Collegiate Rocket Competition Research Articles

Actively Minimize Rocket Roll-Rate During the Coast Phase

In the 2021-2022 Collegiate Rocket Competition, participating teams were tasked with the development and implementation of an active roll-control system onboard their rocket. To reduce the rotation of an object, the principal of conservation of momentum was applied by adjusting the angular momentum of a mass inside the object. This principle was implemented in the Phantastic Phoenom’s 2022 rocket to minimize the roll-rate during the coast phase of flight. The components utilized to accomplish this include a three-inch steel tube, Raven4 altimeter, six-axis accelerometer, Arduino Nano microcontroller, and a stepper motor. The mass housed inside the rocket was reduced by 40% to achieve the weight needed to reach the predicted apogee. Despite several unforeseen challenges the day of the competition launch, the rocket completed a successful launch. The Phantastic Phoenoms are proud to be able to win third place in this competition.

Pioneer Rocketry - 2016 WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

The objective of the 2016 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Collegiate Rocket Launch Competition was to design and build a “true scale model” of any real world rocket or missile. We selected to bring a scale model of the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL to this year's competition. We had three flights during the competition, all of which were successful, and close to our expected values. This, as well as our documentation, earned us first place in this year's competition. The following report details the design and construction of Pioneer Rocketry’s 2016 competition rocket, along with information regarding Pioneer Rocketry’s growth as both an educational and professional organization.

Pioneer Rocketry 2015 WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

The objective of the 2015 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) Collegiate Rocket Competition was to design and build a two stage “Boosted Dart" - style rocket to achieve maximum altitude. The rocket was propelled by a single grain 54mm rocket motor (I445 Vmax). Extensive design and modeling was done to optimize the design to achieve maximum altitude. An electronic device designed to measure the rotation of the rocket that would then be correlated to rotation observed with video captured by a camera system. The rocket performed as expected in most aspects, completing most objectives per competition parameters. The flight of the boosted dart however ended in failure, as a delayed ejection of the parachute resulted in compounding failures leading to the loss of the rocket. The camera, having fallen separate from the rocket body, had survived the flight. The video was analyzed and the flights apogee was estimated to be 6000ft. The following report details the design and construction of Pioneer Rocketry’s 2015 competition rocket, along with information regarding Pioneer Rocketry’s growth as both an educational and professional organization.Â

Team Whoosh Generator 2015 WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

The objectives of the 2015 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) Collegiate Rocket Competition were to design and build a “boosted dart” high-powered rocket to allow the dart stage to reach the highest possible apogee and to conform to design restrictions and added design objectives. The rocket was required to use a Cesaroni I-445 motor as specified by WSGC, use a flight data recorder provided by WSGC, and be safely recovered in a flyable condition by use of a parachute system. The dart was required to be an unpowered upper stage that drag separates from the booster without imparting momentum onto the dart. In addition to the altimeters already on board, a noncommercial data acquisition system was required to record data on the rotation of the rocket in the X, Y, and Z axes over time. Finally, the rocket was required to record downward facing video of the flight starting at the time of launch.Included in this report are design details considered, anticipated performance, photos of constructed components, and flight results.

Badger Ballistics: 2015 WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

This report provides an overview of the design features, construction and analysis of a high-powered rocket and payload. The rocket was designed and constructed to be a boosted dart that could be recovered in a flyable condition in accordance with the WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition objectives. The boosted dart was comprised of an unpowered dart and a rocket booster. The two stages of the rocket were designed to separate as a result of drag after the boosted dart stopped providing thrust. After the drag separation, the unpowered dart was to continue coasting on a parabolic trajectory until an electronic deployment system released its parachute. The rocket booster also contained a parachute recovery system that was to release after separation. The payload of the unpowered dart was designed and constructed to collect on-board, nadir video and characterize the rotation of the rocket in the X, Y, and Z axes over time. Badger Ballistics achieved a successful flight with a successful launch, dart separation from booster, successful deployment of the booster recovery system, successful deployment of the dart recovery system, and the recovery of both stages in flyable condition.

Pioneer Rocketry: 2014 WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

The objective of the 2014 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) Collegiate Rocket Competition was to design a one-stage high-powered rocket that could accurately reach an apogee of 3,000 feet and then be recovered timely and safely and in a flyable condition. The competition also required two methods of determining velocity through the use of onboard electronics. Overall, the performance in the 2014 WSGC Collegiate Rocketry Competition was a success. The rocket used for competition, Pioneer - I, reached an apogee of 3094 feet. The time took to recover the rocket was approximately ten minutes. The apogee reached and recovery time, combined with our presentation, design report, post-flight report, and educational outreach services put us into first place for this year’s competition1.

Team Whoosh Generator 2014: WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

The objective of the 2014 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) Collegiate Rocket Competition is to design, build, and fly a single-stage, high-powered rocket to accurately reach an apogee of 3000 feet, along with design restrictions and two added design objectives. The rocket must use a motor as specified by WSGC, have a maximum length of 72 inches, have a body tube diameter between 4 and 6 inches, use a flight data recorder provided by WSGC, and be safely recovered in a flyable condition by an electronically deployed parachute system. Also, a system in addition to the altimeters already on board must be implemented that records data which can be used to find the rocket’s velocity and acceleration during ascent. Finally, the time to rocket recovery must be minimized. Included in this report are design details considered, anticipated performance, photos of constructed components, and flight results.

WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition Report Wombat 1 Team Night Skies

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Team Whoosh Generator 2013 WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

The objective of the 2013 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Collegiate Rocket competition was to design, build, and launch a single-stage high powered rocket that must reach a target altitude of 3000 feet and deploy a parachute(s) electronically for a successful recovery. Upon recovery, the rocket must be determined to be in a flyable condition to be considered a successful launch. Teams receive a launch score based on their combination of reaching the desired altitude and on whether or not the rocket was recovered in a flyable condition. At the kick-off meeting, Team Whoosh Generator was informed they would be using a Cesaroni I540 motor and a 4.0-in airframe diameter. An RRC2 mini altimeter (from last year’s rocket) and an ALTS25 altimeter given to the team at this year’s altimeter conference were selected to complete the apogee requirements. Upon reaching apogee (estimated around 3080 feet) a drogue chute deployed under which the rocket descended until it reached an altitude of 500 feet. A second chute then deployed such that a slow decent speed was obtained for landing. A Transolve Beep-X Sonic Locator was activated before launch and was used to aid in recovery of the rocket. Included in this report are design details considered, anticipated performance, photos of the construction process, and flight results. 1Â

Team Jarts Rocket Design

The objective of the 2013 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium collegiate rocket competition was to construct a rocket to achieve an apogee of 3,000 feet and recover the rocket safely in flyable condition The rocket was designed to reach an apogee of 3000 feet. The main feature of the rocket includes passively controlling the drag to control the altitude reached. This is done by initial design of the airframe and fins. The other feature is deploying a drogue parachute on the ascent of the rocket in order to stop the rocket at 3000 feet. The rocket was designed to achieve an apogee greater than 3000 feet so that the deployment of a drogue parachute can stop the rocket at 3000 feet. Fiberglass tubing makes up the rocket due to its high strength and durability. Extra support was designed into the rocket to ensure that zippering does not occur. The rocket design included resulting in stable rocket based on the center of pressure and center of gravity. The recovery system of the rocket involves a dual deployment system. A drogue parachute is to be deployed at 2900 feet to stop the rocket at 3000 feet and control the rockets descent until the main parachute is deployed. The main parachute is then deployed at 700 feet and controls the rocket descent until landing on the ground. There is also a second set of ejection charges that will deploy the drogue parachute at apogee and the main parachute at 500 feet if the main charges do not deploy them. These ejection charges are fired by the MARSA4 and PerfectFlite StratoLogger altimeters. There is also a motor ejection charge backup based on a time delay to ensure the deployment of a parachute.Â

UWL Physics Rocket Team: Final Report

The goal of this year's collegiate rocket competition was to design and successfully launch a one-stage, high-powered rocket that, during its ascent, would transmit live video from a downward looking camera to a ground based receiver. In order to be considered a successful launch, the rocket was to attain an altitude near 3000 feet, electronically deploy a recovery parachute attached to all parts of the rocket, succeed in transmitting live video throughout the ascent, and safely land in a flyable condition. To achieve these requirements, the UWL Physics Rocket Team used OpenRocket to sketch a design that best fit the specifications of the competition. After it was discovered that programs such as OpenRocket are capable of doing the brunt of the theoretical work, it was decided that the majority of the essential components of our rocket would be hand built to increase the feeling of personal accomplishment. The design of our rocket utilizes a dual deployment recovery system, with the bottom section housing a custom made motor mount, the middle section housing the electronics for recording flight data, and the top-most section housing the equipment for the recording and transmitting of live video.Â

Team Woosh Generator 2012 WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition

The objective of the 2012 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Collegiate Rocket competition was to design, build, and launch a single-stage high powered rocket that is capable of transmitting live video from a downward looking camera during its ascent. The rocket must reach a target altitude of 3000 ft and deploy a parachute(s) electronically for a successful recovery. Upon recovery, the rocket must be determined to be in a flyable condition to be considered a successful launch. Teams receive a launch score based on their combination of reaching the desired altitude and the quality of their video received.1 After running preliminary simulations, Team Woosh Generator decided to select a Cesaroni J357 motor with a 3.0-in airframe diameter. A BoosterVision video recorder, transmitter and receiver system was selected to complete the live video feed requirement. The camera will be located on the exterior of the rocket and will be protected from drag forces during flight from a shroud. Upon reaching apogee a drogue shot will deploy under which the rocket will descend until it reaches an altitude of 500 feet. A second chute will then deploy such that a slow descent speed is obtained for landing. Redundant flight altimeters will be utilized to ensure proper chute deployment. Included in this report are design details considered, anticipated performance, photos of the construction process, and flight results.Â

Team Jarts Rocket Design

The objective of the 2012 Wisconsin Space Grand Consortium collegiate rocket competition was to construct a rocket capable of live video feed through the thrust phase while flying to an exact altitude of 3,000 feet. The airframe of the rocket was designed utilizing a simplistic, low weight design to provide a properly balanced rocket. The main chute was designed for two separate scenarios of deployment; the first scenario involves a remote controlled manual deployment, and the other is activated by an automatic elevation trigger, which will serve as a failsafe to ensure the rocket makes a safe landing. A numerical simulation, developed in MATLAB, was used to predict the performance of the rocket. The maximum predicted acceleration calculated is 506 𝒇𝒕/𝒔𝟐, and the maximum predicted altitude calculated is 3480.6 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕. Further analysis of the rocket design and discrepancies are attached below.Â

WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition Design Analysis – Team ChlAM

The WSGC Collegiate Rocket Competition’s 2012 launch challenged teams to launch a single stage high-power rocket as close to 3000 ft in the air while transmitting live video for the entire ascent. Our team designed and successfully launched a roughly 5 foot tall rocket for the competition on a $1000 budget. With the aid of simulation software and our own calculations, our rocket had a safe and stable launch to 2479 ft, lower than our expected 3000 ft. Error was likely caused by the strong wind and rainy conditions during the launch, which add drag. In addition, we made assumptions in our calculations about the rocket’s drag coefficient, which may not have been accurate. We were satisfied with the success of our first high-power rocket and learned a lot that can be carried over to next year’s competition.Â