Unique NASA Opportunity to Launch Rockets (2008)

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 2008 from Bong Recreational Area.

Up to eight 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. The 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 rocket that will, following apogee, land safely under an operating parachute(s) and deploy a Ground Excursion Module (GEM). The winner of the competition flight will be the team whose rocket completes a successful flight and whose GEV is the farthest from where it first settled on the ground after 5 minutes following touchdown. 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.

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 through our homepage on the World Wide Web at http://www.uwgb.edu/wsgc.

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:  http://www.uwgb.edu/wsgc). 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, however the majority of the team members must be undergraduates.

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 fly a rocket that deploys a Ground Excursion Vehicle (GEV).  To have a successful flight, the rocket must exceed a minimum altitude of 500 ft., but must not exceed an altitude of greater than 800 ft.  It must land safely and either after landing or during descent, it must safely deploy a GEV.  The winner of the competition flight will be the team whose rocket completes a successful flight and whose GEV is the farthest from where it first settled on the ground after 5 minutes following touchdown.  The distance will be measured along a straight line from the closest edge of the GEV to where the Flight Official marks the sight of where the GEV first settled on the ground.  Flight Officials will start the 5 minute timing period when they see touchdown of the GEV or the compartment containing the GEV.  All components must be recovered safely and intact, under an operating parachute(s). Other parameters include:

• Minimum altitude:  500 ft.
• Maximum altitude:  800 ft.
• Equipment provided by WSGC:
  • One motor selected by each team from the following list: I-284, J-350, or K-550
  • Flight recorder inserted at time of launch
    1.8 in. dia. x 7.0 in.
    3.0 oz.
    (measures acceleration & altitude vs. time)

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 (rtjustus@att.net) 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 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 safe and successful release and traverse of the roving vehicle, staying within altitude requirements, and the safe function and recovery of all flight equipment. 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.

NOI Requirements
Notices of Intent to Compete (NOIs) should consist of a list of team members (names, school and major), a faculty advisor, an industry mentor if any, and a statement of intent to submit a suitable rocket design and to abide by the parameters of the competition. This statement should be signed by all team members and faculty advisor. So that the WSGC may better determine the level of experience in rocketry for Wisconsin students, each student should provide a resume, noting any prior rocketry experience, or other relevant experience. Again, no experience is necessary to compete. Teams will be given the basic training and information required at a prep meeting shortly after selection. The NOI should state clearly whether the team intends to compete in the Engineering or Non-engineering category (teams comprised of 50% or more engineering students must compete in the Engineering category).

Electronic submissions are preferred; proposals should be either a Word document or in .pdf format. The proposing team is responsible for assuring the compatibility of the submitted proposal with various platforms and the readability of the proposal upon submission. Submit an electronic proposal to wsgc@uwgb.edu with the subject line:  Student Rocket Competition NOI. Alternately, submit five copies of the NOI to:
 
Dr. R. Aileen Yingst
Director, Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium
Natural and Applied Sciences
2420 Nicolet Dr.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Green Bay, WI  54311
Phone:  920-465-2941
Fax:  920-465-2376
E-mail:  yingsta@uwgb.edu

Questions may be directed first to the WSGC Institutional Representative of the student's institution, and second to Dr. R. Aileen Yingst at the contact information above.
 
Notice of Intent to Compete due:  9 October 2007
Selection date:  23 October 2007
Launch Competition:  last week of April, 2008
 
*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.