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Virginia Tech

Sounding Rocket ProjectJoe Barretta

Lauren Bendig

Becky Buxton

Cari Faszewski

Mohamed Khalil

Brian Leginus

Tiffany Murray

Christopher Ramiro

Jeremy Davis

Cathy Herman

Aswad Hinton-Lee

Kenny Kawahara

John Mills

Jesse Panneton

Brian Squires

Michael Weronski

Emily Woodward

David Ziegler

Overview

• General sounding rocket information

• NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC)

• Improved Orion launch vehicle

• Science mission

• Payload overview

• Detailed payload description

• Alternative payload designs

• Future plans

What is a Sounding Rocket?

• “To Sound”• Suborbital trajectory• Altitude higher than

weather balloons, lower than conventional rockets

• Cost effective• Allows for relatively simple

payloads• Test platform for future

spacecraft components

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NASA Sounding Rocket Program

• 14 different rockets • Up to four stages• 30-1500 km altitude range• 7-65 feet in height• Most rocket motors are military

surplus

Photo courtesy of NASA

NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract

• Will provide Improved Orion launch vehicle

• Will cover launch costs

• Will provide consultation and support

NSROC

• Will provide support to Virginia Tech, such as machining and instrument development

• Will rigorously test payload before launch

• Launch scheduled for May 2004

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NASA Wallops Flight Facility

Payload

Motor

The Improved Orion

• Length overall: ~18 ft

• Diameter: 14 inches

• Motor length: 9 ft

• Payload length: ~9 ft

• Payload includes:

• Nose cone

• Experiment

• Recovery

• Firing/Telemetry

• Throw weight: 100 to 400 lbs

• Altitude range: 55 to 105 km

• Impact range: 20 to 110 km

• Launch elevations: 78 to 84 degrees

Photos courtesy of NASA

Payload Length Comparison

Improved Orion Performance

General Flight Sequence

Science Mission

• Measure aerosols in the upper atmosphere

• Aerosols are tiny particles in the atmosphere

• Act as "seeds" to start the formation of cloud droplets

• Instruments will be provided by Naval Research Laboratories (NRL) and the University of Colorado at Boulder

MAGIC

• Mesospheric Aerosol-Genesis, Interaction and Composition (MAGIC)

• The VT payload will fly two MAGIC canisters

• Particle counters: pins extend to collect aerosolsfor approximately 5 km of altitude each

• Each canister is self contained

• Requirements:

• Must be the first aerodynamic disturbance

• 95 km apogee

• Protection of the instruments upon landing

• MAGIC instrument can get wet

Photo courtesy of NRL

Charged Aerosol Probes

• Measure dust or heavy ion currents in the meteoritic layers below 110 km

• Small detectors, 2.2” x 2.5” x 1.3” and 0.5 lb each

• The VT payload will fly two detectors and one circuit box on a full aluminum plate.

• Total system weight: 6 lb

• Requirements:

• 95 km apogee

• 150 Hz to 1500 Hz sample rate

• Attitude knowledge <5°

• Instruments may get wet

Photo courtesy of the University of Colorado

Scope

Includes:• Jump-start a continuous sounding rocket

program at Virginia Tech• Design, build, test, launch, recover, and collect

data for a sounding rocket payload• Provide community interaction

Does Not Include:• Launch vehicle selection

Needs, Alterables, and Constraints

Alterables• Payload orientation• Structural subsystem• Materials selection

Constraints• Payload launch elevation• Science instruments• Nose-down landing• Launch vehicle• Launch facility, Wallops Island• Manufacturing capabilities• Must survive mission, be recovered• Cost• Launch must comply with WFF

regulations

Needs• Conduct an atmospheric

science mission at 95 km Establish a continuing sounding rocket program at VT

Payload Apogee

• Both groups supplying the science instruments would like an apogee of 95 km

• Payload should cover the region between 85 km and 95 km

• Total payload weight required: 140 lbs

• Current weight estimate: 190 lbs

• Current apogee is at approximately 80 km

• Both instrument suppliers will fly at this lower altitude

• Main goal is to achieve as close to 95 km as possible

Payload Overview

Orion Adapter

Wet SectionIRMA

Experiment Section

Aerosolprobes

MAGIC

Deployable Nose Tip

MAGIC mounting

BulkheadBulkhead

• Main payload components:

• Nose cone and MAGIC mounting

• Forward and aft bulkheads

• Aerosol probes and mounting plate

• TM components: transmitter, PCM, batteries, AD

• Wet section: umbilical, switches, antenna

• Ignition Recovery Module Assembly (IRMA)

Payload Joints

Radax Joint

• Fixed joint, 32 screws inserted at an angle

• Can be vacuum sealed using a ¼” o-ring

Male radax connection

Female radax connection

Payload Joints

V-Band Joint

V-Band Firing Gun Positions

V-Band

Shear Pins

Payload Section

Payload Section

V-Band Joints

V-Band

V-band Joint

• Deployable joint, 2 bands held together by shear pins

• At desired altitude, the pins are sheared by a firing gun and the bands detach, allowing the payload sections to separate.

Nose Cone

Deployable Nose Tip

• Nose cone: 19° total angle cone (TAC)

• Total length: 42 in.

• Deployable nose tip length: 12 in.

• Base is attached to payload using radax joint

• Deployable nose tip system will be designed by NSROC

Bulkheads

Forward and Aft Bulkheads

• Used to seal a section from water/air

• Acts as a base for components

• Weight: 8 lbs (each)

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Forward Bulkhead

Aft Bulkhead

Experiment Section Skin

• Material: Aluminum

• Length: 24 in.

• Thickness: ¼ in.

• Weight: 23 lbs

• Radax joint at each end

• Experiment section includes:• Two Charged Aerosol Probes with circuit box and mounting plate

• Transmitter

• PCM encoder

• NSROC “a” attitude determination system

• Standard pyrotechnic controllers

Charged Aerosol Probes - Mounting

Mounting Method on Previous Flight

• Aluminum mounting plate: 180° semicircle, ¼” thick

• Bolted directly to skin

MAGIC - Mounting

Considerations When Mounting MAGIC

• Collection pin positioning

• Free movement of revolvers

• Protection from impact

• Structurally sound

MAGIC - Mounting

MAGIC Mounted on Platforms Secured to Interior of Nose Cone

• Easily integrated

• Lightweight

• Nose cone heating may damage the mounting plate and MAGIC

MAGIC - Mounting

MAGIC Mounted on Deck Plate Elevated by Four Vertical Beams

• Structurally separate from nose cone

• Additional support from beams

• Additional weight from beams

Telemetry (TM)

• Total weight: 30 lbs

• AD system provided by NSROC, integrated by VT

• PCM encoder and transmitter provided and integrated by NSROC

• NSROC systems typically are integrated by NSROC with their own power source

• Experimental power requirements are low - VT will piggyback power from NSROC systems

• TM system includes:

• Attitude Determination (AD)

• Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) encoder

• Transmitter

• Batteries

• TM will go at the bottom of the experimental section

Photo courtesy of UVA

Attitude Determination

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• NSROC “a” system:

• Three axis accelerometer

• Three axis magnetometer

• Spin rate sensor

• Solar sensor

• Properties

• Less than 1 lb

• Requires 50 mA

• System will be acquired fromNSROC

PCM

• Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) takes parallel data and serializes it for telemetry

• Digital, rather than Frequency Modulation (FM), an analog form of transmission

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• Lightweight, compared to FM

• In-house low cost PCM encoder developed by NSROC

• PCM encoders typically cost $5,000 to $25,000. The low cost PCM encoder is about $1500

• Low power: 48 mA

• Ideal for low data rate requirements of aerosol probes and AD system

• Weight: under 1 lb

Transmitter

• Vector T-700S/L transmitter

• 28 V

• 3.0 Amp max

• Weight: 11 ounces max

• VTSRP payload will transmit on S-Band: 2200 to 2300 MHz

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Power

• WFF supplies only Nickel Cadmium batteries:

Cell type Manufacturer Weight (lb) Capacity, (AH)

2/3 AF Sanyo 1.59 0.475

A Panasonic 2.46 1.4

C Gates 5.94 2.4

Cs GE N/A 1.2

D GE 11 4.5

F Sanyo 16.73 7

M Sanyo 28.34 10

• Nickel Cadmium:

• Cheap

• Reusable, lifetime of up to 10 years

• Output approximately 28 V

Wet Section

NSROC supplied section• Umbilical: for monitoring payload before launch

• Switches: mechanical and electronic timers for in-flight events

• The switching system is proprietary; specifications unavailable

• Antenna: NSROC will supply an appropriate antenna for telemetry

• Radar transponder: WFF will track the payload from a ground station

• Weight: 23 lbs

• IRMA (Ignition Recovery Module Assembly)

IRMA: Recovery

• NSROC-supplied recovery system• Parachute automatically deploys at

30,000 feet• Aft parachute: nose-down landing

• Recovery requirements:• Payload must float• MAGIC instrument must be

protected from damage

• Tracked by WFF• Coast Guard will recover the

payload with a student

Orion Adapter

• NSROC supplied section

• Connects payload to motor

• Firing: Separates payload from motor

• Provides necessary despin for parachute deployment

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Performance

• Required weights:

• 95 km apogee: 140 lb

• 85 km apogee: 185 lb

• Weight saving concessions:

• No flight computer/housekeeping

• No additional instruments

• Integrated power with NSROC section

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Performance: Current Design

• Current design weight estimate: 190 lb

• Deployable nose tip pros:

• Lightweight: 8lb

• Deployable nose tip cons:

• Has never been done before

• Sufficient protection of MAGIC?

Component Weight (lbs)

Nose cone (no components) 9

MAGIC 2 6.6

MAGIC structural support 10

Forward bulkhead 8

Experimental section skin 23

Aerosol probes (2) and control box 3

Experimental section deck plate 3.5

TM 30

Aft Bulkhead 8

Wet section 23

IRMA 47

Orion adapter 16

Wiring 5

Total 192

Payload Weight Breakdown

Performance: Alternate Designs

• Push-off or Clamshell nose cone

• These nose cones are pre-made for our payload size

• Weight: 60 lbs – immediately pushes total weight from 190 lb to 242 lb

• Would require a retraction system for MAGIC, increasing weight further

• Apogee of approximately 70 km

• Mount aerosol probes directly to forward bulkhead

Performance: Weight Saving

• Replacement of bulkheads with plates:

• Saves approximately 5 lb each

• Plates may not retain a water-tight seal

• The NSROC TM estimate of 30 lb may be an overestimate

• Mount MAGIC directly to the nose cone – remove MAGIC support connected to the forward bulkhead

• Decrease skin thickness from 1/4” to 1/8” – saves about 10 lb (NSROC believes this most likely is not possible)

Future Plans

• Continue to recruit new team members• Integrate science instruments into payload

structure• Optimization of design concepts• Decision making on final design• Manufacture and test components• Send prototype to Wallops for testing

(December 2003)• Launch (May 2004)

Questions?

Wallops Main Base photo courtesy of NASA