Sounding Rocket Research Articles

On use of hybrid rocket propulsion for suborbital vehicles

While the majority of operating suborbital rockets use solid rocket propulsion, recent advancements in the field of hybrid rocket motors lead to renewed interest in their use in sounding rockets. This paper presents results of optimisation of sounding rockets using hybrid propulsion. An overview of vehicles under development during the last decade, as well as heritage systems is provided. Different propellant combinations are discussed and their performance assessment is given. While Liquid Oxygen, Nitrous Oxide and Nitric Acid have been widely tested with various solid fuels in flight, Hydrogen Peroxide remains an oxidiser with very limited sounding rocket applications. The benefits of hybrid propulsion for sounding rockets are given. In case of hybrid rocket motors the thrust curve can be optimised for each flight, using a flow regulator, depending on the payload and mission. Results of studies concerning the optimal burn duration and nozzle selection are given. Specific considerations are provided for the Polish ILR-33 “Amber” sounding rocket. Low regression rates, which up to date were viewed as a drawback of hybrid propulsion may be used to the benefit of maximising rocket performance if small solid rocket boosters are used during the initial flight period. While increased interest in hybrid propulsion is present, no up-to-date reference concerning use of hybrid rocket propulsion for sounding rockets is available. The ultimate goal of the paper is to provide insight into the sensitivity of different design parameters on performance of hybrid sounding rockets and delve into the potential and challenges of using hybrid rocket technology for expendable suborbital applications.

Analysis of Statoliths Displacement in Chara Rhizoids for Validating the Microgravity-Simulation Quality of Clinorotation Modes

In single-celled rhizoids of the green algae Chara, positively gravitropic growth is governed by statoliths kept in a dynamically stable position 10–25 μ m above the cell tip by a complex interaction of gravity and actomyosin forces. Any deviation of the tube-like cells from the tip-downward orientation causes statoliths to sediment onto the gravisensitive subapical cell flank which initiates a gravitropic curvature response. Microgravity experiments have shown that abolishing the net tip-directed gravity force results in an actomyosin-mediated axial displacement of statoliths away from the cell tip. The present study was performed to critically assess the quality of microgravity simulation provided by different operational modes of a Random Positioning Machine (RPM) running with one axis (2D mode) or two axes (3D mode) and different rotational speeds (2D), speed ranges and directions (3D). The effects of 2D and 3D rotation were compared with data from experiments in real microgravity conditions (MAXUS sounding rocket missions). Rotational speeds in the range of 60–85 rpm in 2D and 3D modes resulted in a similar kinetics of statolith displacement as compared to real microgravity data, while slower clinorotation (2–11 rpm) caused a reduced axial displacement and a more dispersed arrangement of statoliths closer to the cell tip. Increasing the complexity of rotation by adding a second rotation axis in case of 3D clinorotation did not increase the quality of microgravity simulation, however, increased side effects such as the level of vibrations resulting in a more dispersed arrangement of statoliths. In conclusion, fast 2D clinorotation provides the most appropriate microgravity simulation for investigating the graviperception mechanism in Chara rhizoids, whereas slower clinorotation speeds and rotating samples around two axes do not improve the quality of microgravity simulation.

Design Methodology and Performance Evaluation of New Generation Sounding Rockets

Sounding rockets are currently deployed for the purpose of providing experimental data of the upper atmosphere, as well as for microgravity experiments. This work provides a methodology in order to design, model, and evaluate the performance of new sounding rockets. A general configuration composed of a rocket with four canards and four tail wings is sized and optimized, assuming different payload masses and microgravity durations. The aerodynamic forces are modeled with high fidelity using the interpolation of available data. Three different guidance algorithms are used for the trajectory integration: constant attitude, near radial, and sun-pointing. The sun-pointing guidance is used to obtain the best microgravity performance while maintaining a specified attitude with respect to the sun, allowing for experiments which are temperature sensitive. Near radial guidance has instead the main purpose of reaching high altitudes, thus maximizing the microgravity duration. The results prove that the methodology at hand is straightforward to implement and capable of providing satisfactory performance in term of microgravity duration.

A Record Flight of the Hybrid Sounding Rocket HEROS 3

Hybrid rocket propulsion offers inherent safety during handling and launch operations at low cost. This makes it not only attractive for space tourism applications like SpaceShipTwo but also for sounding rockets and for educational activities with students. This has been successfully demonstrated by the HyEnD student project from the University of Stuttgart: On November 8th, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. the hybrid sounding rocket HEROS 3 was launched from the Esrange Space Center to an apogee altitude of 32,300 m (106,000 ft). This set a new altitude record for European student and amateur rocketry. Furthermore, this is a world altitude record for hybrid rockets built by students. It was successfully recovered with the drogue and main parachute being released. The rocket was powered by a 10 kN design thrust hybrid rocket engine with a paraffin-based fuel and Nitrous Oxide (N2O) as the oxidizer. The combustion efficiency was verified to be above 97% in ground tests. Liquid burn time in the flight was for 15 s with an additional combustion of gaseous N2O in the blow-down mode of about 10 s. The rocket was 7.5 m long with an empty mass of about 75 kg. The rocket structure was made completely from light-weight carbon fibre and glass fibre reinforced plastic.

Hyper Gravity-Induced Transients in <i>Phycomyces</i> as Measured by Single Beam Spectrophotometer on the Sounding Rocket TEXUS 50

In the first paper of two referring to the TEXUS 50 campaign using micro dual wavelength spectrometers (MDWS) we kinetically determined the threshold1 for GIACs (gravity-induced absorption changes) in Phycomyces to be lower than 25 × 10−3 g (http://file.scirp.org/pdf/JMP_2015082810060783.pdf). In this second paper, we attended measurement of GIAC-spectra. Unexpectedly, during the upwards movement, i.e. the hypergravity phase up to top acceleration values reaching 11.6 g at 35.4 s after liftoff we observed transient GIAC-spectra ranging from 380 to 750 nm. In addition, during the whole acceleration phase of 68.2 s, another component near 700 nm develops which remains stable during the whole “free fall trajectory parabola” for 381.3 s. The subsequent reentry of the rocket leads to extraordinary deceleration values up 37.8 g, completely destroying Phycomyces sporangiophores excluding their spectral measurement. During the microgravity phase and by centrifuge operation we were unable to detect any GIAC-spectra (in contrast to kinetic MDWS-measurements, first paper).

Electrophysiological Recordings on a Sounding Rocket: Report of a First Attempt Using Xenopus laevis Oocytes

It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotrans-duction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket. The aim of such an experiment was first to assess whether electrophysiological measurements of Xenopus laevis oocytes can be performed on sounding rocket flights, something that has never been done before. Second, we aimed to examine the gating properties of ion channels under microgravity conditions. The experiment was conducted in March 2016 on the REXUS 20 rocket. The post-flight analysis showed that all recording chambers were empty as the rocket reached the microgravity phase. A closer analysis of the flight data revealed that the oocytes were ripped apart a few seconds after the rocket launch. This first attempt at using sounding rockets as a research platform for electrophysiological recordings was therefore limited. Our modified “OoClamp” hardware was able to perform the necessary tasks for difficult electrophysiological recordings aboard a sounding rocket; however, the physical stresses during launch (acceleration and vibrations) did not support viability of Xenopus oocytes.

Electrophysiological Recordings on a Sounding Rocket: Report of a First Attempt Using Xenopus laevis Oocytes

Abstract It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotransduction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket. The aim of such an experiment was first to assess whether electrophysiological measurements of Xenopus laevis oocytes can be performed on sounding rocket flights, something that has never been done before. Second, we aimed to examine the gating properties of ion channels under microgravity conditions. The experiment was conducted in March 2016 on the REXUS 20 rocket. The post-flight analysis showed that all recording chambers were empty as the rocket reached the microgravity phase. A closer analysis of the flight data revealed that the oocytes were ripped apart a few seconds after the rocket launch. This first attempt at using sounding rockets as a research platform for electrophysiological recordings was therefore limited. Our modified “OoClamp” hardware was able to perform the necessary tasks for difficult electrophysiological recordings aboard a sounding rocket; however, the physical stresses during launch (acceleration and vibrations) did not support viability of Xenopus oocytes.

Multidisciplinary optimisation of single-stage sounding rockets using solid propulsion

Existing sounding rockets are based on earlier proven designs and often utilize surplus military solid rocket motors. Therefore commonly non-optimal, in terms of performance for a given payload, configurations are utilized. This paper presents a methodology for finding close-to-optimal, in terms of launch mass minimization, design configurations for small unguided sounding rockets. A numerical, multidisciplinary approach is used. During the optimization process vehicle sizing and corresponding aerodynamics modelling is done. The implemented flight simulation module is simplified due to unknown, during the conceptual design phase, rocket mass distributions along vehicle major axes. Special attention is given to propulsion system sizing and thrust level selection. This paper presents optimization of sounding rockets with lift capabilities equivalent to sending small payloads above the Von Karman line. The ultimate aim of this paper is to present methods to improve sounding rocket performance at an early stage of design, to enable conducting more efficient microgravity research. Various concepts, such as using different expansion ratio nozzles for different payload envelopes and masses, are discussed. Optimization results for maximizing the apogee of a small sounding rocket are presented. Due to the lack of published corresponding research, guidelines for future sounding rocket developments, based on numerical investigations, are given. The significance of the study is due to the emergence of new sounding rocket designs, without use of surplus motors, and the possibility to improve vehicle efficiency after a few decades of little alteration.

Designing a Universal Deceleration System for Sounding Rockets Lighter than 100kg by System Engineering Approach

Designing a Universal Deceleration System for Sounding Rockets Lighter than 100kg by System Engineering Approach

A high-precision dynamic model of a sounding rocket and rapid wind compensation method research

Sounding rockets are the only direct detection method for near-space and are utilized for different kinds of scientific research. Dynamic models are the foundation of research on sounding rockets. However, no dynamic models have included all the working processes of a sounding rocket. A high-precision dynamic model of a sounding rocket is proposed in this article; the model includes motion on the launch rail, the free flight phase, parachute deployment, the inflation process, and steady descent. Through the model, the entirety of the dynamic process can be understood in detail to help improve performance. A combination wind compensation method was investigated to rapidly and accurately obtain launch parameters; the method was derived from a wind weighting and pattern search method. Based on the simulation results, the proposed approaches are proven to be effective.

First Na lidar measurements of turbulence heat flux, thermal diffusivity, and energy dissipation rate in the mesopause region

AbstractTurbulence is ubiquitous in the mesopause region, where the atmospheric stability is low and wave breaking is frequent. Measuring turbulence is challenging in this region and is traditionally done by rocket soundings and radars. In this work, we show for the first time that the modern Na wind/temperature lidar located at Andes Lidar Observatory in Cerro Pachón, Chile, is able to directly measure the turbulence perturbations in temperature and vertical wind between 85 and 100 km. Using 150 h of lidar observations, we derived the frequency (ω) and vertical wave number (m) spectra for both gravity wave and turbulence, which follow the power law with slopes consistent with theoretical models. The eddy heat flux generally decreases with altitude from about −0.5 Km s−1 at 85 km to −0.1 Km s−1 at 100 km, with a local maximum of −0.6 Km s−1 at 93 km. The derived mean turbulence thermal diffusivity and energy dissipation rate are 43 m2 s−1 and 37 mW kg−1, respectively. The mean net cooling resulted from the heat transport and energy dissipation is −4.9 ± 1.5 K d−1, comparable to that due to gravity wave transport at −7.9 ± 1.9 K d−1. Turbulence key parameters show consistency with turbulence theories.

A Telemetry Antenna Design for a Sounding Rocket Competition [Antenna Applications Corner

This article details an antenna array and a single antenna that were designed in compliance with the requirements of an international competition for engineering students. The flush-mounted, circumferential microstrip array was devised for airborne operation, and a truncated-corner, circularly polarized patch ground-station antenna was designed for the telemetry link of a sounding rocket. In this article, special attention is given to the design and fabrication of the array, presented in a step-by-step procedure, while experimental results validate the proposed methodology.

HF propagation results from the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) experiment

With support from the NASA sounding rocket program, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) launched two sounding rockets in the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands in May 2013 known as the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) experiment. The rockets released samarium metal vapor at preselected altitudes in the lower F-region that ionized forming a plasma cloud. Data from ALTAIR incoherent scatter radar and high frequency (HF) radio links have been analyzed to understand the impacts of the artificial ionization on radio wave propagation. The HF radio wave ray-tracing toolbox PHaRLAP along with ionospheric models constrained by electron density profiles measured with the ALTAIR radar have been used to successfully model the effects of the cloud on HF propagation. Up to three new propagation paths were created by the artificial plasma injections. Observations and modeling confirm that the small amounts of ionized material injected in the lower-F region resulted in significant changes to the natural HF propagation environment.

Neutral wind and density perturbations in the thermosphere created by gravity waves observed by the TIDDBIT sounder

AbstractIn this paper, we study the 10 traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) observed at zobs∼283 km by the TIDDBIT ionospheric sounder on 30 October 2007 at 0400–0700 UT near Wallops Island, USA. These TIDs propagated northwest/northward and were previously found to be secondary gravity waves (GWs) from tropical storm Noel. An instrumented sounding rocket simultaneously measured a large neutral wind peak with a similar azimuth at z ∼ 325 km. Using the measured TID amplitudes and wave vectors from the TIDDBIT system, together with ion‐neutral theory, GW dissipative polarization relations and ray tracing, we determine the GW neutral horizontal wind and density perturbations as a function of altitude from 220 to 380 km. We find that there is a serious discrepancy between the GW dissipative theory and the observations unless the molecular viscosity, μ, decreases with altitude in the middle to upper thermosphere. Assuming that , where is the density, we find using GW dissipative theory that the GWs could have been observed at zobs and that one or more of the GWs could have caused the wind peak at z≃325 km if q ∼ 0.67 for z≥220 km. This implies that the kinematic viscosity, , increases less rapidly with altitude for z≥220 km: . This dependence makes sense because as , the distance between molecules goes to infinity, which implies no molecular collisions and therefore no molecular viscosity μ.

Estimation of atmospheric parameters for determining dispersion ellipses of space rocket fragments

A new approach to the estimation of atmospheric parameters affecting the movement of space rocket fragments in case of accident launches is proposed by the example of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Due to the absence of operational information on the vertical distribution of atmospheric parameters above 30 km, the method is considered which allows using available archival aerological data and the statistical characteristics of air density and wind speed components computed from the rocket sounding of the atmosphere for ballistic calculations.

Characteristics of Stratospheric Winds over Jiuquan (41.1°N, 100.2°E) Using Rocketsonde Data in 1967–2004

AbstractStratospheric winds play a significant role in middle atmosphere dynamics, model research, and carrier rocket experiments. For the first time, 65 sets of rocket sounding experiments conducted at Jiuquan (41.1°N, 100.2°E), China, from 1967 to 2004 are presented to study horizontal wind fields in the stratosphere. At a fixed height, wind speed obeys the lognormal distribution. Seasonal mean winds are westerly in winter and easterly in summer. In spring and autumn, zonal wind directions change from the upper to the lower stratosphere. The monthly zonal mean winds have an annual cycle period with large amplitudes at high altitudes. The correlation coefficients for zonal winds between observations and the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) with all datasets are 0.7. The MERRA reanalysis is in good agreement with rocketsonde data according to the zonal winds comparison with a coefficient of 0.98. The sudden stratospheric warming is an important contribution to biases in the HWM, because it changes the zonal wind direction in the midlatitudes. Both the model and the reanalysis show dramatic meridional wind differences with the observation data.

Reliable flight computer for sounding rocket with dual redundancy: design and implementation based on COTS parts

Sounding rockets provide a useful platform for the aerospace research activities. One of the main and substantial parts of the sounding rockets is the flight computer which is responsible for the management of the other subsystems, running the flight scenario, and data acquisition from the experimental payload. Due to the crucial role of the flight computer in the success of the devoted mission, high reliability is one of the main requirements of the flight computer. Technical, systematical, and operational requirements alongside the procurement problems of the special-purpose space-grade components, force this research to take a dual redundant architecture based on the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. Although the theoretical aspect of the reliable flight computer has been investigated extensively, design and implementation of a dual-redundant reliable flight computer are presented in this paper, which has very rarely been published. The processing unit, data bus unit, and the sensors/actuators are designed to be dual redundant. The supervisor monitors the operational units and if it detects any failures, replaces them with the spare ones while trying to make the repair through restarting. If it succeeds in recovering the failed unit, the system continues its operation as a dual-redundant system; otherwise, it becomes a single system. Our analytical assessments show that the reliability of a dual-redundant computer with the COTS components is comparable with the reliability of a single computer being composed of the special purpose components with tens of times lower failure rates. The evaluations show that the reliability requirement of the system is covered while saving the cost considerably.

再使用観測ロケットの空力特性に関する数値解析及び風洞試験

再使用観測ロケットの空力特性に関する数値解析及び風洞試験

From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet: India’s Space Journey ed. by P. V. Manoranjan Rao et al.

Reviewed by: From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet: India’s Space Journey ed. by P. V. Manoranjan Rao et al. Roger D. Launius (bio) From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet: India’s Space Journey. Edited by P. V. Manoranjan Rao, B. N. Suresh, and V. P. Balagangadharan. Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in association with HarperCollins India, 2016. Pp. 736. $34.99. EPUB 2015 download available free through ISRO at http://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-orbiter-mission/fishing-hamlet-to-red-planet-download-e-book. From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet: India’s Space Journey is like so many other histories written by engineers and scientists, long on nuts and bolts and the march of progress but short on analysis and context. Edited by a senior Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) physicist, P. V. Manoranjan Rao, in association with two of his former colleagues in the organization, it seeks to explore the history of the ISRO. The editors assembled a team of colleagues to contribute sections to the book, and the authorship is without question a who’s who of Indian space leaders, as well as some others who are international figures in the spaceflight community. Rao believes that the main feature of this “compendium,” his descriptive term rather than “history,” is that it traces the space journey of India through the “original voices” of spaceflight pioneers from 1963 through 2015. The timing of this book was no accident. It originated as a fiftieth-anniversary history of space activities in India. On 21 November 1963, the first launch took place in India, a Nike Apache suborbital sounding rocket provided by NASA that was launched from the fishing village of Thumba, memorialized in the main title. In 2014 ISRO’s Mangalyaan spacecraft entered orbit around Mars. It was ISRO’s first interplanetary mission and with it India became only the fourth entity to reach Mars, after missions by [End Page 278] the Soviet Union, the United States, and the European Space Agency (ESA). These two pivotal events bookend the set of recollections here. With the first successful launch in 1963, Indian engineers and scientists pressed for the development of both satellites of all varieties and a national space launch capability. They had achieved this by the 1970s, a remarkable set of accomplishments on a much smaller budget than either the Americans or the Soviets deployed to pursue space activities. By the time of the publication of From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet, India had become one of the top five spacefaring nations in the world. Rao and his associates present a largely thematic account, with major sections on the beginnings of the Indian space program, rocket development and operations, satellite construction and launch, ground support and guidance and control, applications technologies, relations between ISRO and industry, and recent developments since 2000. All of the chapters are essentially memoirs by practitioners, all of them triumphalist in tone. Readers will see stories here of a succession of ever more complex capabilities developed and used for scientific, military, and Earth-applications purposes. This book offers largely a first-person account, and as such it is useful for collecting in one place key participants’ recollections. It provides for the first time a comprehensive overview of the subject. It also offers the best discussions available about some of the key accomplishments of the Indian program. But for all its virtues, the overview offered here is a history written for engineers. Replete with formulaic and technical description, certainly to be expected in such a history, the authors concern themselves exclusively with the linear process of space research and development to the very great exclusion of any social or cultural factors that might have influenced ISRO’s history. As only one example, while India has been successful in much of its efforts in space, there were also notable failures passed over quickly or ignored completely in this work. For example, in April 2010 ISRO tested the three-stage Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. Designed and built by Indian engineers, during its third flight, the third stage’s cryogenic engine failed and the GSAT-4 communications and navigation satellite aboard was lost...

Feasibility of a low-cost sounding rockoon platform

This paper presents the results of analyses and simulations for the design of a small sounding platform, dedicated to conducting scientific atmospheric research and capable of reaching the von Kármán line by means of a rocket launched from it. While recent private initiatives have opted for the air launch concept to send small payloads to Low Earth Orbit, several historical projects considered the use of balloons as the first stage of orbital and suborbital platforms, known as rockoons. Both of these approaches enable the minimization of drag losses. This paper addresses the issue of utilizing stratospheric balloons as launch platforms to conduct sub-orbital rocket flights. Research and simulations have been conducted to demonstrate these capabilities and feasibility. A small sounding solid propulsion rocket using commercially-off-the-shelf hardware is proposed. Its configuration and design are analyzed with special attention given to the propulsion system and its possible mission-orientated optimization. The cost effectiveness of this approach is discussed. Performance calculation outcomes are shown. Additionally, sensitivity study results for different design parameters are given. Minimum mass rocket configurations for various payload requirements are presented. The ultimate aim is to enhance low-cost experimentation maintaining high mobility of the system and simplicity of operations. An easier and more affordable access to a space-like environment can be achieved with this system, thus allowing for widespread outreach of space science and technology knowledge. This project is based on earlier experience of the authors in LEEM Association of the Technical University of Madrid and the Polish Small Sounding Rocket Program developed at the Institute of Aviation and Warsaw University of Technology in Poland.