High Powered Rocket Team Group Update II
11/3/15
To this point, the rocket team has completed approximately 95% of the proposed project scope by Dr. Alberts at the beginning of the Summer 2015 semester. On October 7th/8th we completed three launches. The first launch was a commercial motor flight to 4,029 feet to test the functionality of the GPS system, avionics bay, and parachutes. The second launch was a commercial motor flight to 11,960 feet to achieve the goal set in the project scope to reach at least 8,000 feet. The third launch was a custom motor flight using an Ammonium Perchlorate propellant with an iron oxide catalyst to 2,503 feet.
Between launches we reviewed flight data, completed error analysis, and prepared the custom propellant for the next test launch. For the second launch of the commercial motor flight, the simulation projected the flight to 9,360 feet, but the flight reached 11,960 feet. We figured out that this was because each rocket component was not weighed and the rocket was actually lighter than planned. After simulating the rocket with the correct weight, we received data close to the result. In order to ensure that this issue did not occur again, we analyzed the error of the flight simulators for each rocket flight. We attempted to account for this error for the simulations of the final test launch scheduled in November.
The final task left to complete on the project scope is to launch a rocket to 8,000 feet or higher on a custom rocket motor. On Sunday November 8th, we will be test launching our final custom motor in Monterey, VA. The rocket propellant is an Ammonium Perchlorate base with a copper oxide catalyst. The custom propellant has a weight of 3.554 pounds. The total liftoff weight of the rocket is 21.704 pounds. Several simulations have been done to ensure the rocket will fly to its expected height to reach the goal of the rocket team of 8,000 feet as well as stay under the Tripoli Rocket Association ceiling for custom motor launches of 9,000 feet. The propellant simulation through BurnSim has listed the motor as an L-675 class motor with a total impulse of 2924 Newton-seconds and burn time of 4.33 seconds. After accounting for all variables, the launch is simulated to go 8,250 feet. Upon completion of this launch, the rocket team will be 100% completed with the project scope.
Our final goal of the Fall 2015 semester is to prepare the new ODU Rocket Club and the underclassmen rocket members for the future. This semester we added an underclassman, Alexandre Misenheimer, who is planning on being the succeeding project manager and president of the ODU Rocket Club in the Spring 2016 semester. Alex is currently preparing his rocket for two launches on Saturday, November 7th. These two launches will be to gain his level 1 and 2 certification through the Tripoli Rocket Association. The rocket club is in the process of adding new members and appointing new members to the board.