Unique NASA Opportunity to Launch Rockets

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 2007 from Bong Recreational Area.

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. 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 with a payload that will image an unknown target at approximately 2 m resolution such that the target can be identified; all equipment must land safely under operating chute. Teams whose payload images the target most completely, correctly identifies the target, and reaches the highest altitude, will be given highest marks. 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.

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 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.

Competition Engineering Parameters*

Given a standard motor (provided by WSGC; size to be determined), student teams will be required to fabricate and/or purchase a suitable one-stage rocket, such that the rocket shall deploy a parachute and image a pre-determined target. The winning rocket team will be the one whose rocket payload images the unknown target most completely and at highest resolution, and whose rocket completes a safe landing. All components must be recovered safely under operating chute. Other parameters include:

Minimum rocket diameter:                     3 inches
Maximum rocket diameter:                    5 inches
Minimum apogee:                                 3000 ft.
Imaging:                                                During descent only
Tie breaker:                                          Maximum altitude

Parachute and barometric pressure altimeter must be included in the booster. Teams will be required to model the acceleration and altitude of their design and then compare them with actual values.

Equipment provided by WSGC:            motor
                                                            flight data recorder measuring acceleration
                                                            and altitude

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 report (provided three weeks prior to launch)                 25%
Presentation of design report, safety inspection                          10%
Flight performance                                                                    45%
Predicted vs. actual results from on-board accelerometer           20%

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 completeness of the image of the target, correct identification of the target image, maximum altitude 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, 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.
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:  6 October 2006
Selection date:  3 November 2006
Launch Competition:  last week of April, 2007

*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.

Award Recipients