.06

Carbon Fiber Bar Stock 0.05 1 0.05

12V Electromagnet - 110 lbs 0.75 1 0.75

0.236 OD Pultruded Rod 0.13 2 0.26

Arduino Expansion Shield 0.08 1 0.08

Stepper motor controller 0.08 1 0.08

NEMA 17 Stepper Motor 0.75 2 1.50

GT2 Belt and Pulleys 0.25 1 0.25

¼-20 0.500 screw and nut 10s 0.02 20 0.40

¼-20 0.375 screw 10s 0.01 20 0.20

¼-20 t-nut 10s 0.01 15 0.15

¼-20 t-nut 15s 0.01 5 0.05

Square Carbon Fiber Tube 1.03 1 1.03

Total Mass 100.55

Payload Design

Design and construction of the payload

Our team will be competing in the MAV centennial challenge so the payload will be

provided by the judges. The payload will be a capsule with sand in it. The capsule will be made

out of a PVC pipe with two PVC caps on either side. Because the payload will be provided to the

team by the judges, no design or construction will be needed.

However, the design involves a unique design in which the payload will be picked up and

attached inside the rocket by a hatch and clips. This hatch will involve cutting a portion of body

tube, attaching metal strips onto it, and also attaching clips onto it. This allows the AGSE system

to pick up the payload off of the ground and securely attach it to the body of the rocket via magnets.

The clips have been 3D printed and the hatch section of the body tube has also been cut. The team

will assembly the parts together and test the mechanism in the upcoming weeks.

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Flight performance predictions

The payload has no function during the launch inside of the rocket. The AGSE and rocket

system is a proof of concept designing a payload retrieval, containment, and launching system.

The payload is designed and expected to stay attached to the clip on the hatch at all times during

the flight.

The rocket will experience large amounts of vibration during the ascent though so there is

a slight possibility that the payload may become detached from the clips. However, this is not a

major concern as the payload will still be contained in the small payload compartment. The payload

will rattle inside the payload compartment but this will not damage crucial rocket components as

the payload is isolated by plywood bulkheads and sheets from the electronics, recovery system,

and other components. The payload may rattle around but this should not affect the performance

of the flight as the payload weights very little compared to other parts of the rocket.

During the flight of the rocket, the hatch door may try to open. This could be caused by the

turbulence outside the rocket or the payload bouncing around the internal payload compartment.

However, the team has ensured that this will happen in the design and construction of the hatch.

The hatch will be firmly attached to the body of a rocket with strong magnetic strips. If the team

finds that the hatch is not attached securely enough, duct tape will be used to attach the hatch to

the body.

Test and verification program

The payload and hatch system will go through extensive testing as it could cause safety

concerns if not handles properly. First, the team will test the clips and make sure that they grip the

payload tightly enough that it wouldn’t fall off even with a substantial amount of force and

vibration. The clips should attach firmly but they should not be too tight that the crane can’t pick

the payload up. Second, the team will test the attachment of the hatch to the body tube. The team

will attempt to shake the rocket and also manually try to take off the hatch door. The hatch should

not easily come off because the launch will try to rip off the hatch with much more strength.

Verification

Requirements

Table 15. AGSE Requirements and Verification

Requirement Solution Component Verification Status

Launch vehicle must be placed horizontally on the AGSE

The launch vehicle will be placed onto the rail in the horizontal position and left to be erected autonomously

Launch Rail The AGSE system is constructed such that the rest position of the rail is perfectly horizontal, and rests horizontally supported by the actuator and a specific support beam at the end of the rail. A level will also be

Confirmed. Rocket was placed on the rail that was lowered all the way down and was parallel to the ground.

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used to check that the rocket is horizontal

A master switch must activate power to all autonomous procedures and subroutines

The AGSE system will include a master switch which controls all power distribution

Master kill switch

The master kill switch only allows power to the system when closed and will immediately terminate power once opened

To be tested after all the electronics are assembled and launch box is made.

A pause switch will halt all AGSE subroutines

The AGSE system will include a pause switch, enabling the safe pause and resumption of all AGSE activity

Pause switch On the control box there is a pause switch that functions as required and can be used also to continue operation of the system when unpaused

To be tested after all the electronics are assembled and launch box is made.

The AGSE will be a maximum weight of 150 pounds and no more than 12 feet in height x 12 feet in length x 10 feet in width

The AGSE will be constructed to meet the weight and size requirements

All components

Measure the dimensions of the AGSE system at the beginning and end of the procedures to confirm whether it is within the dimension bounds or not.

All components of the AGSE have been measured for both size and weight and do not overstep the bounds put forth by the competition.

The AGSE will complete the required tasks in the required order

The AGSE will be programmed to complete the tasks in order

Arduino A computer will be pre programmed with instructions to complete all necessary AGSE actions and procedures.

To be confirmed. Once all the electronic components are assembled, a runthrough test will be conducted

The AGSE system will be designed to theoretically

The AGSE system will not include magnetometers, sound based

All components

The AGSE contains no parts that are reliant upon gravity to function and planning, building, and testing have all been

To be confirmed. Once the entire structure is

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be operable in the Martian environment

sensors, GPS, pneumatics or air breathing systems

done with this restriction in mind.

assembled, the AGSE will go through the entire process and team members will confirm that it will work in a Martian environment.

The launch vehicle must have a space to contain the payload and seal the payload containment area

The rocket payload bay has been designed to accommodate the given payload size as well as seal the vessel completely after the payload is placed inside

Hatch and clip The hatch covering and clip will attach to the crane picking up the payload and eliminates extra components to allow for maximum room inside the rocket for the payload. Magnetic forces are used to seal the payload and hatch with respect to the rocket.

The electromagnet and hatch system has been manually been tested and confirmed. The process must now be tested and confirmed to work autonomously

The payload must not contain any means to grab it outside of its original design

The payload will remain unmodified by the team and will be kept in its original state

Robotic crane and clip

The team will make sure that the design does not require any modification of the payload.

Confirmed. The team has not altered and will not need to alter the original payload.

The payload must be placed at least 12 inches from the AGSE and outer mold line of the launch vehicle

The team will place the payload at least 12 inches away from the AGSE and the outer mold line of the launch vehicle

All components

Run through the entire autonomous process and make sure that the crane can pick up the payload when it is more than 12 inches from any structure at the beginning of the process.

Confirmed. A measuring tape has been used to ensure the payload can be at least 12 inches away from any part of the structure at the starting position.

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Gravity-assist shall not be used to place the payload within the rocket

The payload will be placed in the rocket without the use of gravity using a claw and lifting system

Clip and Electromagnet

An electromagnet will be used to secure the payload inside the rocket after being retrieved with a clip and this combination will be pushed into the rocket with the crane, negating gravity.

Confirmed. It has been observed that none of the procedures within the autonomous system will require any form of gravity assist.

Each team will be given 10 minutes to complete the autonomous portion of the competition

The team will ensure the full autonomous portion will take significantly less than 10 minutes as a safety measure

Arduino The computer will be programmed such that all required actions are completed within the time frame.

To be confirmed. Once all of the structure and electronics have been assembled, the team will run a full autonomous cycle of the of the process and make sure that that it is under the ten minute time limit.

A master switch which controls power to all parts of AGSE must be easily accessible

The AGSE system will include a master kill switch which directly can cut power to all systems, placed in a safe location

Master kill switch

Master kill switch will be connected to the computer that controls all AGSE actions and procedures and will be labeled clearly on the control box.

To be confirmed. Once the whole electronic system and launch box has been assembled, the team will test the kill switch and ensure that it is easily accessible.

A pause switch which terminates

A pause switch will be placed on the AGSE

Pause switch Pause button will be connected to the computer that controls all

To be confirmed. Once the

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AGSE actions must be included and easily accessible

alongside the master kill switch which will terminate all AGSE procedures

AGSE actions and procedures and will be labeled clearly on the control box.

whole electronic system and launch box has been assembled, the team will test the pause switch and ensure that it is easily accessible.

An orange safety light must be included which indicates power is on, flashing when active and solid while paused

The team will include and orange safety light on the main AGSE system to display the current state of the system

Orange LED light

The LED will be connected to the computer that controls the whole AGSE ensuring the correct response for the correct state

To be confirmed. Once the whole electronic system and launch box has been assembled, the team will test the different modes with the LED lights.

An all systems go light must be included to verify all systems have passed safety verifications and the rocket is ready to launch

The team will include an all systems go light that verifies that the system has passed all verifications and is prepped for launch

LED light The LED will be connected to the computer that controls the AGSE actions and procedures ensuring it will light up at the correct time

To be confirmed. Once the whole electronic system and launch box has been assembled, the team will test the different modes with the LED lights.

Testing plan

Team members will conduct extensive tests on the AGSE components as the system

requires a high level of precision, tolerances for different situations, and many competition

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requirements. The lifting mechanism and igniter system has been tested and successfully worked

in last year’s Student Launch competition. With the minor modifications added to this year’s

design, these functions will again be tested to ensure that it either has equal or better performance

than before. The robotic crane is a completely new design, so the team will go through extensive

testing of the mechanism. Specifically, the precision of the crane will need to be tested as its motion

needs to be accurate in picking up the payload and attaching the hatch onto the rocket. The

electromagnetic hatch system is a unique design and will need continuous testing, modifying, and

calibrating. As the construction of the AGSE progresses, tests will continuously be run to make

sure that everything works the way it was designed to. By conducting these tests, the team will be

able to find problems and fix them or improve the design. At the test launch of the rocket, some

components of the AGSE will be tested as well. The launch pad, lifting mechanism, and igniter

mechanism will be used at the test launch because it is easy to test, will provide useful feedback,

and is already mostly constructed.

Table 16. AGSE Testing Plan and Results

Function Being

Tested

Method of Testing Testing results

Securing the

payload in the

clip

Make sure the payload fits tightly into

the clips and does not fall out. Test

manually by pushing the clips onto the

payload and shake it vigorously to ensure

a tight grip. Also test the tolerance of the

placement of the clips so minor errors in

the position of the crane will not be

critical to securing the payload

Various clips have been 3D

printed and attached to the

payload to test the force

required to attach to payload to

the clip. The team has

successfully found a clip that

finds a nice balance between

force required to attach and

effective holding force

Crane can

securely hold

on to the hatch

and payload

while in motion

Run through the process of picking up

the payload and rotating the crane. Make

sure the crane can smoothly rotate while

carrying the mass. Attempt the motion

with a slightly heavier payload for

margin and make sure the crane can pick

up the competition payload easily. After

the crane has grasped the payload, shake

the arm and try to pry the hatch off the

crane. It should not come off easily while

the electromagnet is turned on.

Working in conjunction with the

force required to secure the clip

to the payload, how effective

the clip is at keeping the

payload secure is compared clip

by clip. A nice balance was

struck between the two forces,

insuring that the payload can be

attached with little difficulty,

but not be easily removed

Crane rotating

to the correct

position

After programming the movement of the

crane, make sure the position can be

accurately set and altered. Rotate the

crane’s arm towards the rocket and test if

the placement of the arm will allow the

To be tested in the near future.

Once the entire structure and all

of the electronics have been

assembled, the team will run a

full test of the process the crane

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hatch to be attached to the specific part

on the rocket body tube. This process

will be a continuous testing process

where the team will experiment with

different inputs on the programming of

the crane.

is involved in. By doing this the

team will be able to test the

rotation of the crane.

Hatch being

securely

attached to the

rocket

Attach the hatch onto the rocket in the

configuration it will be during the

launch. Shake the rocket vigorously to

ensure that the hatch is attached securely

and it does not fall off or move around

during flight.

The electromagnet and hatch

has been manually tested to

make sure that the it snugly fits.

The team will test this process

autonomously in the coming

weeks.

Electromagnetic

hatch system

successfully

works and does

not damage any

electronics on

board

The electromagnetic hatch idea is a

unique solution to the competition

requirements. Repetitive testing will

confirm that the mechanism successfully

works. Other electronic equipment such

as altimeters and GPS trackers will be

tested to make sure that they won’t be

damaged by the electromagnet.

The electromagnet has been

turned on near flight hardware,

specifically the stratologger.

There seems to be no effect on

the quality of the altimeter.

Further testing will be

conducted as this is a major risk

to safety and mission success.

Rocket can be

lifted by the

linear actuator

Place the rocket onto the launch rail and

place in the horizontal position. Add at

least 5 pounds extra to the expected

rocket mass to allow margin of error. Lift

the rocket with the linear actuator and

make sure that the motion is smooth and

continuous.

The rail system of the AGSE

has been tested with the rocket

plus some mass on the rail

positioned correctly and works

just as modeled, taking about 17

seconds to complete

Launch pad not

tipping over

during the

lifting of the

rocket

Along with the testing process written in

the box above, lift the rocket with

additional mass from the horizontal

position. Observe the launch pad base

and make sure that it does not lean or tip

over at all.

The launch pad does tip over

slightly when the actuator first

begins raising the rocket;

however, the tipping is

minimized by rails extending

from the launch pad, and will

not endanger anybody nearby or

cause the mission to fail.

Rocket

obtaining the 5

degrees from

vertical position

Run through the lifting process of the rail

and test to make sure the actuator stops

once the limit switch is triggered. After

the actuator stops, measure the angle of

the launch rail with a level. Test to see if

the angle is near 5 degrees from the

vertical. If not, adjust the location of the

The actuator has been tested

extensively and measured for

accuracy, and the position of the

actuator and limit switch has

been found such that the rail

successfully stops at 5 degrees

off vertical.

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limit switch and rerun the test until the 5

degrees is obtained repeatedly.

Igniter

smoothly

entering the

nozzle of the

motor

With the rocket on the launch rail in the

5 degrees from vertical position, run the

linear actuator that lifts the igniter.

Observe and make sure that the cone

underneath the launch pad guides the

wooden dowel and igniter smoothly into

the nozzle of the rocket. Repeat tests to

ensure that it works repeatedly.

The igniter system was tested

numerous times with the guide

funnel and has shown success a

vast majority of runs, with an

exception when the dowel rod

was bent and not straight. So

long as the dowel rod remains

straight however, the system

will be successful.

After the igniter

is fully inserted

in the motor, a

launch control

box can

successfully

ignite the motor

The only opportunity to test this will be

during the test flight. The AGSE launch

pad will be used during this test flight

and the lifting and igniter system will be

tested. After the AGSE has completed its

procedure, team members will check that

the igniter is properly inserted. The

motor will then be ignited from a launch

box to make sure it properly fires.

This system specifically has not

been tested in this year, but the

same system has been

implemented in prior years and

has operated without problem.

Linear actuator

raising the

igniter stops

after it gets to

the top of the

motor

Test to make sure that the actuator stops

after the wooden dowel is pushed down

and triggers the limit switch. If that test

is passed, test process on a fake motor.

Ensure that the wooden dowel smoothly

enters the nozzle and stops at the end of

the fuel grain. If this test is passed, test

on the actual motor with only the

wooden dowel and make sure the fuel

grains do not get damaged.

The test has not been run on an

actual motor but has worked

successfully with the fake motor

numerous times and the team

has no concerns that the system

will be unsuccessful when it

comes to the actual motor.

The AGSE can

be paused

Test the pause switch on the control box

at all significant times during AGSE

operations. Make sure that when the

pause switch is pressed, all components

of the structure remains stably in place.

Pausing has been tested at

various critical positions such as

while the rail is raising,

throughout the motion of the

arm (both raising and rotating),

while securing the payload, and

while the ignition system is

rising. All points remained

stable after pausing and

continued without hitch

The AGSE can

be powered off

Test the kill switch on the control box

many times at different times during the

The team hit the kill switch at a

few times during the AGSE run

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completely with

a kill switch

process. Make sure that when the pause

switch is pressed, all components of the

structure remain stably in place.

and all points mentioned just

above are stable with the

exception of the crane. The

stepper motors can cause the

chains to droop while off, but

this creates no danger and is still

safe.

Repeatability Run the entire process multiple times.

After the process is completed once,

return all the components to the original

position and rerun the process. Make

sure the process is easily returned to

original position and repeatable.

Running the AGSE numerous

times shows that systems such

as the rail and igniter systems

are easily reset, the crane can be

run in reverse until the starting

position is hit, and the

programming can be easily run

again from the start.

LED and

switches on the

control box

Run through the AGSE procedure and

test to make sure that the correct LED

lights turn on in the correct situations

(run and pause). Also test all the

switches and make sure they send the

correct commands to the AGSE.

The LED lights have been tested

while the AGSE runs and they

work as expected. Switches are

labeled correctly and function

properly.

Assembly of the

AGSE in under

60 minutes

The AGSE team will practice assembling

the entire AGSE structure, aiming for a

total time of 30 minutes. Because the

team must transport the AGSE in a few

separate pieces, it must be reassembled

at the judging and the launch. Test to

make sure that after each assembly, the

AGSE is stable and works as designed.

Most of the AGSE will be

constructed in transporting to

the competition, and many of

the parts that need to be

assembled are parts that the

team regularly attaches and

detaches to the rest of the

system due to space constraints

in the team’s work space,

usually well within 30 minutes.

The time the

AGSE process

takes is

minimized

The team will observe and time the

autonomous procedure of the AGSE

system. The time should be at least less

than 2 minutes 30 seconds from the

team’s predictions. The team will

attempt to minimize the time it takes

while maintaining the integrity of other

aspects of the system.

Many systems of the AGSE are

placed such that minimum

movement is required within the

actuators and the crane, some

changes in the positions of key

components have been tested

and the team believes it has

found an effective setup.

Launch pad can

withstand the

effects from the

This has been already tested with last

year’s competition and test launch.

However this will be tested again at the

The launch pad is the same as

last years, which worked

successfully every time, but

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rocket motor

blast

test launch this year to make sure the

launch pad and rail is still in good

condition.

now there are holes cut into the

blast plate. This is of little

concern to the team however, as

video of last year shows that all

systems underneath the blast

plate should not be affected.

Rocket

smoothly leaves

the launch rail

and the launch

buttons do not

get caught

Because the launch rail is in two parts,

the attachment point can be dangerous

because the rail button may get caught.

After the two parts of the launch rail is

put together, slide the rocket with its

launch buttons up and down the rail and

make sure that it is smooth. This will be

tested prior to the test flight as well.

The rocket was run up and

down the rail buttons, both in

vertical and horizontal positions

and the movement itself was

smooth and uninhibited along

the rail.

Safety and Environment

Safety and Failure Analysis

To ensure the safety and success of the AGSE system during the competition judging, the

team must set up a plan to address these points. In terms of safety, the team has to keep in mind

the safety of members while working on the project, the safety of the components of the AGSE,

and the safety of the surrounding environment.

For the safety of team members while working on the AGSE system, the safety officer or

a subteam lead will be present at every construction event to supervise. All team members will

also be through a safety briefing by the safety officer. Because the construction of the AGSE

system involves dangerous power tools such as the drill press, circular sander, and electrical saws,

team members must be careful and attentive at all times. The safety of the team members is the

most important in regards to this project.

It is important to keep the AGSE system and surrounding environment safe as well. The

AGSE has critical components that are valuable and crucial to the mission that must be protected

such as actuators and electromagnets. Precaution will be taken to keep the components safe both

physically and electronically. Team members will also keep in mind the safety of the environment

around the AGSE during storage, construction, assembly, testing, judging, and launching. The

safety officer will make sure that it does not put anyone or the environment around at risk.

As with any project there are points that could fail. Team members have predicted areas

that could likely fail and have addressed those concerns. To make sure that any of the procedures

do not fail, the team will conduct extensive tests. There will be a lengthy process of trial and error

completing the full system successfully, but the team will persevere to ensure the AGSE runs

safely and successfully. Below is a table with specifics on the safety and failure analysis.

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Table 17. Failure and Mission Assurance for AGSE

Failure Mode Effect Probability Mitigation

Use of power tools in

construction of

AGSE components

Team members could be

seriously injured if tools

are not used properly.

Low Members will go through safety

training in using machining tools

and will follow the safety code.

Safety officer or team lead will be

present at all building events.

Use of lithium-

polymer battery Electronic components can

be permanently damaged.

Members could be injured

if battery is not handled

properly.

Low When wiring, properly check the

specifications of electronic

hardware and the circuits. Store

and handle the battery as instructed

by the safety precautions provided

by the supplier.

The AGSE base

being unstable The rocket may not be

successfully lifted to the

launch position. During

launch, complications may

occur if base is unstable.

Low-

Moderate Extensive testing lifting the rocket

and additional weight for margin.

Stress and load test on the base to

ensure any load or shaking that

could be involved in the operation

would deform the AGSE.

Components from

the AGSE getting

loose during launch

Loose components of the

AGSE during launch could

be dangerous to those at

the launch site and the

environment close to the

pad.

Low Make sure that there are no loose

components on the AGSE that

would be dangerous and be blast

off. Conduct stress tests of many

components by shaking and adding

force. During launch, make sure

standard launch safety protocol is

observed and observers are far

from the launch pad.

Construction with

carbon fiber material Improper safety

procedures when handling

carbon fiber materials can

cause health hazards

Low Members working with carbon

fiber materials will be trained and

educated on how to handle the

material including safety gloves

and masks.

The electromagnetic

hatch is not securely

attached to the rocket

body

If the hatch becomes

dislodged, misplaced, or

removed during launch,

the rocket will be unstable

and its flight path will be

unpredictable and

dangerous.

Moderate Confirm that the hatch can be

securely attached to the rocket.

Test extensively by shaking the

rocket and purposely trying to

remove the hatch. It should not be

easily removable. Team members

will review the rocket between

completion of the AGSE process

and launch.

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Igniter system gets

caught on the way up

and gets stuck

This may harm the fuel

grain of the rocket and the

igniter will not be fully

inserted into the motor.

This will cause the motor

to ignite in an unusual

way.

Moderate The igniter system will have a

function in which if the limit

switch is triggered, the actuator

will lower, which will passively

realign the wooden dowel and go

up again until it is triggered. This

will be repeated a few times to

make sure the igniter is fully at the

top of the motor. The limit switch

will extensively be tested and

made sure that it triggers properly

every time.

The launch rail is

unstable When the rocket leaves the

rail, if the rail is wobbly,

the rocket will not be able

to safely get off the pad

and may launch in a

different direction. This

may be dangerous to

people at the launch and

the environment around

the pad.

Low After the construction of the

launch pad and rail, the rail will be

tested for wobble. If the launch rail

is too loose and wobbly, supports

will be added and the bolts will be

tightened. Team members will

forcefully shake the launch rail and

make sure it wouldn’t interfere

with the launch.

A rail button getting

caught on the launch

rail

The rocket will not be able

to safely get of the launch

rail. This is mission

critical and could be

dangerous to the AGSE

system because it will

experience the burning

motor for an extensive

amount of time

Low Make sure the connection between

the two segments of the launch

rails are smooth and that the

launch buttons do not get caught.

Test before every launch, practice

the assembly, and test at the test

launch as well.

AGSE performs

unplanned actions If the AGSE runs

differently from planned

and acts unusually, it may

harm critical components

such as actuators and the

crane components

Low In the case these things may

happen, a team member will be

holding a control box so they can

pause the process or shut down the

power to the AGSE. The control

box will be completed and tested

before any other tests are

conducted.

Electromagnetic

hatch interfering with

other electronic

equipment such as

altimeters and GPS

tracking

This would be mission

critical because if the

altimeter or GPS tracking

is harmed, the rocket will

not be able to deploy

parachutes, measure data,

or be found.

Low-

Moderate All the flight hardware will be

tested against the electromagnet

holding the hatch to make sure

they do not get harmed at the

distance they will be in during the

AGSE process.

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Storage of the AGSE

system Because of the size of the

AGSE system, it could be

a hazard unless stored and

worked on properly. Also,

the electronic components

could be a hazard if not

stored property.

Low The AGSE system will be stored

and worked on in a spacious

indoor area. The University of

Illinois Aerospace Department

provides student societies with a

working and storage area. The area

is locked so only authorized

persons can get in. It is a dry,

clean, cool, and well ventilated

area adequate for storage and

work.

Most Hazardous Risks of Failure

The first truly hazardous risk is the electromagnetic hatch not securely attaching to the

rocket body. This could come from hatch misplacement, insecure placement, and the like. If this

were to happen, the rocket will have an unpredictable flight path, as well as possibly lose the

payload. To mitigate said failure, the team will extensively confirm that the hatch can be secured

to the rocket, with an extensive testing of the hatch magnets, especially between full completion

of the AGSE and the launch during the competition.

Next is concerning the igniter system being caught.on the way up. If this were to happen,

the fuel could ignite in an uncontrollable or sporadic manner, or possibly not at all. This has a

moderate chance of happening, due to the simple nature of the igniter system. The team’s solution

is to have a limit switch, triggering upon any form of pressure and halting the progression of the

igniter actuator. This is used to also tell when the igniter is safely within the motor.

Another big concern would be an unstable AGSE base. With a similar system design from

last year, the team knew the structural issues to overcome through experience, and this came as a

moderate to low risk probability, but still a chance at occurring. Therefore, the team put in place

80/20 rails extending from the base for larger contact surface area without compromising weight

or too much space.

With the inclusion of a strong electromagnet, the team had to take into consideration the

effect it might have on the rocketry systems, such as the altimeters and GPS tracking devices. If

this were to harm any of those, the rocket would be difficult to obtain, and may corrupt any

measureable data. This is a low to moderate possibility, but the team will test the effects of the

electromagnetic hatch on the hardware at the known distance from the time of the completion of

the system to the day of the competition’s launch.

Finally, the risk of power tools during construction of the system is always a concern, but

a lower probability of impacting the team due to rigorous safety training. Each member has

undergone proper procedure training for all possible devices one might need to use. The safety

officer and/or team lead will also be present for all building sessions, consistently aware of proper

procedures.

Payload Concept Features and Definition

Creativity and Originality

Members of the Illinois Space Society have collaborated for weeks in order to create a

unique and creative design for the AGSE system. Due to the changes in the competition rules, the

team was forced to adjust the system to better fit the needs of this year’s challenge proposal. The

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Centennial Challenge Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) prize requires a collection of a prepositioned

sample which will then be placed into a rocket for raising, igniter insertions, and finally, a launch.

The prepositioned nature of this sample allows for a simplistic design to be used for sample

collection.

The new and improved design for this year’s AGSE system will have the capability to

obtain a sample with a minimum of a foot away from the structure, allowing for pick up and then

insertion into the rocket without any reliance on gravity, as stated by the Centennial Challenge.

The crane-like system of the AGSE has been designed using a total of only two motors and an

electromagnet, making the system simplistic in design and application. Using only these two

motors for the crane-system, the team will be able to collect a sample and place it inside the

rocket. The unique and simplistic design allows for minimal points of failure to ensure a

successful operation of the system.

A significant redesign of the AGSE system was required to bring the system within the

constraints of the new competition. Improving and perfecting the already built structure will be a

challenge for the team as well.

The new crane system deals with a complex belt system and an advanced electronics

system. The electromagnetic hatch that picks up the payload and attaches itself onto the rocket

also poses mechanical and electronic challenges. Timing the entire procedure within the code

and finding the specific location at which the crane must be located will be designed, calculated,

tested for repeatability.

Most of the challenges the team faces lie in minimizing the mass and volume of the

structure while maintaining the time of the procedure to be carried out. The team needs to be able

to find the balance between these factors while also maintaining cost efficiency, manufacturing

ease, and reliability, all which prove to be difficult. However, collaboration between the team

members provides many unique and creative ideas in order to come up with solutions to the

challenges faced, all while still providing a solid design that will strongly compete with the

submissions from other universities and institutions.

Uniqueness or significance

The Autonomous Ground Support Equipment (AGSE) system is designed to collect a

sample, place it firmly in the rocket, raise the rocket from a horizontal orientation to a vertical

orientation, and insert the igniter into the rocket motor. The sample will be collected from a

predetermined location and orientation, so the autonomous movements of the system are all

preprogrammed and are not dynamic.

A successful run of the system will see the sample payload lifted from a predetermined

position 12 inches away from the AGSE and outer mold line of the launch vehicle and placed

safety into the hatch. Following this, the rocket will autonomously raise to a position 5 degrees

off of vertical. The igniter will be positioned to the top of the motor fuel grain within the rocket

and then the system will await launch approval from the range safety officer. The AGSE system

is divided into five subsystems which all function together to complete the operations listed

above. The remainder of this section contains a brief system description, while the following

sections describe each of these subsystems in greater detail.

The first of these subsystems is the sample collection crane, which contains the sample

collection arm with its imbedded hatch door. This system is required to perform the actions of

collecting the sample, and firmly attaching the sample and hatch door to the rocket body. The

sample collection crane consists of an aluminum base made primarily of the same 8020 rail used

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for the launch rail system. The actual crane will be constructed on a rotary steel bearing, made

primarily of carbon fiber tubes. The two degrees of freedom of this crane will be controlled by

belts attached to stepper motors. An electromagnet will be placed on the end of the crane and

used to hold the hatch and clip system into place until it is powered down.

Second is the launch pad and rail system, which contains the main structure of the launch

pad, as well as the rail that is used to hold the rocket straight during its ascent. The launch pad

and rail system also includes the rail support placed several feet out from the pad itself which

supports the rocket and rail in the horizontal start orientation. The launch pad system is

constructed of aluminum 8020 rail with a 1” thickness. The launch pad itself is constructed of ⅜”

steel to withstand the blast of the rocket engine. The launch rail uses a thicker 1.5” 8020 rail to

hold the rocket stable during the first several feet of flight.

Next, the igniter subsystem is located on the base of the launch pad, and is used to insert

the motor igniter prior to launch. This system consists of a linear actuator that performs the

insertion, as well as a bent aluminum piece that is used to hold the igniter below the motor.

Fourth, the hatch and clip system that is used as the end effector of the robotic crane. The rocket

hatch is included within this system, as it is directly used to pick up the sample before being

attached to the rocket. The hatch itself is made of blue tube, as it will be cut from the rocket

body. Magnets will be included into the top and bottom of this hatch piece to allow for

attachment both to the crane and to the rocket body.

The fifth subsystem is the electronics system which controls and powers all of the

components in the above three systems. This system is controlled by an Arduino and several

motor controls. A series of limit switches, resistors, LED’s, and momentary switches will also be

implemented to accomplish mission goals. Along with these, two stepper motors, two linear

actuators, and one electromagnet will be integral to the AGSE’s success. The electronics are all

powered by a 3 cell Lithium Polymer battery.

The creativity in the team’s design comes from the electromagnet and hatch system. It’s

innovative design allows the team to overcome the challenge provided by a non-gravity assisted

system. It still allows for direct placement of the payload without letting it fall. That aside, it’s

different from a basic claw/crane system design. Because the system’s retrieval capabilities is

based around an electromagnet, it is possible to change the hatch to something that can pick up a

payload of many different shapes and sizes, making the design malleable and adaptable. A step-

by-step procedure for the AGSE system can be found below:

1. The robotic crane will start with the electromagnet situated above the hatch door.

2. Power is run through the system, activating the electromagnet and attaching the hatch

to the electromagnet.

3. The robotic crane will rotate to a position over the payload.

4. The vertical arm piece will lower and push the clips securely onto the payload.

5. The vertical arm will rise back up to a height just above the rocket.

6. The crane shall then rotate over to the vehicle.

7. The vertical crane piece will be lowered into the vehicle bay.

8. When the hatch door is flush with the vehicle, the magnets inside the rocket will grip

the steel on the hatch door.

9. A tubular latch bolted on the inside of the rocket will slide and lock the hatch, securing

it firmly in place.

10. Power to the electromagnet will be shut off, releasing the hatch from the crane.

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11. The vertical crane piece will be raised slightly, in order to avoid contact with the

rocket when the crane rotating away from the rocket.

12. The crane will rotate away from the rail system and vehicle.

13. The rail system actuator will raise the vehicle to a position of 5° off of the vertical.

14. The igniter system actuator will raise the dowel rod until the igniter is in the tube,

triggering a limit switch when enough pressure is applied.

Science Value

The primary goal for the team is the safe retrieval of the payload, placement of the payload

in the rocket, and successfully preparing the rocket for launch by rising the rail system to 5 degrees

off the vertical and then inserting the igniter into the vehicle. An essential aspect of the AGSE

system is reusability. All parts shall be undamaged and not require human interaction between

each run. This is achieved by meticulous testing to assure no subsystem is damaged. With

everything being automated, there is no need for outside interference except during the initial

setup. All subsystems are isolated and monitored through the Arduino, to ensure that no subsystem

is a threat to any other subsystem. The team has also implemented LED lights to indicate activity

and power. This is a vital safety measure, both for the structure, and the team operating the

structure, giving a clear and concise idea of what is going on.

The purpose of the AGSE system is imitating a sample return mission on Mars, or

somewhere else with gravity significantly less than that of earth. Because of these constraints, the

AGSE is designed to be gravity independent, atmosphere independent, magnetic field independent,

and fully autonomous. The AGSE will be able to pick up a sample payload and place is in a rocket,

just as it would in a sample return mission. The conditions during the competition are not the same

as the conditions on Mars so the test is not perfect, however the design would still function in a

Martian environment. Some of the components would need to be swapped for similarly

functioning ones due to radiation and extreme temperatures but the cost of such components is too

high for this project.

The rocket is not the size of a rocket to land on Mars or elsewhere, but the design of the

payload holding system could be scaled up for an actual Mars mission rocket. The rocket used for

the competition will show the design used in the system could be implemented in a sample return

mission.

The mission will be considered successful if the AGSE system is able to pick up the sample,

secure it in the rocket, lift the rocket, and ignite the rocket all autonomously. The success will be

measured visually by seeing the payload is secured in the rocket and with a digital level to ensure

the correct final position of the rocket.

Approach to workmanship

The Student Launch team is comprised of many students coming from many different

majors. With the majority of the team in Aerospace Engineering, the team is confident in the

calculations as well as the part selection for both the rocket system and AGSE system. Also, with

enough experienced members, the team can rely on their input to see what would work best on

certain occasions.

The individual subteams have dedicated times to meet and discuss, collaborate, and

propose solutions to the various problems faced and talk about how to achieve the goals set all in

a timely manner. The team has plans and deadlines due for each week in what needs to be done

and the subteam lead is there to help oversee the team’s schedule and to promote healthy discussion

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among the teams. Despite following a rigorous schedule, the team will take time to double and

triple check calculations in order to minimize errors wherever possible as well as ensuring a

successful operation in the future. Whatever measurements members make will be made twice so

members will only have to cut once. Members test multiple times to make sure the repeatability of

the processes are not due to chance.

Overall, the Student Launch team demonstrates a professional, yet fun environment for

practicality and technicality. As a team working together on one project, the team works

efficiently, in a timely manner, and in the best way possible. The team is confident they will

succeed during the Student Launch competition this April.

Precision of instrumentation and repeatability

When designing the system and choosing components proper integration was always taken

into consideration to ensure the repeatability of the processes of the system. There will be multiple

test of components on their own and the system as a whole to ensure it can run as desired many

times.

The AGSE will be designed to be tolerant to some inaccuracies in all segments of its

operation. In all cases, as much precision as was technically feasible was included in the design,

but as in all real systems, some level of inaccuracy will always exist. This section details the

considerations that went into creating the AGSE system in such a way that it was tolerant to these

kinds of small inaccuracies.

As a part of the payload collection system, a sample payload must be collected from a

prepositioned ground location, simulating the AGSE taking a sample from a Mars rover or

equivalent. This system must be able reliably rotate and lower itself to collect the sample. The

motor used in the crane has a precision of 1/1600 of a rotation. This high accuracy assures that the

crane will be able to both retrieve the payload and secure it in the rocket in every run of the system.

Despite this, the system features clips which are shaped to allow for large inaccuracies (~ 0.25

inches in any direction) in the placement of the sample or the rotation and lowering of the crane as

an added safety. The clip design will guide the sample into the desired orientation from any slight

deviations. The magnets used to hold the hatch and payload in place are strong enough that if the

crane were to be slightly off in placing it, the magnets on the rocket will be strong enough to snap

the hatch and payload into place.

The rail lifting system, which will raise the rocket to five degrees from the vertical after

sample insertion, has several contingencies to account for uncertainty in measurements. The rail

has some freedom to move in the plane perpendicular to the desired lifting motion of the rail

causing some risk of missing the limit switch to stop lifting. To ensure the rail will hit the limit

switch, a set of aluminum brackets bent at an angle guide the rail into its correct position. This also

ensures the repeatability and consistency of the lifting process.

The accuracy of the five degree from the vertical measurement will be ensured by thorough

testing prior to actual use. This measurement is driven by the correct placement of the limit switch

that halts the raising of the rail. With the position of this limit switch correctly tuned, the rocket

should be able to be within 0.5 degrees of the desired angle based on past results.

For the igniter, a cone is used to guide the igniter into its correct position below the motor.

This cone will have bottom diameter of 2 inches to allow for 1 inch of imprecision in either

direction for the igniter tip. The wooden dowel rod that will be used to hold the igniter rigidly

inside of the motor will also be marked to show the correct depth to which the igniter must be

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inserted. This will be inspected visually prior to launch to ensure the igniter is fully inserted

properly.

V) Launch Operations Procedures Checklist

Recovery Preparation Checklist

1. Prepare Recovery Electronics

a. Assemble avionics bay payload sleds, check that all connections are secure

i. Altimeters should be wired to switches, batteries, and two terminal blocks

ii. Insert and connect fresh batteries

b. Lock altimeter switches in off position

c. Attach e-matches to altimeters via terminal blocks

d. Turn on altimeters and check continuity, then turn off altimeters (3 beeps for

continuity)

e. Slide avionics sleds into couplers and attach bulkheads

i. Insert sleds so that the altimeters face the key switches

ii. Thread a nut and washer on each bulkhead on each rail (4 total nuts and 4

washers)

f. Check that altimeters are off, and attach ejection charges to terminal blocks

2. Pack drogue parachute

a. Packing Procedure to be determined through assembly, testing, and practice

3. Insert Drogue parachute into booster airframe

a. Attach quick link to eyebolt on motor case, confirm quick link is closed

b. Insert wrapped shock cord into booster, pack down firmly

c. Push packed drogue parachute into booster, with the protector facing upwards

d. If the parachute is too tight, adjust packing to make the package wider or longer

as necessary

e. Attach the upper quick link to the bottom eyebolt of the avionics bay, ensure the

link is closed

4. Pack main parachute and flame retardants

a. Packing procedure to be determined through assembly testing and practice

5. Insert main parachute into airframe

a. Attach quick link to avionics bay, confirm quick link is closed

b. Insert wrapped shock cord into airframe, pack down firmly

c. Push packed main parachute into airframe, with the protector facing downwards

d. If the parachute is too tight, re-adjust packing to make the package wider or

longer as necessary

Motor Preparation Checklist (Assembly to be completed by Mentor)

Adapted from Manufacturer's instructions

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1. Assemble Forward Closure

a. Apply lubricant to all threads and O-rings

b. Insert the smoke charge insulator into the smoke charge cavity

c. Lubricate one end of the smoke charge element and insert it into the smoke charge

cavity

2. Assemble Case

a. Deburr the inside edges of the liner tube

b. Insert the larger diameter portion of the nozzle into one end of the liner, with the

nozzle liner flange seated against the liner.

c. Install the propellant grains into the liner, seated against the nozzle grain flange.

d. Place the greased forward seal disk O-ring into the groove in the forward seal

disk.

e. Insert the smaller end of the seal disk into the open end of the liner tube until the

seal disk flange is seated against the end of the liner.

f. Push the liner assembly into the motor case until the nozzle protrudes

approximately 1- 3/4” from the end of the case.

g. Place the greased forward (1/8" thick X 2-3/4" O.D.) O-ring into the forward

(bulkhead) end of the case until it is seated against the forward seal disk.

h. Thread the forward closure assembly into the forward end of the motor case by

hand until it is seated against the case

i. Place the greased aft O-ring into the groove in the nozzle

j. Thread the aft closure into the aft end of the motor case by hand until it is seated

against the case

Launcher Setup Checklist

1. Lower the launch rail

2. Slide the rocket on the launch rail

a. Ensure team members are supporting the weight of the rocket

b. If the rail buttons do not slide smoothly, rotate the vehicle rather than applying

more pressure

3. Power on the AGSE

a. Master switch will be turned on

b. The computer will receive power

i. LED flashes showing power is connected to the computer

c. The commands will be paused once the computer is booted up

4. Pause button will be pressed

a. AGSE will start its commands

i. Sample payload will be picked up by the robot

ii. Sample payload and hatch door will be placed in the rocket

iii. Rocket will be erected to 5 degrees off of vertical

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iv. Linear actuator will lock it into position

v. Igniter will be inserted into the motor

5. Turn on altimeters and check settings and continuity

a. Primary altimeter:

i. 3,1,10,10,10 beeps for main deployment altitude

ii. Series of beeps for last flight data

iii. Series of beeps for battery voltage (Volts, tenths of Volts)

iv. Three quick beeps for continuity

b. Secondary Altimeter

i. 4,9,10,10 beeps for main deployment altitude

ii. 5 second siren for apogee delay

iii. Series of beeps for last flight data

iv. Series of beeps for battery voltage (Volts, tenths of volts)

v. Three quick beeps for continuity

6. Attach the launch controller to the motor igniter

7. The all systems go light will be activated after passing safety verifications

Launch Procedures

1. 1. Proceed to the safe area

2. Acquire signal from the vehicle's transmitters

3. Launch the Vehicle

Troubleshooting

1. Altimeters

a. If incorrect settings are reported, connect altimeters to a computer to reset settings

b. If continuity is not confirmed, check that connections between altimeters, terminal

blocks, and E-matches are secure

c. If the altimeter doesn't power on, check key switch and power supply wiring

2. Motor Doesn't Ignite

a. Wait for RSO clearance to approach the pad

b. Confirm that launch controller is connected to igniter

c. If so, disconnect launch controller and remove/inspect igniter

d. If necessary, disarm altimeters and remove the rocket from the rail for further

inspection of the motor assembly

Post flight inspection

1. Wait for rocket to land

2. Upon range clear: retrieve rocket and check for undetonated charges.

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3. Return to safe area

4. Remove altimeters from coupler and collect data

5. Turn off all avionics and store for transport

6. When travel back is finished, clean all dirty components, remove power sources from

avionics, and store all materials for future flights

Comprehensive Checklist

Pre-Launch - Day Before:

1. Check that mentor has:

a. Correct Aerotech K1000T

b. Correct charge size for each separation event. Charge sizes to be determined

2. Check that all flight hardware is stored for transportation to launch site

a. Booster Airframe

b. Motor casing

c. Motor Adapter (three pieces)

d. Motor Forward Seal Disk

e. Main and Drogue Parachutes

f. Main and Drogue shock cords

g. 8 quick links

h. Coupler (assembled with sled, end-cap bulkheads, and altimeters)

i. Flat Screwdriver for Rotary Switches

j. Upper Airframe

k. Screws for upper Airframe attachment

l. Payload fairing (assembled with electronics)

m. Shear Pins

n. Motor retainer ring

3. Check that all backup equipment and tools are prepared to complete any necessary final

fixes or alterations

a. Phillips screwdriver for screws

b. Small screwdriver for altimeter contacts

c. Adjustable wrenches

d. Allen wrenches

4. Check that all ground support equipment is packed

a. Ground Station Antenna

b. Laptop with ground station software

c. Micro USB Cable

d. GPS tracker

e. Binoculars

5. Check that all team members have read or heard safety briefing and are informed of their

responsibilities

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Pre-Launch - Day of

1. Pack equipment for travel, as listed above

2. Travel to launch location

3. Unpack equipment at launch site

4. Perform preflight checks of AGSE and Hatch Systems

a. AGSE

i. Make sure power reaches all components

ii. Ensure safety switch pauses commands

iii. Check that master switch functions properly

iv. Check that limit switches will stop the actuators

v. Test that the motors run

vi. Complete a dry run of the system

5. Assemble avionics bay and hatch payload sleds, check that all connections are secure

a. Altimeters should be wired to switches, batteries, and two terminal blocks each

b. Insert and connect fresh batteries

6. Lock altimeter switches in off position

7. Attach e-matches to altimeters via terminal blocks

8. Turn on altimeters and check continuity, then turn off altimeters (3 beeps for continuity)

9. Slide avionics sled into coupler and attach bulkheads

a. Insert sled so that the altimeters face the key switches

b. Thread a nut and washer on each bulkhead on each rail (4 total nuts and 4

washers)

10. Check altimeters are off, and attach ejection charges to terminal blocks

11. Pack drogue parachute Packing procedure to be determined through assembly testing and

practice

12. Insert Drogue parachute into booster airframe

a. Attach quick link to eyebolt on motor case, confirm quick link is closed

b. Insert wrapped shock cord into booster, pack down firmly

c. Push packed drogue parachute into booster, with the protector facing upwards

d. If the parachute is too tight, adjust packing to make the package wider or longer

as necessary

e. Attach the upper quick link to the bottom eyebolt of the avionics bay, ensure the

link is closed

13. Attach coupler and insert shear pins for drogue parachute

a. Refer to labeling on coupler (This end down, shear pin alignment marks)

b. Push coupler into booster airframe

c. Rotate as necessary to line up shear pin holes

d. Insert three shear pins

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14. Pack main parachute and flame retardants. Packing procedure to be determined through

assembly testing and practice

15. Attach upper airframe to coupler

a. Refer to alignment marks

b. Insert three screws

16. Insert main parachute into airframe

a. Attach quick link to avionics bay, confirm quick link is closed

b. Insert wrapped shock cord into airframe, pack down firmly

c. Push packed main parachute into airframe, with the protector facing downwards

d. If the parachute is too tight, readjust packing to make the package wider or longer

as necessary

17. Attach nosecone to upper airframe

a. Refer to alignment marks

b. Insert four shear pins

18. Insert motor into booster airframe

a. Attach the adapter rings (three pieces)

b. Insert into motor mount

c. Screw on retainer ring, confirming the motor is secure

19. Bring rocket to RSO for safety inspection

20. Make changes as specified by RSO

Launch

1. After RSO approval, wait for range clear

2. When range is clear, move rocket to pad

3. Lower launch rod and mount rocket on the rod

a. Ensure team members are supporting the weight of the rocket

b. Rail button should slide easily along rail. If not, don't apply pressure, rather rotate

the rocket

4. Raise rod and rocket to upright position, be sure to support the rocket while lifting

5. One at a time, turn the key switches; listen for continuity, settings check

a. Payload altimeter:

i. Verify the altimeter turns on

b. Payload computer:

i. Verify ground station receiving from transmitter

c. Primary altimeter:

i. 3,1, 10, 10,10 beeps for main deployment altitude

ii. Series of beeps for last flight data

iii. Series of beeps for battery voltage (Volts, tenths of Volts)

iv. Three quick beeps for continuity

d. Secondary Altimeter

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i. 4,9,0,0 beeps for main deployment altitude

ii. 5 second siren for apogee delay

iii. Series of beeps for last flight data

iv. Series of beeps for battery voltage (Volts, tenths of volts)

v. Three quick beeps for continuity

6. Check pad power is off and attach igniter to pad controller

7. Insert igniter into motor and plug

8. Leave range and wait for launch

9. Acquire signals from GPS transmitters and camera system before launch

10. Launch rocket

11. At apogee, wait for separation

12. Wait for rocket to land

13. Upon range clear: retrieve rocket, check for undetonated charges and remove

14. Return to safe area

Post Launch

1. Remove altimeters from coupler and collect data

2. Turn off all avionics and store for transport

When travel is finished, clean all dirty components, remove power sources from avionics, and

store all materials for future flights

Launch concerns, operation procedures, and Quality Assurance The safety officer this year will be Andrew Koehler. He is a student studying Aerospace

Engineering at the University of Illinois. He worked with the 2014-2015 SLI Structures and

Recovery team, and as such he has worked on projects similar to this in the past.

Recovery preparation In order to recover our rocket, the on board GPS will need to be activated and tested to see if it is

working properly. We also will need to make sure our parachutes deploy, so sufficient charge

testing has been done to ensure that our parachute will separate from the rocket and land safely.

Motor preparation

Motor storage, transportation, and preparation will be in accordance with the National Fire

Protection Agency, specifically NFPA code 1127. The motor shall be stored in a Type 3 or Type

4 indoor magazine because the chosen rocket motor is under 50 lbs. Transportation of the motor

will comply with 49 CFR Subchapter C Hazardous Materials Regulation, which covers the

packaging, handling, and transportation of High Powered Rocket Motors. The operations manual

for the motor will be posted on the website as soon as the motor arrives. All rocket handling will

be performed by the team mentor.

Setup on launcher

In order for the rocket to be properly set up on the launcher, the structures and recovery

team and the AGSE team has determined the best was for this to be done. As such, a list has been

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created and every instruction on it will be consulted before the rocket is put on the launcher. Igniter

installation The igniter installation will be set up when the rocket is about to be launched and right

before the launch sequence is activated. This is to ensure the igniter can never be ignited

prematurely and that our rocket doesn’t go off unexpectedly early (i.e. when is on the launch pad

and we don’t have the go for launch).

Launch procedure

In order to ensure that our rocket and AGSE subsystems stay intact and that no hazards

arise from the launch procedure, a coherent list of steps to be taken before launch has been

compiled. This list accounts for every part of the launch sequence, so that nothing is overlooked

in the process of the launch. This list will be consulted by everyone working with the rocket and

AGSE subsystems on launch day.

Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting any problem on either the rocket or AGSE subsystem, everything

will be turned off except the part that is needed to be fixed. This is so that no accidents occur and

no premature rocket launch. The range safety officer will be consulted before doing any

troubleshooting on the launch pad.

VI) Project Plan Budget Plan

An itemized budget for the 2015-2016 Illinois Space Society Student Launch team can be

found below. This budget shows all of the parts that will be used by the team in the rocket, the

AGSE system, educational outreach activities, and travel to Huntsville, Alabama for the

competition. Many of the items used are already owned by the Illinois Space Society, but their off-

the-shelf costs have been included to calculate the total cost of all parts in the system, showing this

cost is well below the competition limit of $7,500. The value in the rightmost column is the total

cost to the Illinois Space Society, which must be obtained through a combination of University

and corporate sponsorship outlined in the Funding Plan section of this report.

Table 18. Budget spreadsheet

Item Cost Each [USD] Quantity Total Cost

[USD]

Cost to Team

[USD]

Full Scale Rocket

Material

4.00" X 16.5 Nosecone $21.95 1 $21.95 $0.00

Upper Airframe Tube $38.95 1 $38.95 $38.95

Iris Ultra 72" Parachute $210.00 1 $210.00 $210.00

Main Parachute Shock

Cord

$18.75 1 $18.75 $0.00

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Item Cost Each [USD] Quantity Total Cost

[USD]

Cost to Team

[USD]

Coupler Body $39.95 1 $39.95 $39.95

Switch Band $38.95 1 $38.95 $38.95

Coupler Bulkheads $4.05 4 $16.20 $16.20

Body Tube BulkHeads $4.05 2 $8.10 $8.10

Rotary Switches $9.46 2 $18.92 $18.92

Charge Cups $1.50 4 $6.00 $6.00

Union 2648 Tubular

Latch

$17.35 2 $34.70 $34.70

Stratologger $79.95 3 $239.85 $0.00

Telemetrum $321.00 1 $321.00 $0.00

9V Battery $6.98 1 $6.98 $6.98

Trapezoidal Fins (3) $0.00 3 $0.00 $0.00

Booster Tube $38.95 1 $38.95 $38.95

Centering Rings (3) $4.05 3 $12.15 $12.15

Motor Mount Tube $29.95 1 $29.95 $29.95

75mm Motor Retainer $53.50 1 $53.50 $53.50

15" FruityChutes Drogue $50.00 1 $50.00 $50.00

Drogue Parachute Shock

Cord

$11.25 1 $11.25 $0.00

Rail buttons $4.43 2 $8.86 $8.86

Motor (K1000T) Without

Propellent

$154.99 1 $154.99 $154.99

Proline Epoxy System

4100 Gallon

$119.99 1 $119.99 $119.99

Motor Case RMS-

75/2560

$235.40 1 $235.40 $0.00

Miscellaneous Parts $200.00 1 $200.00 $200.00

Subscale Rocket

Material

$0.00

Rocket Nosecone $11.95 1 $11.95 $11.95

Rocket Body $23.95 2 $47.90 $47.90

Coupler $8.95 1 $8.95 $8.95

Bulkhead $2.65 2 $5.30 $5.30

Centering Rings $4.75 2 $9.50 $9.50

Motor $23.39 1 $23.39 $23.39

Motor Mount Tube $16.49 1 $16.49 $16.49

Motor Retainer $24.61 1 $24.61 $24.61

Fins $28.34 1 $28.34 $28.34

Rail Buttons $3.07 1 $3.07 $3.07

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Item Cost Each [USD] Quantity Total Cost

[USD]

Cost to Team

[USD]

AGSE Materials

Linear Actuator for

Igniter System

$119.99 1 $119.99 $0.00

MB3U Bracket $12.00 2 $24.00 $0.00

1515 Aluminum Launch

Rail 72"

$38.16 2 $76.32 $0.00

Launch Rail Hinge $24.95 1 $24.95 $0.00

Linear Actuator for Rail

System

$129.99 1 $129.99 $0.00

Red Stranded Wire 100' $9.95 1 $9.95 $0.00

Black Stranded Wire 100' $9.95 1 $9.95 $0.00

Green Stranded Wire

100'

$9.95 1 $9.95 $0.00

XT-60 Wire Connectors

(1 pair)

$0.71 20 $14.20 $14.20

Green LED $0.59 3 $1.77 $0.00

Amber LED $0.59 3 $1.77 $0.00

Yellow LED $0.59 3 $1.77 $0.00

Kill Switch $11.98 1 $11.98 $0.00

Pause Switch $0.83 1 $0.83 $0.00

Limit Switch $0.99 4 $3.96 $0.00

Blast Plate $23.52 1 $23.52 $0.00

Structure 8020's 1010

Rail (per inch)

$0.23 800 $184.00 $0.00

Z Piece for Igniter

System

$19.86 1 $19.86 $0.00

3 Cell Lipo Battery $49.95 1 $49.95 $49.95

Bread Board $2.31 1 $2.31 $2.31

Arduino Mega $44.95 1 $44.95 $44.95

M/M Jumpers $1.95 1 $1.95 $1.95

Square Turntable $2.12 1 $2.12 $2.12

Carbon Fiber Bar Stock $6.71 1 $6.71 $6.71

12V Electromagnet -

110lbs

$117.00 1 $117.00 $117.00

.236 OD Pultruded Rod $16.99 2 $33.98 $33.98

Arduino Expansion

Shield

$17.95 1 $17.95 $17.95

Stepper motor controller $19.50 1 $19.50 $19.50

NEMA 17 Stepper Motor $22.90 2 $45.80 $45.80

GT2 Belt and Pulleys $16.69 1 $16.69 $16.69

1/4-20 .500 screw and

nut 10s

$0.50 20 $10.00 $10.00

1/4-20 .375 screw 10s $0.39 20 $7.80 $7.80

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Item Cost Each [USD] Quantity Total Cost

[USD]

Cost to Team

[USD]

1/4-20 t-nut 10s $0.21 15 $3.15 $3.15

1/4-20 t-nut 15s $0.27 5 $1.35 $1.35

Square Carbon Fiber

Tube

$158.99 1 $158.99 $158.99

Black 3D Plastic $21.55 1 $21.55 $21.55

Educational Outreach

Viking Model Rockets

(pack of 12)

$54.99 6 $329.94 $329.94

A8-3 Rocket Engines

(pack of 24)

$49.49 3 $148.47 $148.47

Estes Portable Launch

Pad

$13.77 2 $27.54 $0.00

Travel and

Accommodations

$2,475.00 $2,475.00 $2,475.00

Cost as it sits on the

pad

$3,851.30 $2,321.00

Total Cost $6,326.30 $4,796.00

As can be seen in Table 18, the overall cost to the team will be $4,796.00. This amount

will be easily covered by the funding plan, which can be found in the following section. The cost

of this system, excluding travel, will be $3851.30 including the material the team already owns.

This $3851.30 is well below the $7,500 maximum, and the team is confident that it will remain

below that limit.

Funding plan

As a technical project team under the Illinois Space Society, the Student Launch

Competition will be funded by the registered student organization. The funding plan developed by

the Illinois Space Society treasurer and approved by the executive board is shown below in Table

19.

Table 19. Student Launch Project Funding Plan

Source Amount in US Dollars

Student Organization Resource Fee 1,500

Engineering Council 1,050

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Aerospace Department 1,000

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Source Amount in US Dollars

Corporate Sponsorship / Illinois Space Society 1,450

TOTAL 5,000

As it can be seen above, the funding for the Student Launch competition will come from a

wide variety of sources. The Student Organization Resource Fee (SORF) is a mandatory fee

collected each semester from all University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign students. The resource

fee is then allocated among Registered Student Organizations. The organizations go through an

application process after which the SORF board determines the amount of funding and the

organizations that receives the funding. These funds can be used for purchasing equipment and

travel expenses related to the project. The Illinois Space Society plans to request a funding of

$1500 from SORF to be used both for equipment and travel expenses. Engineering Council is the

umbrella organization of all engineering Registered Student Organizations on campus. They do a

variety of things such as give awards, host events, and provide funding. For funding, Engineering

Council awards a grant of $525 to deserving organizations for projects each season. Illinois Space

Society will ask Engineering Council for the funding of Student Launch in the fall season.

Engineering Council also gives out separate funding for trips to conferences and other professional

events. Illinois Space Society will ask for a funding of $525 in the spring period to fund the trip of

team members to Huntsville, Alabama. The aerospace department at UIUC also provides funding

for technical projects by aerospace student organizations. ISS has received funding of $1000 for

this Student Launch competition. This money will be used to purchase components to build the

AGSE and rocket. The remaining cost of $1,450 will be covered by corporate sponsors and the

Illinois Space Society. ISS is constantly searching for outside sponsors to help fund technical

projects, educational outreach, and other events. The technical director of ISS will specifically

market the Student Launch competition to try and get corporate or other outside sponsors for this

project. As it can be difficult to find outside funding and to estimate an amount, the rest of the cost

of this project will be provided by ISS. ISS and the Student Launch team will aim to reduce costs

and obtain funding from outside resources such as companies in the aerospace industry in

exchange for publicity. The team will consider putting advertising on hardware with stickers and

also inviting company representatives to have informational sessions on campus.

Timeline

The critical path to completion of both the rocket and AGSE components of the

competition can be clearly seen in the Gantt chart on the following page. Planned tasks are shown

in blue, completed tasks in green, behind schedule tasks in red, and tasks that are currently

underway are in yellow. Due to inclement weather during the planned test launch dates, the test

launch is behind schedule as of FRR. The rocket is fully constructed and is ready for launch with

charge testing already performed, and an effort will be made by the team to find a launch window

that fits both weather and the constraints of the team’s mentor during the week following the FRR

due date.

The AGSE crane construction is currently still underway, with the rail, igniter, and

electrical subsystems all having reached effective completion. The first joint of the crane has been

completed and is functional, with some continuing work needed to set up the correct alignments

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of the components to accomplish mission goals. Mounts for the other portions of the crane have

been created and the remaining pieces will be integrated and tested in the coming weeks.

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Educational Engagement

The ISS team has been increasing its presence in the community through various

educational outreach activities in the Champaign-Urbana area. The plan has been to reach out to

K-12 students within the community, introduce them to rocketry, and show them what the ISS

team is currently working on.

On Saturday, March 5th, the ISS team helped a local Boy Scout troop, Troop 309, obtain their

space exploration badges by teaching a 5 hour class at a local elementary school. The program

consisted of, first, giving the attendees a brief history of space and the landmark people/companies

that aided in the growth of space exploration. Next, team members discussed the new ideas that

have been presented by private and commercial companies, regarding the future of space travel.

Following these informational presentations, students were split up into groups with an ISS team

member and began to put together their model rockets, using an A class motor that would be

launched at the end of the class, as the glue needed to dry. Once the rockets were finished, they

were put to dry. The team was then able to present the project, introducing them to the different

parts of a high powered rocket and presented videos from past NASA Student Launch

competitions. The students were then given the task to design their own habitat or spacecraft and

detail all the important components that are necessary to keep that spacecraft/habitat suitable for

human living and for mission completion. The students presented their ideas, mixing their

creativity while stating the important components, like radiation shielding, life support systems,

and power sources. After all of the students ideas were presented, team members added more

important components and went over their significance. The ISS Student Launch Team ended the

day by launching the model rockets. All of the group’s rockets launched successfully. The group

had some issues with rockets landing on the trees, but were able to recover a majority of them. The

day ended discussing what went right and what went wrong with the rocket launches.

This weekend the team members participated in the College of Engineering’s Engineering

Open House. In this event, thousands of K-12 students come to campus with their families to learn

more about engineering at Illinois as well as to see the variety of technical projects from different

engineering departments. This event expects over 1,000 students from primarily Illinois. The

University of Illinois’s NASA Student Launch team exhibited their vehicle from last year’s

competition at Engineering Open House. As attendees came to the Student Launch exhibit, team

members explained the different parts of the rocket, the objectives for the competition, as well as

videos from past years. Attendees were then able to touch the rocket and ask any questions they

had about the project. Over a thousand students and parents came and listened to the Student

Launch members present their project and other exhibits.

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Figure 51. The ISS Student Launch team manager presenting the current vehicle design to

the Boy Scout troop.

Figure 52. The ISS Student Launch team launching the small model rockets that they

helped build with the Boy Scouts.

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Figure 53. The ISS Student Launch team presenting a hybrid rocket engine and rockets at

the University of Illinois Engineering Open House

VII) Conclusion The Illinois Space Society is highly committed to the future of rocketry both from an

industrial and a hobbyist standpoint. The team is proud to once again compete in the Student

Launch competition and intends to do so for the foreseeable future. Team members from many

different majors and departments throughout the University have already dedicated several

hundred engineer-hours to the design and documentation of these systems. Most importantly, over

half of these team members are first or second year students with little to no previous rocketry

experience. Under the guidance of the team mentor and more experienced team members, these

new team members have already gained a significant amount of valuable insight into both high

power rocketry and, more importantly, the real world processes of design and engineering. This

personal growth will only be magnified once the construction of the systems themselves is

initiated. In previous years, the ISS team has treated this competition as an extracurricular activity

for students. Although this is technically still the case, the team intends to put forth a significantly

higher degree of effort and a more highly defined design than in previous years. Whether it is

through writing custom simulation code, presenting hand calculations, or a higher degree of detail

in models and drawings, the team has and intends to continue to work put forth significant effort

and treat this competition with the attention it deserves. Student Launch provides an opportunity

for students to participate in a high profile, real world engineering experience with many technical

challenges. This type of opportunity is not common in the world of undergraduate education, and

the ISS team does not take this experience for granted.

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Appendix A Illinois Space Society Tech Team Safety Policy

All students are to sign and date the present document indicating that they read, understand, and will

abide by the contained policy before they enter the Illinois Space Society (ISS). These requirements apply

to day to day meetings, construction in and outside of the Engineering Student Projects Lab (ESPL),

testing, and any additional meetings that may occur as part of ISS Tech Team activities. The signed forms

are to be collected by the team safety officer, recorded, and submitted to the Technical Projects Manager. I. ESPL Rules: Required training to gain access to ESPL

General Lab and Electrical Safety training through the U of I Division or Research Safety is

mandatory for all individuals before they enter ESPL and participate in Design Council

supported projects. Both interactive training modules are online and available at the following

link: http://www.drs.illinois.edu/Training?section=GeneralLabSafety

Upon completion of the training modules the students must print, sign, date each form and give to

the designated safety officer who will keep record of their training and then give promptly to

ESPL Laboratory Supervisor. It is also required that all students read the present document and

sign and date it. Card access to ESPL will be granted after the ESPL Laboratory Supervisor has

the General Lab and Electrical Safety training forms and the present document signed and dated

on file.

Required training to use any tools/equipment in ESPL Students must receive training from The ESPL Laboratory Supervisor and fill out the

ESPL General Use Compliance Form and the ESPL Machine Shop use Compliance Form

before they use any tool/equipment on the respective forms or any potentially dangerous

tools/equipment. Tools shall not be brought into ESPL without the consent of the ESPL

Laboratory Supervisor. Any potentially dangerous tools or equipment not listed on the forms

should be added to the ESPL General Use Compliance Form list. Students may not work on

equipment until the ESPL Laboratory Supervisor has signed and dated the pertinent compliance

forms. A student must not use tools/equipment she/he was not trained for.

Each student group must designate a safety officer. The name, email, and cell phone

number of the safety officer must be distributed to each team member.

The safety officer must: Make sure that all individuals in the team are working in a safe manner and in compliance with

the Design Council Safety Policy. They will keep up to date record of the signed Safety Policy

forms for each team member

Be familiar with the daily activities of the team

Maintain a complete list of MSDS sheets for all potentially hazardous materials and their

respective quantities

All students must abide by the following ESPL General Use Rules:

1. A Laboratory Supervisor will oversee the Engineering Student Project Laboratory, including

the Machine Shop. 2. Students may not operate any power tool unless there is somebody else in the same work area

of the laboratory or shop. 3. Each student must wear safety glasses with side shield at all times while in any of the ESPL

work areas. 4. Hearing protection is required by anyone near loud equipment.

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5. When in the work areas one must wear appropriate clothing: closed toed shoes, pants, no loose

clothing, jewelry, or hair is allowed that can potentially be caught in equipment. Do not wear ties,

rings, or watches. 6. Students must not lift heavy objects without the aid of an appropriate lifting device and hold

heavy objects in place using appropriate equipment such as jack stands. 7. When using power tools to cut materials, all parts must be properly clamped in a vise or

clamped to a table. Never hold a piece by hand when attempting to cut or drill it. 8. Never leave any tool or equipment running unattended. This includes electronic equipment,

soldering irons, etc. When you finish using anything, turn it off. 9. People welding or assisting in welding operations must wear welding masks or yellow tinted

safety glasses. You may only watch the welding process if you are wearing a mask. Students who

are welding or using grinders must use appropriate shields to protect others. 10. Compressed gases used for welding or other purposes pose several hazards. Users of

compressed gases must read and follow the recommendations of Compressed Gas Safety

available at https://www.drs.illinois.edu/SafetyLibrary/CompressedGasCylinderSafety 11. Shop doors must not be propped open. 12. Waste chemicals must be properly discarded, See the Laboratory Supervisor. 13. Store potentially hazardous liquids, chemicals and materials in appropriate containers and

cabinets 14. Students are responsible for the order and cleanness of their work space and benches

according to the rule: If you make a mess, clean it up. The same rule will apply to the common

areas of the laboratory including the designated “dirty” space, paint booth, and welding areas.

15. Work in a clean, uncluttered environment with appropriate amounts of work space and check

tools and workspace for problems/hazards before working with them. 16. Know the location of all fire extinguishers, emergency showers, eye rinse stations, and first

aid kits. 17. If you fill the garbage can, empty it in the dumpster outside. 18. The Laboratory Supervisor will decide how to proceed in the case of any situations not

covered by the preceding rules.

ESPL Machine Shop Rules (for all students using the ESPL Machine Shop):

1. Any user of the ESPL Machine Shop must read, understand, and abide by the ESPL General

Use Rules. 2. The Laboratory Supervisor controls card access to the ESPL Machine Shop. No student can

use any machine tool until he/she has demonstrated competence on that machine to the

Laboratory Supervisor. 3. No student may enter or remain in the Machine Tool Workshop unless accompanied by the

Laboratory Supervisor or a student who is authorized to use the Shop. The authorized user is

responsible for the visitor while he/she remains on the Shop. 4. Students may not operate any machine tool unless there is somebody else in the Machine Tool

Workshop. 5. Each student must wear safety glasses at all times. 6. When operating machine tools, long hair, long sleeves, or baggy clothing must be pulled back.

Do not wear gloves, ties, rings, or watches in the ESPL Machine Shop. 7. When using power tools to cut materials, all parts must be properly clamped in a vise or

clamped to a table. Never hold a piece by hand when attempting to cut or drill it. 8. Be aware of what is going on around you. 9. Concentrate on what you're doing. If you get tired while you're working, leave the work until

you're able to fully concentrate—don't rush. If you catch yourself rushing, slow down. 10. Don't rush speeds and feeds. You'll end up damaging your part, the tools, and maybe the

machine itself.

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11. Listen to the machine, if something doesn't sound right, turn the machine off. 12. Don't let someone else talk you into doing something dangerous. 13. Don't attempt to measure a part that's moving. 14. Before you start a machine:

a. Study the machine. Know which parts move, which are stationary, and which are

sharp. b. Double check that your workpiece is securely held. c. Remove chuck keys and wrenches.

15. If you don't know how to do something, ask someone who does. 16. Clean up all messes made during construction

a. A dirty machine is unsafe and difficult to operate properly. b. Vacuum or sweep debris from the machine. c. Do not use compressed air.

17. Do not leave machines running unattended. 18. The Laboratory Supervisor will decide how to proceed in the case of any situations not

covered by the preceding rules.

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Appendix B

Illinois Space Society Student Launch

Educational Feedback Form

How interesting was the demonstration? (1 – Boring, 10 – Extremely Interesting)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

How much did you learn from this demonstration? (1 – Nothing, 10 – A Lot)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

How interesting was the presentation? (1 – Boring, 10 – Extremely Interesting)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

How much did you learn from this presentation? (1 – Nothing, 10 – A Lot)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

What did you enjoy from your time with us?

What was your least favorite part of your time with us?

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Appendix C

NAR HIGH POWERED ROCKET SAFETY CODE

EFFECTIVE AUGUST 2012

1. Certification. I will only fly high power rockets or possess high power rocket motors that

are within the scope of my user certification and required licensing.

2. Materials. I will use only lightweight materials such as paper, wood, rubber, plastic,

fiberglass, or when necessary ductile metal, for the construction of my rocket.

3. Motors. I will use only certified, commercially made rocket motors, and will not tamper

with these motors or use them for any purposes except those recommended by the

manufacturer. I will not allow smoking, open flames, nor heat sources within 25 feet of

these motors.

4. Ignition System. I will launch my rockets with an electrical launch system, and with

electrical motor igniters that are installed in the motor only after my rocket is at the launch

pad or in a designated prepping area. My launch system will have a safety interlock that is

in series with the launch switch that is not installed until my rocket is ready for launch, and

will use a launch switch that returns to the “off” position when released. The function of

onboard energetics and firing circuits will be inhibited except when my rocket is in the

launching position.

5. Misfires. If my rocket does not launch when I press the button of my electrical launch

system, I will remove the launcher’s safety interlock or disconnect its battery, and will wait

60 seconds after the last launch attempt before allowing anyone to approach the rocket.

6. Launch Safety. I will use a 5-second countdown before launch. I will ensure that a means

is available to warn participants and spectators in the event of a problem. I will ensure that

no person is closer to the launch pad than allowed by the accompanying Minimum Distance

Table. When arming onboard energetics and firing circuits I will ensure that no person is

at the pad except safety personnel and those required for arming and disarming operations.

I will check the stability of my rocket before flight and will not fly it if it cannot be

determined to be stable. When conducting a simultaneous launch of more than one high

power rocket I will observe the additional requirements of NFPA 1127.

7. Launcher. I will launch my rocket from a stable device that provides rigid guidance until

the rocket has attained a speed that ensures a stable flight, and that is pointed to within 20

degrees of vertical. If the wind speed exceeds 5 miles per hour I will use a launcher length

that permits the rocket to attain a safe velocity before separation from the launcher. I will

use a blast deflector to prevent the motor’s exhaust from hitting the ground. I will ensure

that dry grass is cleared around each launch pad in accordance with the accompanying

Minimum Distance table, and will increase this distance by a factor of 1.5 and clear that

area of all combustible material if the rocket motor being launched uses titanium sponge

in the propellant.

8. Size. My rocket will not contain any combination of motors that total more than 40,960 N-

sec (9208 pound-seconds) of total impulse. My rocket will not weigh more at liftoff than

one-third of the certified average thrust of the high power rocket motor(s) intended to be

ignited at launch.

9. Flight Safety. I will not launch my rocket at targets, into clouds, near airplanes, nor on

trajectories that take it directly over the heads of spectators or beyond the boundaries of

the launch site, and will not put any flammable or explosive payload in my rocket. I will

124

not launch my rockets if wind speeds exceed 20 miles per hour. I will comply with Federal

Aviation Administration airspace regulations when flying, and will ensure that my rocket

will not exceed any applicable altitude limit in effect at that launch site.

10. Launch Site. I will launch my rocket outdoors, in an open area where trees, power lines,

occupied buildings, and persons not involved in the launch do not present a hazard, and

that is at least as large on its smallest dimension as one-half of the maximum altitude to

which rockets are allowed to be flown at that site or 1500 feet, whichever is greater, or

1000 feet for rockets with a combined total impulse of less than 160 N-sec, a total liftoff

weight of less than 1500 grams, and a maximum expected altitude of less than 610 meters

(2000 feet).

11. Launcher Location. My launcher will be 1500 feet from any occupied building or from any

public highway on which traffic flow exceeds 10 vehicles per hour, not including traffic

flow related to the launch. It will also be no closer than the appropriate Minimum Personnel

Distance from the accompanying table from any boundary of the launch site.

12. Recovery System. I will use a recovery system such as a parachute in my rocket so that all

parts of my rocket return safely and undamaged and can be flown again, and I will use only

flame-resistant or fireproof recovery system wadding in my rocket.

13. Recovery Safety. I will not attempt to recover my rocket from power lines, tall trees, or

other dangerous places, fly it under conditions where it is likely to recover in spectator

areas or outside the launch site, nor attempt to catch it as it approaches the ground.

125

Installed Total

Impulse

(Newton-

Seconds)

Equivalent High

Power Motor

Type

Minimum

Diameter of

Cleared Area

(ft.)

Minimum

Personnel

Distance (ft.)

Minimum

Personnel Distance

(Complex Rocket)

(ft.)

0 — 320.00 H or smaller 50 100 200

320.01 — 640.00 I 50 100 200

640.01 — 1,280.00 J 50 100 200

1,280.01 —

2,560.00 K 75 200 300

2,560.01 —

5,120.00 L 100 300 500

5,120.01 —

10,240.00 M 125 500 1000

10,240.01 —

20,480.00 N 125 1000 1500

20,480.01 —

40,960.00 O 125 1500 2000

MINIMUM DISTANCE TABLE

126

Appendix D

Rail Calculations Python Script #all distances in inches, all weights in pounds, and all times in seconds

from math import cos #import relevant python tools and packages

from math import acos

from math import sin

from math import pi

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

f=24.682 #distance from hinge on base plate to hinge on ground

act_len_int=28.775 #initial actuator length

piv2piv=20.088 #distance from hinge on base plate to hinge on launch rail

da_dt=0.6 #how fast actuator extends in inches/second

act_len=np.linspace(28.775,39.111,100) #list of 100 points between initial and final actuator

lengths

alpha=[] #this list will be the angle between rail and actuator for every given length of the

actuator

def law_cos_ang(a,b,c): #use to find angle between rail and actuator using law of cosines

angle=acos((a**2+b**2-c**2)/(2*a*b))

return angle

for a in act_len: #fills 'alpha' list with appropriate angles in radians

alpha.append(law_cos_ang(a,piv2piv,f))

RocW=22.51 #weight of rocket

CGRoc=38.5 #CG of rocket from the pivot point on the base plate

CGRail=48.0 #CG of rail from pivot on base plate

RailW=10.7467 #weight of the 8' launch rail

TotW=33.2567 #weight of rail and rocket

CGComb=41.57 #CG of rail and rocket combined from pivot on base plate

act_force=[] #will be the list of forces to be graphed later

beta=np.linspace(0,pi/2,100) #angle off pi/2 that TotW acts w/ respect to the launch rail

momentCG=[]

#will be list of moments created by TotW, given actuator length. Measured from pivot at base

for angle in beta:

M=TotW*CGComb*cos(angle)

momentCG.append(M)

#determines the force required in the same direction as the actuator extends

for moment,angle in zip(momentCG,alpha):

AF=(moment/(piv2piv*sin(angle)))

act_force.append(AF)

127

time=np.linspace(0,(act_len[-1]-act_len[0])/da_dt,100) #plots actuator force as function of time

plt.plot(time,act_force,'ro')

plt.xlabel('Time(s)') #labeling axes

plt.ylabel('Force(lb)')

plt.title('Force vs. Time for Rail Lifting Actuator')

plt.show()

128

Appendix E

Rocket Profile Simulation Coded in MATLAB

%Flight Simulator for Illinois Space Society's NASA Student Launch Maxi-MAV

%competition, 2015-2016

%Based on Simulation created by David Knourek

%The current version of this simulator loads thrust curve values for the

%Aerotech K828, and K1000 motors, stored as .mat files called mass, thrust and time. These files

%hold vectors called Mass, Thrust and Time respectively, holding the obvious motor parameters.

These values are

%passed to the ODE45 ordinary differential equation solver. The program

%then parses the ODE solution to remove non-physical values that occur

%after the vehicle has landed, and plots the relevant data.

%For ease of use, calculations are completed in metric units, and converted

%to imperial units for output puropses

clc

clear

close all

%Load the Thrust curve characteristics

%These need to be altered if the motor is changed

%K1000

load('MassK1000.mat')

load('ThrustK1000.mat')

load('TimeK1000.mat')

MassK1000 = massimpulsewieghted(ThrustK1000,MassK1000);

%Store the thrust characteristics

%RHS are the vectors stored in the .mat files

%Mass is propellant mass

%This then loads the desired paramters into the variables used in ODE45

m=MassK1000;

T=ThrustK1000;

t=TimeK1000;

totalmass=10.2058;

%totalmass is mass of rocket with motor in kg

129

%Add extra times for after the motor has burnt out

%Also adds zeros for additional thrust and propellant mass values

n=1000; %Choose how many additional points to use

dt=.01; %Choose how long the additional time steps will be

xMass=zeros(n,1);

xThrust=zeros(n,1);

xTime=t(end)+dt:dt:t(end)+n*dt; %Can't just add 0 to times, need to add dt

xTime=xTime';

%Concatenate thrust curve values and additional values

m=[m; xMass];

T=[T;xThrust];

t=[t; xTime];

%Set the wind speed in mph, and convert to fps

%1mph = .44704 m/s

%Positive wind value assumes wind is blowing against the rocket's direction

%of travel

wind=5*.44704;

%Set the times over which to integrate

tspan=linspace(0,500,5000);

% Reference the "event" which will stop the integration when the rocket

% lands

options=odeset('Event',@crashevent);

%Solve the 2nd order ODE (See eomfun)

[times,Y]=ode45(@eomfun,tspan,[0 0 0 0],options,m,T,t,wind,totalmass);

% Find the time at which the altitude is first less than 0 during descent

% This is the landing time

endtime=find(Y(10:length(Y(:,1)),2)<0, 1 );

% Set Velocites to 0 if the rocket has landed

Y(endtime:length(Y(:,1)),3)=0;

Y(endtime:length(Y(:,1)),4)=0;

%Find velocity off of the rail, at 10 feet

130

railvelocity=interp1(Y(:,2),Y(:,4),8/3.28)*3.28;

%Output

fprintf('Rail Exit Velocity is %f feet/s \n',railvelocity);

P=00; %number of points after landing to plot

%Set times to plot over, start at ignition, end P timesteps after landing

plottimes=times;

%Extract flight characteristics and convert to feet

horizposition=Y(:,1)*3.28;

altitude=Y(:,2)*3.28;

MaxAltitude=max(altitude);

fprintf('Max Altitude is %f feet \n',MaxAltitude)

horizvelocity=Y(:,3)*3.28;

vertvelocity=Y(:,4)*3.28;

velocity=(horizvelocity.^2+vertvelocity.^2).^(1/2);

MaxVelocity=max(velocity);

fprintf('Max Velocity is %f feet/s \n',MaxVelocity)

fprintf('The Dift Distance is %f feet/s \n',abs(horizposition(end)))

%Load OpenRocket simulated values to plot a comparison

load('k1000.mat')

load('k1000wind.mat')

load('rocksimfull')

%Time(s) Altitude (ft) Vertical velocity (ft/s) Lateral distance (ft) Lateral velocity (ft/s)

%Plot Altitude

figure(1)

plot(plottimes,altitude,k1000wind(:,1),k1000wind(:,2),rocksimfull(:,1),rocksimfull(:,2),'linewidt

h',2)

xlabel('Time (seconds)')

ylabel('Altitude (feet)')

legend('Custom Sim','OpenRocket','RockSim')

%Plot Horizontal Position

figure(2)

plot(plottimes,abs(horizposition),k1000wind(:,1),k1000wind(:,4),'linewidth',2)

xlabel('Time (seconds)')

ylabel('Horizontal Position (feet)')

legend('Custom Sim','OpenRocket')

131

%Plot Horizontal Velocity

figure(3)

plot(plottimes,abs(horizvelocity)-20,k1000wind(:,1),k1000wind(:,5),'linewidth',2)

xlabel('Time (seconds)')

ylabel('Horizontal Velocity (feet/s)')

legend('Custom Sim','OpenRocket')

%Plot Vertical Velocity

figure(4)

plot(plottimes,vertvelocity,k1000(:,1),k1000(:,3),'linewidth',2)

xlabel('Time (seconds)')

ylabel('Vertical Velocity (feet/s)')

legend('Custom Sim','OpenRocket')

function dy = eomfun(t,Y,pmass,T,time,wind,totalmass)

%Flight Equations of Motion for Illinois Space Society's NASA Student Launch Maxi-MAV

%competition, 2015-2016

%Version 1.4

%The current version of these EOM takes as inputs the current position and velocity

%of the vehicle in the vertical and horizontal directions, and well as the

%thrust and the mass of the motor at all times, and the current time. It

%also takes the wind speed and total mass as imputs

%The program finds the current thrust, vehicle mass and drag, and uses

%these quantities to define the equations of motion. The derivatives of the

%input state Y are then passed out to ODE45, and used to solve the

%equations of motion.

%Based on Simulation created by David Knourek

%Define states

%Y=[x;y;vx;vy]

x=Y(1);

y=Y(2);

vx=Y(3);

vy=Y(4);

%Get x velocity wrt wind in the case that wind exists

%Positive wind value assumes wind is blowing against the rocket

vxrel=vx+wind;

132

%Find the direction of travel, used for direction of drag force

if y<100

theta=0*pi/180;

else

theta=atan2(vxrel,vy);

end

%if we have landed, set velocities and accelerations to zero and return

if t>5&&y<0

dy=[0;0;0;0];

return

end

%Set constant values, metric units

g=9.81;

rho=1.225;

%Calculate Frontal Area for Drag

finheight= .0857;

finthickness=.00635;

finarea=finheight*finthickness*3;

diameterinch=4;

radiusm=diameterinch/3.28/12/2;

areabody=pi*(radiusm^2);

areanochute=areabody+finarea; %Area used for drag (in initial simulation)

area=areanochute;

%Determine the propellant mass at the current time, convert to kg

%interpolates between known propellant masses at known times

if t>2.55

propmass=0; %short circuit interpolation after burnout

else

propmass=interp1(time,pmass,t);

end

propmass=propmass/1000;

%calculate drymass using the full vehicle mass minus initial prop mass

drymass=totalmass-pmass(1)/1000;

%Calculate the current mass of the vehicle, including current propellant

currentmass=drymass+propmass;

133

% % Parachutes

%Adds drag and area for each event

if vy<0 && y>=(500/3.28) && t>5 %Drogue Deployment from Apogee to 1000 feet

cd=.8;

area=areanochute+pi*(1.67/(3.28*2))^2;

elseif vy<0 && y<(500/3.28) && t>5 %Main Deployment at 1000 feet and below

cd=1.89;

area=areanochute+pi*(6/(3.28*2))^2;

else

cd=0.75;

end

%Find Thrust at the current time

%Interpolated between the known thrust values at known times

if t>5

Thrust =0; %Short circuit the interpolation after burnout

else

Thrust=interp1(time,T,t);

end

%Converts the 2nd order ODE into two 1st order ODEs

%Sets the derivative of the first state to the 3rd state

%Sets derivative of 2nd state to the 4th state

xdot=vx;

ydot=vy;

%Calculates the velocity magnitude

%uses the relative x velocity wrt wind since this value is used for drag

v=sqrt(vxrel^2+vy^2);

%Calculates Drag

%To Do: Implement area as a function of orientation and travel direction

D=.5*rho*v^2*cd*area;

%Drag has to be limited to some finite value, no matter how large. Otherwise drag may

%have an instantaneously infitie value and crash the simulation

if D>20000000000000000

D=200000000000000;

134

end

%X acceleration equation of motion, a_x=(F_x)/m

% ax=(1/currentmass)*(Thrust-D)*sin(theta);

ax=(1/currentmass)*((Thrust*sin(-5*pi/180)-D*sin(theta)));

%Sets derivative of x velocity as x accleration

vxdot=ax;

%Y accleration equation of motion, a_y=(F_y)/m

ay=(1/currentmass)*((Thrust*cos(-5*pi/180))-D*cos(theta))-g;

%Sets derivative of y velocity as y acceleration

vydot=ay;

%Store the derivatives of the input state, to be returned to ODE45

dy=[xdot; ydot; vxdot; vydot];

end

function [ massnew ] = massimpulsewieghted( thrust,mass)

%Takes in propellent mass and thrust vector and weigths a new mass vector

% thrust = thrust curve values

% mass = mass of the motor

% massnew = a weighted mass vector based on thrust values

totalimpulse=sum(thrust);

totalmass=mass;

massnew=zeros(length(thrust)+1,1);

massnew(1)=totalmass;

for i=2:length(thrust)+1

massnew(i) = massnew(i-1) -(totalmass*thrust(i-1)/totalimpulse);

end

massnew=massnew(2:end);

end

135

Appendix E

Matlab code for cp and cg simulation clc

clear all

Ln = 16.496;

D = 4.014;

Cr = 11.813;

Ct = 6.25;

S = 5.25;

Xr = 4.5;

Xb = 77.438;

N = 3;

L = 90.5;

sweeplength = 4.5;

middledist = Ct/2 + sweeplength - Cr/2;

Lf = sqrt(middledist^2 + S^2);

R = D/2;

CNN = 2;

XN = .466*Ln;

CNF = (1 + R/(R+S))*((4*N*(S/D)^2)/(1+sqrt(1+(2*Lf/(Cr+Ct))^2)));

XF = Xb + Xr/3*(Cr + 2*Ct)/(Cr + Ct) + 1/6*((Cr + Ct - Cr*Ct/(Cr + Ct)));

CNT = 0;

CNR = CNN + CNT + CNF;

xbar = (CNN*XN + CNF*XF)/(CNR