Promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields by recruiting and training the next generation of aerospace stakeholders.    

Unique NASA Opportunity to Launch Rockets (2012)

Application Deadline:  7 October 2011
Selection date:  21 October 2011
Launch Competition:  last week of April, 2012

Congratulations to last year's Collegiate Rocket Launch Competition Winners

Engineering Teams
First Place: Team Jarts, MSOE
Second Place: Rally Axe, UW-Madison
Third Place: Rocket Power, MSOE

Non-Engineering Teams
First Place: Falcon One, UW-River Falls

Current & Past Award Recipients

About the Program

The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) announces the Student Rocket Design Competition. This competition is an opportunity for students to design and construct rockets to be launched at a competition in the spring of 2012 from Bong Recreational Area.  Select gallery for pictures of last year's launch Gallery 1, Gallery 2.

Up to ten teams will be selected to take part in this competition. To qualify for the competition, interested teams of up to four students will be required to submit a Notice of Intent to Compete, in which they name their team members and committed faculty mentor. Teams are also encouraged to partner with an industry mentor. WSGC will fund project construction for participating teams with budgets of up to $1000 each, and will also provide teams with specific hardware as noted below. Engineering teams will compete to design a one-stage, high-powered rocket that, during its ascent, will transmit live video from a downward looking camera to a ground receiver. The competition will also include design analysis, oral presentation, and assessment of data results, scored by professional engineers from both academia and industry. A first, second and third prize* ($5000, $2500 and $1000 respectively) will be awarded to teams with the highest scores. Additionally, there will be a separate $2000 prize for first place among teams wishing to compete as "non-engineering" teams. Teams competing for this prize are not permitted to compete for the general first, second and third prizes.

*Based upon availability of funds.

Regional competition

This year, the WSGC will also administer and support the Great Midwestern Regional Space Grant Student Rocket Competition. This competition is an opportunity for students to design and construct rockets to be launched at the Student Rocket Design competition. The regional competition will run concurrently with the state competition. The number of regional winners will be determined by the level of interest and number of teams participating. This number will be announced at the first mandatory meeting. Teams from the following states are eligible for the Regional Competition: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Teams from these states should work directly with their state Space Grant to submit an NOI and to meet specific state eligibility and participation requirements.

Purpose

The mission of NASA's Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium is to implement a coordinated statewide program of education, research, and outreach programs to maintain and enhance America's leadership and Wisconsin's future in space and aerospace science, design, and technology. To carry out this mission, WSGC sponsors a broad range of programs relevant to its mission and objectives. Further information about the mission and objectives of the WSGC may be found in the National Space Grant Strategic Plan and the NASA Directorate Goals.

It is the purpose of this Announcement of Opportunity to support the innovative, visionary projects that are student-led and designed to fully realize WSGC's goal of assisting in training the next generation of aerospace professionals.

Eligibility

Teams comprised of up to four full-time students attending any WSGC academic affiliate member institution are eligible to compete (WSGC affiliate members are listed on the WSGC website). Each team will be required to have a committed faculty mentor, and should make every effort to partner with an industry mentor. Graduate students are permitted to join a team but may not comprise the majority of the team members.

Teams comprised of 50% or more engineering students must compete in the Engineering category.

Groups of students wishing to be paired up with like-minded students at other affiliate institutions should contact the WSGC Institutional Representative for their campus. All WSGC Institutional Representatives are listed on the WSGC website shown above. Members of groups underrepresented in aerospace disciplines are particularly encouraged to participate.

Teams of more than four students are acceptable, but not necessarily encouraged. Individual students are limited to participating in no more than four annual competitions.

Competition Engineering Parameters**

The object of this year's competition is to design a one-stage, high-powered rocket that, during its ascent, will transmit live video from a downward looking camera to a ground receiver. In addition, the rocket must reach an apogee of 3000 feet and be recovered safely and in flyable condition. An electronically deployed parachute recovery system is required. The winner of the flight portion of the competition will be the team whose rocket completes a successful flight and produces the best combination of length of good video during ascent with an apogee nearest to 3000 feet. All structural components and materials must be obtained from reputable high-powered rocketry vendors, or an engineering analysis demonstrating their suitability must be included with the design.

Equipment provided by WSGC: 
Rocket Motor Teams will each select one from the following list: I285; I435; J350; J500; K550; K805
Flight recorder R-DAS Tiny
http://www.aedelectronics.nl/rdas/tiny.htm
1.1 in. x 3.5 in.
(This is separate from the team's electronic deployment system and will be inserted at time of launch to record acceleration & altitude vs. time)
Video Recording System At the launch, the WSGC will require each team to output their live video from the team's receiver to the WSGC's recording system via either an RCA composite or an S-Video cable.

Interested students with questions about the capabilities of the launch motors should access http://www.thrustcurve.com. Those seeking help in getting started are highly encouraged to contact Frank Nobile (Maxq3@aol.com) or Bob Justus (bob@mhbofni.com) of Tripoli Rocket Association (a high-power rocketry association). Students interested in gaining information or experience by observing rocket launches are encouraged to contact these individuals, or to attend one of the regular rocket launches held by Tripoli at Bong Recreational Area. More information and launch schedules can be accessed at http://www.tripoliwisconsin.org.

Other Competition Parameters

The total score for each student team will be based on several parameters: 

Design report (provided three weeks prior to launch) 25%
Presentation of design report, safety inspection 15%
Flight performance 40%
Predicted vs. actual results from on-board accelerometer 15%
Educational Outreach 5%

Design reports (including budget) will be judged by a panel of aerospace experts drawn from both industry and academia (parameters of this report will be provided to participating teams upon selection). Students will also be required to give an oral presentation of their design report the day of the launch, including their predicted results for the accelerometer, and submit their rocket for a safety inspection. Determination of the score for flight performance will include the best combination of length of good video during ascent with an apogee nearest to 3000 feet. Subsequent to the flight, students will provide actual accelerometer results gathered in-flight for comparison to predicted results.

More specific engineering parameters will be addressed once the teams are selected.

This year the competition includes an “Educational Outreach” element, in which each team shares information pertinent to aerospace with a group. For purposes of the competition, teams will be scored as "completed" or "not completed". Outreach possibilities could include but are not limited to:

  • Meet with a K-12 class or student organization to explain how rockets work.
  • Make a presentation in the community or to a group on campus to describe the rocket competition and your team’s design.
  • Make a presentation to a group on campus describing opportunities at NASA or through the WSGC that are available to students before they graduate.

Details on how to document that the outreach requirement has been met will be available in the competition handbook.

Applying to the Program

No experience is necessary to compete. Teams will be given the basic training and information required at a prep meeting shortly after selection.

For Advisors: NOI Application Form

Please create your NOI in a single file and include:

  • list of team members (names, emails, and notation of any prior rocketry or other relevant experience)
  • specify if your team is competing in engineering or non-engineering category
  • industry mentor (if any)
  • statement of intent to submit a suitable rocket design and to abide by the parameters of the competition.

For Students: After the advisor has applied using the application form link above, every student must fill out this form online, which includes uploading his or her resume, prior to the application deadline. The team's application is not considered complete until every student has applied online.

Before applying, please read the Additional Requirements.

After approval, please read What Recipients Need To Know.

Again, teams from the following states are eligible for the Regional Competition: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Teams from these states should work directly with their state Space Grant to submit an NOI, and to meet specific state eligibility and participation requirements. NOIs from states other than Wisconsin should be submitted to the appropriate state Space Grant office.

For more information on the WSGC Collegiate Rocket Design Competition, including the schedule and budget samples, click here.

Questions may be directed first to the WSGC Institutional Representative of the student's institution, and second to:

Program Office Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium
University of Wisconsin – Green Bay
Green Bay, WI 54311
920-465-2108
wsgc@uwgb.edu

**Should there be any change in the specifications of the rocket or motor(s) to be used, an amendment to this announcement will be released. However, the current heightened state of alert in the United States may require an adjustment in launch specifications at short notice. Teams are therefore encouraged to be flexible and adaptable.