colorado space grant consortium virginia space grant consortium 1 rockon... a sounding rocket...

1Colorado Space Grant Consortium

Virginia Space Grant Consortium

RockOn...

A Sounding Rocket Payload Workshop

Colorado & Virginia Space Grant Consortium

Mission Initiation Conference

February 21, 20082:00 PM EST

RockOn...

A Sounding Rocket Payload Workshop

Colorado & Virginia Space Grant Consortium

Mission Initiation Conference

February 21, 20082:00 PM EST



Presentation Overview

1. Workshop Concept

2. Introduction and Background

3. Workshop Kit Concept

4. Concept of Operations

5. Stacked Kit Configuration

6. RocketSat Can Configuration

7. Can to Launch Vehicle Integration

8. Testing

9. Special Requests

10. Summary of Final Configuration



1. Workshop Concept:

- Faculty and students come to Wallops for a six day hands-on workshop

- In teams of 3-4, they build a sounding rocket payload (RocketSat) from a kit

- All payloads are identical

- Payloads integrated into a standard container and integrated on 4th day

- Payloads are launched on a single rocket on the 6th day

- Workshop is held annually

- Past participants come back to fly their own payloads in standard container for a set price (some may fly on future workshop rockets to help pay cost of workshop launch)




- RockOn workshop is based on the successful Boulder BalloonSat workshop




- This workshop has been held five times with great participation




- We are expecting similar participation with the RockOn workshop

- The website can be found at…http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/rockon/



2. Introduction and Background:

RocketSat and Workshop Goals:

1.) Allow students to design payloads that will go into space

2.) More challenging design problem

3.) Unique science opportunities

4.) More demanding hands-on experience

5.) Interdisciplinary team work

6.) Help create a new and standard access to space platform with Wallops




- The workshop kit or RocketSat has been under development and testing since January 2006.

- RocketSat has been develped by undergraduate students from the University of Colorado at Boulder

- RocketSat has flown three times in different configurations

- RocketSat I September 2006- RocketSat II April 2007- RocketSat III June 2007



RocketSat 1 Objectives:

1.) Easily reproducible payload design (COTS)

2.) Qualitative data description of flight environment with altitude

3.) Science Package:- Geiger Counter- Microwave Detector

- Sensor Package- Temperature sensor- Accelerometers- Pressure sensor





1.) Easily reproducible payload design (COTS)

2.) Record detailed flight data:- Video Camera

3.) General environmental sensors:- Temperature- Pressure- Humidity

4.) Structural Loading Data:- Three-axis accelerometer recordings- Strain gauges

- Faculty Sponsored GPS experiment





1.) Re-fly all hardware from RSI except microwave sensor and Geiger counter

2.) New Sensors:- Silicon pressure sensor- New Geiger counter- New microwave sensor




3. Workshop Kit:

- No Rocket power needed

- No Telemetry needed



3. Workshop Kit:

AVR

GeigerCounter

G-Switch

9 Volt Batteries

Z axisAccels.



3. Workshop Kit:

- Plate material is similar to Lexan

- CG of populated plate is

+ 0.0679 X- 0.0195 Y - 0.0176 Z

- Weight of populated plate is ~1.75 to 2.00 pounds

- Notches for electrical



Functional Block Diagram

AVR

Temp.Sensor

Geiger Counter

PressureSensor

X and Y Acc.

Z Accel.

Data RetrievalBoard

(not flight)

Flash Memory

9V 9V

In Parallel

VREGS

AVR Output G-Switch

Wallops Activation

Flash Input

Flash Output

Legend

Power

Data

AVR Input

3. Workshop Kit:



AVR Board – Revision 3:

- ATMega 32L Microprocessor

- 2 MB Flash Memory

- 0-15 Psi Pressure Sensor

- 3-Axis Acceleration

- Temperature Sensor

- In-System-Programming

- Attached Geiger Counter

- 9 Volt Bus

- RBF pin on each kit

- G-switch on each kit

Data Retrieval (not flight)

Z-Axis Acceleration

Main Board

G-Switch

3. Workshop Kit:



Geiger Counter – Revision 3:

- Addition of Audio Segment to compliment blinking LED

- New Aerosol Urethane based conformal coating (1500V/mil dielectric spec) to prevent coronal discharge

- Digital Output TTL pulse for AVR interface and recording

- Epoxy application to Geiger tube to prevent depressurization blowout of mica window

Geiger Board

3. Workshop Kit:



T-15 minutes –• Arming Relay ActivatedG-switch and AVR deactivated

T-0 – Liftoff•G-switch and AVR activated•Z-axis accelerometers show a large vertical acceleration•System begins collecting data

T+1 second – •Z-axis accelerations cause memory protection latches to engage•X- and Y-axis accelerometers show constant values due to spin

T+~3 minutes – •Rocket reaches apogee•Z-axis accelerometers read 0 g due to free fall conditions

T+15 minutes – •Rocket lands•Sensors continue to collect data until flash memory is full

Later – Retrieval•Payloads retrieved•AVR continues to operate in low power mode until battery power is exhausted•If power returns, data is not overwritten due to memory protection system

4. Concept of Operations:



Single Plate w/ Stand-Offs

2nd Plate Clocked and Stacked On

Top of 1st

5. Stacked Configuration:



Stand-Offs Added

3rd Plate Clocked and Stacked On

Top of 2nd




Stand-Offs Added

4th Plate Clocked and Stacked On

Top of 3rd




Stand-Offs Added

5th Plate Clocked and Stacked On

Top of 4th




Stand-Offs Added

Stacked Configuration ~10 pounds




5 Plate Stack Attached to Can

Bottom Bulkhead

6. RocketSat Can Configuration:



Split Barrel Section Added and attached to

Bottom Bulkhead

(8 Places)




5 Plate Stack Stand-offs

attached to Top Lid. Barrel

Section attached to Top Lid

(8 Places)

Assembled can with payload ~20

pounds




Bottom Bulkhead




Barrel Section




Top Lid


Colorado Space Grant Consortium




7. Can Integration to Launch Vehicle:

Use of standard can will simplify integration

3 longerons and 5 Sub-SEM Rings

Can #1 integrated and bolted to Sub-SEM Ring








Electrical Connections to Latching Relays run down side of Cans and through inner diameter of Sub-SEM Ring











Can #3 has camera payload

(See Section #9)









Can #5 has different payload to test standard concept for next year’s workshop

(See Section #9)




4th Longeron is added after all electrical connections have been made



~1.0” – 2.0” between top of can and Sub-SEM ring




Rocket skin is attached.

Estimated Rocket skin length is ~66 inches.

This does not include area for latching relays or other Wallops equipment.



View port needed here.

(See Section 9)

Static and Dynamic port needed here.

(See Section 9)



Boulder:

3d Modeling in Solidworks Yields Preliminary Center of Gravity

Functional Tests by System During Integration

Testing of Completed Payload:

Mission Simulation

Moments Around 2 Orthogonal Axes - CG

Correlation of Measured CG to Simulated

8. Testing:



Wallops Space Center:

Spin – Measure CG, Moment of Inertia (Single Disc)

Vibration – Single Payload Disc on Vibration Table

Bending – 5-Payload Can in Simulated Rocket Body

This testing will occur with students during the week of March 24 – 27, 2008 at Wallops

8. Testing:



9. Special Requests: Request #1

Substitute 2 Workshop experiment decks in one can and replace it with a camera deck to record flight for participants

Can CG will be same as other can but this requires a view port




One of the goals of the workshop is to help develop a standard package to launch future sounding rocket payloads

This concept is part of the sustainability for future workshops at Wallops

Each future workshop would fly 1 – 3 paying customers (previous workshop participants) payloads in a RocketSat Can

Would like to demonstrate this concept on the first flight with the 5th Can

This is payload is called RocketSat IV and is a CU undergraduate student payload being developed since September 2007




RocketSat IV has the following Mission Statement

RocketSat IV will expand the knowledge of the composition of the upper atmosphere by measuring the concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane above 30km.

- RocketSat IV would have a balanced CG and require no power or telemetry.

- RocketSat IV would have the same weight as a normal Workshop Can (10 lbs)

- RocketSat IV would be contained in the same Can system being used during the workshop

- RocketSat IV would require a dynamic and static pressure port to sample atmosphere from apogee until a unspecified time before parachute deployment




- RocketSat IV consists of stainless steel tubing




- The tubing is vacated at apogee

- As pressure increases, air is forced into the tube, compresses, and remains in the order that it was sampled

- Sample is analyzed using laser analyzer after the flight

Air




- Two sections of tubing will be used to collect separate samples from different durations of the flight.

- One tubing will collect atmosphere from apogee to 30km where it will be sealed

- The second tubing will collect atmosphere from apogee to just before the parachute deploys.

Dynamic pressure port

- Sample the low density air more effectively, we need to have dynamic pressure force air into the tubing.

Static pressure port

- For sampling purposes, we need a static pressure port to measure ambient pressure to identify the altitude.




- Internal Configuration




- Integrated Can Configuration

Cans 1, 2, and 4





Can 3





Can 5




- Launch Vehicle Integration




- Skin with two access areas for:

1 View port

1 Static port

1 Dynamic port

Total payload weight with cans ~100 pounds

Payload section ~66 inches long

Launch scheduled for June 27, 2008

colorado space grant consortium virginia space grant consortium 1 rockon... a sounding rocket...

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