the university of akron c e 302 e b a , oh 44325 · phone: (704) 608-7230 email:...

THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRONCollege of engineering

302 e BuChtel AveAkron, oh 44325

September 20, 2017

nASA Student lAunCh initiAtive

Project Lazarus

of 53 The University of Akron

Akronauts Rocket Design Team Project Lazarus

Table of Contents 1. Adult Educators and Advisors .................................................................................................. 4

2. Team Officials .......................................................................................................................... 4

3. Mentor ...................................................................................................................................... 4

4. Project Team ............................................................................................................................ 5

5. Facilities and Equipment .......................................................................................................... 6

5.1. Main Team Facility ............................................................................................................ 6

5.2. Available University Facilities ............................................................................................ 6

5.3. Necessary Personnel ........................................................................................................ 7

5.4. Computers and Software ................................................................................................... 7

5.5. Testing Sites ..................................................................................................................... 8

5.6. Team Website ................................................................................................................... 8

6. Safety ....................................................................................................................................... 9

6.1. Safety Plan ........................................................................................................................ 9

6.2. Risk Assessment ............................................................................................................. 10

6.3. Proper Practices .............................................................................................................. 12

6.4. NAR/TRA Procedure Description .................................................................................... 12

6.5. NAR Safety Code and Compliance ................................................................................. 13

6.6. Rocket Motors and Energetic Devices ............................................................................. 16

6.7. Written Member Agreement ............................................................................................ 17

6.8. Safety Inspections ........................................................................................................... 18

6.9. Flight Readiness ............................................................................................................. 18

6.10. Compliance with Standards ............................................................................................. 18

7. Technical Design .................................................................................................................... 18

7.1. Vehicle Summary ............................................................................................................ 18

7.2. Material Selection and Justification ................................................................................. 21

7.3. Projected Altitude ............................................................................................................ 22

7.4. Parachute System Design ............................................................................................... 23

7.5. Projected Motor Brand and Designation .......................................................................... 24

7.6. Projected Payload Design ............................................................................................... 25

7.7. Requirements .................................................................................................................. 27

7.8. Major technical challenges and solution .......................................................................... 33

8. Educational Engagement ....................................................................................................... 35



8.1. Hope Always Lives On .................................................................................................... 35

8.2. 93 Cents for Flight 93 ...................................................................................................... 36

8.3. National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle School .................................................... 37

8.4. Boy Scout Troop 1 and Cub Scout Pack 3001 ................................................................ 38

8.5. University of Akron Ex[L] Center ..................................................................................... 38

8.6. Judith Resnik Community Learning Center ..................................................................... 39

9. Project Plan ............................................................................................................................ 40

10. Projected Budget ................................................................................................................ 46

10.1. Recovery ......................................................................................................................... 46

10.2. Avionics........................................................................................................................... 46

10.3. Structure ......................................................................................................................... 47

10.4. Payload ........................................................................................................................... 48

10.5. Propulsion ....................................................................................................................... 49

10.6. Subscale Rocket ............................................................................................................. 49

10.7. Travel Expenses ............................................................................................................. 50

10.8. Total Expenses ............................................................................................................... 50

11. Funding Plan ...................................................................................................................... 51

12. Plan for Sustainability ......................................................................................................... 52



1. Adult Educators and Advisors

Dr. Francis Loth

Title: F. Theodore Harrington Professor

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Office: ASEC 57N

Phone: 330-972-6820

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Scott Sawyer Title: Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs

Department/Program: Mechanical Engineering

Office: ASEC 110A

Phone: 330-972-8543


2. Team Officials

Thomas Wheeler Title: Safety Officer

Organization: Akronauts Rocket Design Team

Phone: (412) 552-8385


Victoria Jackson

Title: President

Organization: Akronauts Rocket Design Team

Phone: (330) 241-3628


3. Mentor

Jerry Appenzeller Level 2 NAR Certification Holder

Phone: (704) 608-7230


mailto:[email protected]







4. Project Team

There will be approximately 20 or more individuals committed to this project. The team consists of

five officers dealing with administrative tasks of the team. The positions are as follows: President, Vice

President, Project Manager, Chief Engineer, and Safety Officer. The team also consists of system leads for

the following systems: Aerostructure, Electronics, Recovery, Propulsion, and Payload. Each system has at

least three members; some members have multiple duties on the team. See the figure below for a detailed

depiction of the team structure and duties of each system.

Figure 1 – Team structure and system duties



5. Facilities and Equipment

5.1. Main Team Facility

The team’s laboratory is located in the Student Design Center on campus. The Akronauts are

granted 24-hour access to this facility which serves as the main area for assembling the rocket and

for storage of the team’s materials and supplies.

Figure 2 – The University of Akron Student Design Center

5.2. Available University Facilities

The Auburn Science and Engineering Center (ASEC) has a separate laboratory for using

composite materials, epoxying, and power tools. There are also two machine shops within ASEC.

Both require students to complete safety and personal training prior to using any machines. The

first shop has advanced equipment and is open to all graduate students and design teams on

campus. The second shop is used for all undergraduate work. The two shops contain the following:

Miscellaneous

(Available with Appointment)

➢ Five 3D Printers

➢ Foam CNC Router

➢ Subsonic Wind Tunnel

Shop 1

(Monday – Friday 7:00am – 4:00pm)

➢ Manual Lathe

➢ Manual Mill

➢ CNC Lathe

➢ CNC Mill

➢ Band Saw

➢ Table Saw

➢ Grinding Wheel

➢ Router

➢ Various hand tools

Shop 2

(Monday – Friday 7:00am – 4:00pm)

➢ Manual Lathe

➢ Manual Mill

➢ CNC Lathe

➢ CNC Mill

➢ Band Saw

➢ Drill Press

➢ Grinding Wheel

➢ Various hand tools



5.3. Necessary Personnel

Both machine shops require at least one of the shop managers to be on campus when in use.

No member will use these machine shops by themselves. All members must be accompanied by

another trained member or the machine shop manager.

5.4. Computers and Software

All engineering students have access to computer labs at the University depending on their

major. Most labs are open from 6:00am - 11:00pm. The Akronauts, among other University of

Akron design teams, are granted special permission for 24-hour access. Most computers have

many useful programs such as:

➢ MATLAB

➢ Solidworks

➢ Autodesk Inventor

➢ Creo

➢ ANSYS

➢ Abaqus

➢ AutoCAD

➢ COMSOL Multiphysics

➢ Microsoft Visual Studio

➢ pSpice

➢ LabVIEW

➢ Fluent

➢ Simio

➢ OpenRocket

➢ RASAero

➢ BurnSim

➢ CES EduPack

➢ MasterCAM

➢ Microsoft Office

➢ Adobe



5.5. Testing Sites

Field Location Uses

Amherst, Ohio

Launch Ceiling of 4,800 ft.

One hour from the Akron campus

Used for sub-scale flights and motor tests

Sandusky, Ohio


Two hours from the Akron campus

Used for level 1 and level 2 certification Flights

Used for K12 Outreach launches

Springfield, Ohio


Three hours from the Akron campus

Only available during Fall Semesters

Option for full-scale flight tests

Penn Yan, New York


Five hours from the Akron campus

Back up for full-scale flight testing

Table 1 – Launch locations accessible by the Akronauts

5.6. Team Website

The team website is www.akronauts.org which is used to showcase the history, achievement,

and progress of the Akronauts Rocket Design Team while attempting to grow the team through

media posts and pictures. The website also hosts team documents for competitions from past

years and competitions currently being pursued. Some of the information included on the website:

➢ Team Projects with pictures, videos, models, and team documents

➢ Team Leadership, Advisors, and Mentors

➢ Educational Outreach Information

➢ Application to Join

➢ Links to social media

➢ Contact information for team members

➢ Current and Past Sponsors

➢ Contact form

➢ Most recent photos from social media

➢ FAQs page Figure 3 – Akronauts moto via www.akronauts.org

http://www.akronauts.org/

http://www.akronauts.org/



6. Safety

6.1. Safety Plan

The Safety Officer of the Akronauts Rocket Design Team, Thomas Wheeler, is responsible for all

participants’ safety; this includes but is not limited to team members, onlookers, and bystanders during

potentially hazardous activities held throughout the 2017-2018 design cycle. The Safety Officer is also

responsible for the compliance to any laws, regulations or guidelines set forth by all governing bodies, i.e.:

NASA, FAA, NAR, TRA, etc. The Akronauts Safety Officer is the key player when addressing the safety of the

materials used and facilities involved. Thus, the safety officer is responsible for, but not limited to the

following:

➢ Monitors the team activities with an emphasis on safety during:

▪ The Design of the vehicle and payload

▪ Construction of the vehicle and payload

▪ Assembly of the vehicle and payload

▪ Ground testing of the vehicle and payload

▪ Sub-scale launch test(s)

▪ Full-scale launch test(s)

▪ Launch day

▪ Recovery activities

▪ Educational Engagement Activities

➢ Implements procedures developed by the team for construction, assembly, launch, and recovery

activities.

➢ Manages and maintain current revisions of the team’s hazard analyses, failure modes analyses,

procedures, and MSDS/chemical inventory data.

➢ Assists in the writing and development of the team’s hazard analyses, failure modes analyses, and

procedures.

➢ Ensures compliance with NASA, NAR, TRA, and FAA guidelines and regulations.

➢ Briefs and train team members on the safety plans for applicable environments, materials, or

actions before beginning work.

➢ Partakes in design reviews of major rocket components to assess the quality and safety of the

rocket and suggest changes as necessary before manufacture.

➢ Superintends and survey all testing to ensure predetermined safety procedures are followed

properly.

➢ Implements a risk matrix detailing the likelihood and consequence level of each possible hazardous

event.

➢ Enforces the use of required PPE in fabrication, launch, test, and any other instance required and

make safe operating procedures and any material/machine information available before the use or

manufacture of any part.

➢ Identifies safety risks and violations and take corrective and preventative actions to prevent future

violations.

➢ Ensures compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.

➢ Plans for storage and transportation of all hazardous and energetic materials.



6.2. Risk Assessment

Throughout the design cycle, the officers will revisit and if necessary, revise the risk matrix. The

risk matrix was adopted after the sample Risk Assessment Matrix in the NASA Student Launch

College and University Handbook. This risk matrix was modified to fit the unique needs of the

Akronauts. The modified risk matrix will be used where any of the following may come into play:

personal interaction with dangerous equipment, potentially dangerous environments, rocket

component manufacture, test procedures, and any other actions that may pose a risk to

teammates. Risk assessments have been completed for all hazards identified at this stage in the

design as well as past designs. This brings attention to potential system and machine failures. As

the design process continues, these will be revisited and potentially revised to address new and

potentially dangerous actions.

Likelihood

Consequences

Minimal

1

Marginal

2

Critical

3

Catastrophic

4

Rare - 1 Low Low Low Low

Unlikely - 2 Low Low Low Moderate

Probable - 3 Low Low Moderate Moderate

Likely - 4 Low Moderate Moderate High

Almost certain - 5 Moderate Moderate High High

Table 2 – Risk Matrix



The matrix is formatted where the likelihood of an event is portrayed on the y axis and the

consequence level is on the x-axis. The likelihood is described values are described on a 1-5 scale as seen in

the below table

Likelihood value Value meaning Description

1 Rare 0-5% chance of any incident will occur

2 Unlikely 5-25% chance that an incident will occur

3 Possible 25-50% chance that an incident will occur

4 Likely 50-75% chance that an incident will occur

5 Almost Certain >75% chance that an incident will occur

Table 3 – Liklihood values used in the risk matrix

Then, the consequence levels will be on a 1-4 scale as seen in the below table

Consequence

level

Value

meaning

Description

1 Catastrophic Potential for significant injury or death, detrimental environmental effects,

system failure, or significant monetary loss greater than $2000.

2 Critical Could result in significant injury, partial system failure, or monetary loss less

than $2000 but greater than $500

3 Marginal Could result in minor injuries, failure of non-critical components, or

monetary loss of less than $500 but greater than $100

4 Minimal Small chances of minor injuries, partial failure of non-critical systems, or

monetary loss of less than $100

Table 4 – Consequences as seen in the risk matrix



The tables defining the consequences and likelihoods are under the following assumptions:

➢ All operators have been properly trained on the equipment in use.

➢ All operators have read and proven that they understand the Safe Operating Procedure, required

data sheets, and safety manuals.

➢ Operators are using all required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

➢ All components were assessed to assure that they were in proper working condition before

operation.

➢ The hazards can be outlined in the Risk matrix. Hazard Analyses are designed to link potential risks

to all operations during development stages including using the labs and machine shop, stability,

propulsion and recovery systems, and vehicle assembly. They are measured by likelihood and

consequence level.

6.3. Proper Practices

In order to put the practice of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in place, there will be safety

stickers placed on all power tools color coded to the risk matrix as well as a list of necessary PPE. For tool

cabinets, there will be a binder containing an inventory of all tools and required PPE listed next to each

tool. Safety manuals and safe operating procedures will be kept at each machine for reference as needed.

6.4. NAR/TRA Procedure Description

NAR/TRA personnel are members of the team who have been certified to the level

required to perform the following:

➢ Responsible for purchasing, handling, storing, and assembly of all rocket motors.

➢ Responsible for handling and wiring all ejection charge igniters.

➢ Responsible for handling ejection charges and loading ejection charges.

➢ Responsible for making sure team is adhering to NAR/TAR Safety regulations.

Overall, the NAR/TAR personal will be in charge of ensuring that all safety precautions are taken

into account. The High-Power Safety Code of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) provides a

summary of safe practices for launch high power rocketry from NFPA 1127. It is a requirement of both the

NAR and TRA safety codes that NFPA 1127 is obeyed.



6.5. NAR Safety Code and Compliance

Below is the Akronauts Rocket Design Team’s Compliances to the National Association of

Rocketry High Power Rocket Safety Code, effective as of August 2012. The Akronauts agree to

comply with all NAR safety codes and regulations as listed in the table below.

NAR High Power Rocketry Safety Code

NAR Code Compliance

Certification: I will only fly high power rockets

or possess high power rocket motors that are

within the scope of my user certification and

required licensing.

Only Jerry Appenzeller and certified team

members are permitted to handle the rocket

motors.

Materials: I will use only lightweight

materials such as paper, wood, rubber,

plastic, fiberglass, or when necessary

ductile metal, for the construction of my

rocket.

All parts of the rocket will be made according to

this standard. Team leads and officers will approve

every addition to the rocket.

Motors: I will use only certified, commercially

made rocket motors, and will not tamper with

these motors or use them for any purposes

except those recommended by the

manufacturer. I will not allow smoking, open

flames, or heat sources within 25 feet of these

motors.

Only certified motors will be purchased and motors

will only be handled by TRA/NAR personnel. Motors

will be stored properly.

Ignition System: I will launch my rockets with

an electrical launch system, and with

electrical motor igniters that are installed in

the motor only after my rocket is at the

launch pad or in a designated prepping area.

My launch system will have a safety interlock

that is in series with the launch switch that is

not installed until my rocket is ready for

launch, and will use a launch switch that

returns to the "off" position when released.

The function of onboard energetics and firing

circuits will be inhibited except when my

rocket is in the launching position.

At launch, the Range Safety Officer will have say

over all safety issues. The Team Safety Officer,

Thomas Wheeler and Team President, Victoria

Jackson are responsible for ensuring the integration

at the launch site is done following the TRA Safety

Code. All launches will be at NAR/TRA certified

events.

http://www.nar.org/safety-information/high-power-rocket-safety-code/

http://www.nar.org/safety-information/high-power-rocket-safety-code/



NAR Code Compliance

Misfires: If my rocket does not launch when I

press the button of my electrical launch

system, I will remove the launcher's safety

interlock or disconnect its battery, and will

wait 60 seconds after the last launch attempt

before allowing anyone to approach the

rocket.

This requirement will be followed and the Range

Safety Officer will have final say on all misfires.

Launch Safety: I will use a 5-second

countdown before launch. I will ensure that a

means is available to warn participants and

spectators in the event of a problem. I will

ensure that no person is closer to the launch

pad than allowed by the accompanying

Minimum Distance Table. When arming

onboard energetics and firing circuits I will

ensure that no person is at the pad except

safety personnel and those required for

arming and disarming operations. I will check

the stability of my rocket before flight and will

not fly it if it cannot be determined to be

stable. When conducting a simultaneous

launch of more than one high power rocket I

will observe the additional requirements of

NFPA 1127.


Safety Officer will have final say on all Launch

Safety.

Flight Safety: I will not launch my rocket at

targets, into clouds, near airplanes, nor on

trajectories that take it directly over the heads

of spectators or beyond the boundaries of the

launch site, and will not put any flammable or

explosive payload in my rocket. I will not

launch my rockets if wind speeds exceed 20

miles per hour. I will comply with Federal

Aviation Administration airspace regulations

when flying, and will ensure that my rocket

will not exceed any applicable altitude limit in

effect at that launch site.


Safety Officer will have a final say on flight safety.



NAR Code Compliance

Launch Site: I will launch my rocket outdoors,

in an open area where trees, power lines,

occupied buildings, and persons not involved

in the launch do not present a hazard, and

that is at least as large on its smallest

dimension as one half of the maximum

altitude to which rockets are allowed to be

flown at that site or 1500 feet, whichever is

greater, or 1000 feet for rockets with a

combined total impulse of less than 160 N-

sec, a total liftoff weight of less than 1500

grams, and a maximum expected altitude of

less than 610 meters (2000 feet).

All team launches will be at NAR/TRA certified

events. The Range Safety Officer will have the final

say over any rocketry safety issues.

Launcher Location: My launcher will be 1500

feet from any occupied building or from any

public highway on which traffic flow exceeds

10 vehicles per hour, not including traffic

flow related to the launch. It will also be no

closer than the appropriate Minimum

Personnel Distance from the accompanying

table from any boundary of the launch site.


Safety Officer will have a final say on launcher

location.

Recovery System: I will use a recovery

system such as a parachute in my rocket so

that all parts of my rocket return safely and

undamaged and can be flown again, and I

will use only flame-resistant or fireproof

recovery system wadding in my rocket.

The Safety Officer Tom Wheeler and Team President

Victoria Jackson will make sure that all designs

adhere to this requirement. Range Safety Officer will

have final say on the recovery system.

Recovery Safety: I will not attempt to

recover my rocket from power lines, tall

trees, or other dangerous places, fly it

under conditions where it is likely to

recover in spectator areas or outside the

launch site, nor attempt to catch it as it

approaches the ground

The recovery team will be responsible for

designing and building a safe recovery system for

the rocket. A safety checklist will be used on

launch day to ensure that all steps in preparing

and packing the recovery system are followed

according to procedure.

Table 5 – NAR Safety Codes and Compliances



6.6. Rocket Motors and Energetic Devices

Only motors certified by the National Association of Rocketry or the Tripoli Rocketry Association

will be purchased. The active ingredient in high power rocket motors is solid Ammonium Perchlorate

Composite Propellant (APCP).

6.6.1. Storage and Handling

Motors will remain disassembled and in original packaging until immediately prior to launch.

Motors will also be stored at a temperature between 45 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 degrees Fahrenheit

and away from external sources of flame or heat. Igniters will be stored separate from the motor.

All purchases, storage, transportation, and use of rocket motors and energetic devices will be done

by the proper NAR/TRA personnel. Motors casings and reloads will be purchased and handled by Team

Mentor, Jerry Appenzeller who is a level 3 certified member by TRA. The rocket engines will be stored in

the rocket design room at The University of Akron, where they will be kept in suitable conditions. All

ejection charges will be properly stored in the rocket design room as well.

6.6.2. Transportation

In the United States, APCP is excluded from the Department of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco’s list

of explosive materials. Therefore, it will be shipped to a designated location so it is there upon the team’s

arrival prior to launch, or transported by car. During transport, extra precaution will be taken to ensure

hazardous materials are kept away from sources of flame or heat. Since the fuel is not being used for

commercial purposes, no special permits or licenses will be required.

6.6.3. Use of High Power Motors

A high power motor will not be used in a rocket without prior simulation of the flight using that

motor. Only NAR/TRA members are allowed to handle motors. Only the motors which the team NAR/TRA

members are certified to handle will be used.



6.7. Written Member Agreement

The figure below depicts the written statement that all team members sign to indicate the understanding and willingness to abide by the safety regulations set forth by the 2018 NASA Student Launch Initiative Committee

Figure 4 – Akronauts Safety Covenant signed by all members of the Akronauts



6.8. Safety Inspections

On top of all the stringent safety inspections performed by The Akronauts, its mentors, and advisors; The

Akronauts Rocket Design Team will participate in the Launch Readiness Review prior to launch in which

members of the NAR assess the launch vehicle and determine its safety and readiness to fly. The Akronauts

will also participate in any other safety inspection deemed necessary by the NASA SLI council. The

Akronauts will comply with all decisions made by inspectors and Range Safety Officers (RSO)

6.9. Flight Readiness

The Akronauts understand that that all decisions made by the Range Safety Officer are final. If the RSO

determines that the rocket is unfit for flight, the Akronauts will work with the RSO to find a solution

deemed acceptable by the RSO. If the launch vehicle is still found unfit for flight, the Akronauts realize that

they must accept and respect this decision.

6.10. Compliance with Standards

The Akronauts will make their best effort to comply to all standards set for them. The Akronauts

understand there are consequences if these standards are not met and if it is determined that they are not

met, it will be determined that the rocket will not fly.

7. Technical Design

7.1. Vehicle Summary

The launch vehicle was designed based on experience from previous competitions as well as the 2018

NASA Student Launch Handbook requirements. In spring of 2017, the team successfully launched a 147” tall

rocket to 5,135 feet using fiberglass and carbon fiber body tubes, 3D printed nose cone and fiberglass fins

at the 2017 NASA Student Launch. The target altitude was 5,280 feet. Open Rocket was used as the primary

flight simulation software, but this year the team hopes to utilize other simulation softwares such as

RASAero to improve our flight projections. The proposed rocket for the 2018 NASA Student Launch

competition can be seen in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5 – Vehicle Dimensions – All dimensions in inches



The launch vehicle was designed based on previous competition experience as well as the

requirements outlined in the 2018 NASA Student Launch Handbook. In spring of 2017, the team

successfully launched an 147” tall rocket 5,135 feet at the NASA student launch competition. The rocket

was composed of a fiberglass and carbon fiber body, carbon fiber and 3-D printed nosecone, and fiberglass

fins. OpenRocket and RASAero were the primary simulation software used. The combined use of both

programs will be used for modeling and simulation. The proposed rocket for the 2018 NASA Student

Launch competition can be seen in Figure 5

Total length of the proposed 2018 NASA Student launch rocket is roughly 99.25 inches (8ft. 3 1/4

in.). The lengths and widths designated for each component within the rocket are shown in Table 6.

Component Length (inches) Thickness (inches)

Nosecone 26 1/4 1/8

Main Chute 15 -

Avionics Bay 12 -

Payload (Rover) 12 -

Drogue Chute 4 -

Engine Bay 24 1/4

Fins Root Chord: 11 Tip Chord: 4 Height: 4 3/4 Sweep Length: 7

1/8

Aluminum Thrust Plate 1/2 1 1/2

Wood Centering Rings 1/2 3

Aluminum Recovery Bulkheads

1/4 -

Aluminum Motor Mount 1/4 3

Fiberglass Couplers 10 1/8

Table 6 - Vehicle component length and width approximations



Once the general dimensions and layout of the rocket were decided, the weights designated for

each rocket system were estimated and displayed in the following table. The total estimated dry weight is

31.5 pounds. A breakdown of the approximated component weights can be found below. At this stage of

the design phase, these are only approximations and are estimated according to the team’s past

experience and knowledge. The weight estimations were based on the requirements designated in the

2018 NASA SL Handbook and from the expected dimensions of the rocket. A 20% tolerance was

incorporated into this estimate to account for any future changes in the design.

Component weight (total) Total Weight (pounds)

Nose Cone 3

Body Tubes 10

Avionics Bay 3

Payload 5

Main Chute 1 1/2

Drogue Chute 1/4

Engine Bay 14

Fins 1/2

Aluminum Thrust Plate 1

Wood Centering Rings 1/2

Aluminum Recovery Bulkheads 1 1/2

Aluminum Motor Mount 1/2

Fiberglass Couplers 2

Table 7 – Launch vehicle component weights



7.2. Material Selection and Justification

The rocket will be subjected to about 403 pounds of force from thrust during flight. In order to

achieve a stable, successful launch these forces during flight need to be addressed to determine the type of

material for the rocket’s construction. Differing materials were considered for each vehicle component.

Material decisions were made regarding the body tubes and couplers, bulkheads, centering rings, thrust

plate, and the nose cone. The main materials considered are listed below in the following tables along with

their respective pros and cons.

Body Tube, Coupler, and Nose Cone Materials

Material Pro Con

Fiberglass

➢ Tensile Strength of 300 ksi ➢ Affordable ➢ Student Wound ➢ Flexible

➢ Heavy ➢ Hand Cut

Carbon Fiber

➢ Tensile Strength of 600 ksi ➢ Reflective of Heat ➢ Lightweight ➢ Student Wound

➢ Rigid ➢ Conductive ➢ Blocks Avionics Communication ➢ Hand Cut ➢ High Cost

Cardboard

➢ Low Cost ➢ Lightweight

➢ Low Tensile Strength ➢ Highest Necessary Thickness ➢ Not Readily Available in Needed Sizing ➢ Flammable

After comparing the three available materials, the body tubes and couplers will be composed of

fiberglass and carbon fiber will make up the nose cone. Fiberglass was chosen for the body tubes and

couplers because it easily met the necessary strength requirements for flight while also being affordable.

The fiberglass will also have a negligible effect on communication with the avionics. Carbon fiber was

chosen for the nose cone, because of its high strength and lightweight characteristics. Avionics will not be

located in the nose cone and will not be affected by the use of carbon fiber.



Bulkheads, Centering Rings, and Thrust Plate Materials

Material Pro Con

Aluminum

➢ High Tensile Strength ➢ Flame Resistant ➢ Precisely machined

➢ Heavy ➢ Conductive ➢ High Cost

Wood

➢ Low density ➢ Lightweight ➢ Low Cost

➢ Flammable ➢ Low Tensile strength ➢ Hand Cut

The thrust plate will experience 403 pounds of thrust during flight and the bulkheads will need to

absorb high amounts of instantaneous force as the parachutes are deployed. Aluminum will be used for the

bulkheads and thrust plate because of its high tensile strength and ability to be accurately machined. The

centering rings will only experience low amounts of force during flight and recovery. Therefore, wood will

be used for the centering rings due to its lightweight and low-cost characteristics.

7.3. Projected Altitude

The launch vehicle’s projected altitude at apogee was calculated using OpenRocket. General

dimensions, weight designations, and atmospheric data of where the rocket will be launching (Huntsville,

Alabama) were put into the software where multiple simulations were performed. The most accurate

simulation launched the rocket to an altitude of 5,472 feet. As seen in Figure 6, the rocket is well above

the minimum launch velocity and the minimum static stability margin requirements. The minimum launch

velocity is 61.4 ft/s and the static stability margin is 2.6.

Figure 6 – Screenshot of the simulated flight characteristics using OpenRocket software

As the team continues to refine the design, the general dimensions and weight designations may

change. Any changes will be input into OpenRocket as well as other flight projection softwares in an

attempt to bring the launch vehicle’s altitude at apogee closer to 5,280 feet, the competition altitude goal.



Figure 7 – Simulated vehicle Altitude (red), Velocity (blue), and Acceleration (green) throughout flight

Figure 7 shows vehicle altitude, velocity, and acceleration throughout flight. This figure also depicts when

main events occur, such as motor burnout, apogee, and main chute deployment.

7.4. Parachute System Design

The launch vehicle will be a single compartment, dual deployment recovery system using black powder

for the ejection. At apogee (5,280 ft.), a drogue parachute will be deployed from the lower body tube. Upon

reaching an altitude that is safe for main parachute deployment (800 ft.), the drogue will be detached from

the lower bulkhead and function as a pilot parachute for the main.

The main and drogue parachutes will be connected to the upper and lower bulkheads of the launch

vehicle. Upon reaching the main deployment altitude, the drogue will be unlinked from the bulkheads and

used as a pilot parachute to pull out the main. Eyebolts will be used as fasteners for each parachute in

order to maintain a firm connection to the bulkheads. The linked deployment system will be a redundant

system in order to ensure that the main parachute is deployed at the determined altitude.

The gores of both parachutes, as well as their shock cords, will be made of ripstop nylon. The material

will be purchased from vendors, then assembled into two separate parachutes. This method has been

immensely successful at previous team launches.



The recovery system will follow a strict sequence of events. Refer to Table 8 for the sequence of

events and the altitudes at which they will occur. Note that the Main Deployment altitude is subject to

change on launch day to a viable altitude as deemed necessary by either the Akronauts Safety Officer or

RSO due to wind and weather constraints or other issues that may cause caution

Sequence Event Altitude

1 Drogue Deployment 5,280 ft.

2 Main Deployment 800 ft.

Table 8 – Recovery System Event List

7.5. Projected Motor Brand and Designation

With a target altitude of 5,280 feet and a limiting specific impulse of 5120 N/s, in order to stay under

this limit and reach the target altitude, simulations showed that a Cesaroni L1355 Motor will satisfy the

conditions in place. The 75mm. motor has a total impulse of 4025.5 Ns and will use Smokey Sam propellant.

The thrust curve for the selected motor can be seen in the figure below.

Figure 8 – Thrust over time of a Cesaroni L1355 motor



7.6. Projected Payload Design

7.6.1. Rover Design Summary

Our current payload design is an autonomous, two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle. The vehicle will

be remotely deployed from the nose cone using a system of energy storing devices. A black powder system

will eject the nosecone from the rest of the rocket body after landing and coming to rest. The payload bay

will be spring loaded; where the ejection of the nose cone will release the compression of the spring, then

deploying the rover with a light ejection.

Once the rover has come to rest after deployment, it will employ obstacle avoidance software and

drive away from the vehicle. The requirements state a minimum travel distance of 5 feet from the rest of

the rocket, we plan to have the rover travel at least 10-15 feet. Once the rover determines that it has

traveled the required distance, the panels will be deployed from the inside of a spring-loaded bay door on

the rover body. The rover will then go into a “hibernation mode” to charge until recovered.

7.6.2. Rover Deployment

To deploy the rover, we will begin by ejecting the nose cone from the rest of the rocket body using

a system similar to that of previous rocket’s recovery system. This system will utilize a black powder

cartridge to pressurize the payload bay and eject the nose cone. This ejection will release the force

compressing the spring beneath the rover, allowing the spring coils to quickly depress and deploy (push)

the rover horizontally out of the payload bay. This spring system may be either a single spring, or a nested

spring system. This will be determined by the final weight of the rover assembly, and ejection testing. The

rover will be ejected with a force no smaller than required to have the second wheel fully clear the payload

bay and body tube.



7.6.3. Traverse terrain

A majority of the design phase will be focused on the autonomous aspect of the rover itself. This

will require an array of depth sensors, communications and processing power, and the ability for the rover

to identify its’ own location relative to the rocket. More specifically, relative to the electronics bay of the

rocket. Having the minimum rover travel distance far surpass the requirement of 5 feet ensures that the

rover is at least 5 feet from the closest section of the landed vehicle.

The rover itself will be a self-balancing, 2 wheeled all-terrain bot. This will be controlled with an

Arduino Microcontroller Board, with a high-accuracy 6-axis motion control chip. This chip will have a 3-axis

gyroscope and accelerometer, embedded temperature sensor, as well as the ability to govern and

communicate with additional external sensors. This chip will allow the rover to self-balance and

communicate commands to the motor encoder with a high degree of accuracy.

Using IR sensors and transmitters to continuously map terrain and measure distances, the rover will

travel in a general “away” direction from the electronics bay transmitter along the what the rover deems

the flattest surface terrain. This could be limited via coding to a maximum degree of deviation from a

straight,180 degree travel path away.

The rover is designed to have a clearance of about 2 inches from flat ground to the bottom of the

rover body, which will allow the rover to travel over the variable terrain of the recovery zone and over any

small debris. Anything larger the IR sensors will pick up and the rover will navigate around the obstacle.

7.6.4. Solar Panel Deployment & Hibernation

The deployment of the solar panels will begin when the rover determines it has traveled the

required distance from the rest of the rocket body. Once the rover comes to a complete stop, it will release

the latch for the spring-loaded solar panel bay door. The bay door would swing 180 degrees fully open,

mechanically stopped by a plate. The rover will then wait until physically recovered and returned to the

judges table.

A possible feature of the rover code is a solar panel optimization sequence, which would require an

additional light sensor on the top of the rover body. Once the rover determined it has traveled the required

distance, it would rotate a full 360 degrees while taking readings with the onboard light sensor. The rover

would then orientate itself at the angle which had the highest lumen value reading from the light sensor. At

that point the latch would be released, allowing the spring-loaded deployment of the solar panels.



7.7. Requirements

7.7.1. Vehicle Requirements

Vehicle Requirements Solutions

The vehicle will deliver the payload to an apogee

altitude of 5,280 feet above ground level (AGL).

Document all weights for all parts of the launch vehicle

for center of gravity calculations. Team will use hand

calculations along with OpenRocket and RASAero for

accurate flight simulations. Test flights will aid in

verifying the precision. The option of air brakes will be

researched and considered in effort to minimize the

error in achieving the target apogee.

The vehicle will carry one commercially available,

barometric altimeter for recording the official

altitude used in determining the altitude award

winner. Teams will receive the maximum number

of altitude points (5,280) if the official scoring

altimeter reads a value of exactly 5280 feet AGL.

The team will lose one point for every foot above

or below the required altitude.

Launch vehicle will carry at least two commercial

barometric altimeters for redundancy. Launch vehicle

will be designed with the goal of achieving the desired

altitude of 5,280 feet AGL.

Each altimeter will be armed by a dedicated

arming switch that is accessible from the exterior

of the rocket airframe when the rocket is in the

launch configuration on the launch pad.

Launch vehicle will have opening on the body tube in

line with the internally mounted switches to arm the

altimeters while in the launch configuration on the

launch pad.

Each altimeter will have a dedicated power

supply.

Each altimeter will have its own 9 volt battery.

Each arming switch will be capable of being

locked in the ON position for launch (i.e. cannot

be disarmed due to flight forces).

The arming switches will be able to be locked to

prevent flight forces from changing their orientation.

The launch vehicle will be designed to be

recoverable and reusable. Reusable is defined as

being able to launch again on the same day

without repairs or modifications.

Launch vehicle will utilize GPS trackers to aid in

recovery during flight and landing. Parachutes will be

designed to allow a low speed damage free landing

that would allow the launch vehicle to be reused

without repairs or modifications.




The launch vehicle will have a maximum of four

(4) independent sections. An independent section

is defined as a section that is either tethered to

the main vehicle or is recovered separately from

the main vehicle using its own parachute.

The launch vehicle will comprise of two independent

sections. payload section and booster section. These

two sections will be tethered together. The nose cone

will separate upon landing to allow the payload to

eject from the upper body of the rocket.

The launch vehicle will be limited to a single

stage.

Launch vehicle motor selection will allow for target

altitude of 5280 feet AGL to be reached with only one

stage.

The launch vehicle will be capable of being

prepared for flight at the launch site within 3

hours of the time the Federal Aviation

Administration flight waiver opens.

A clear launch procedure checklist will be created and

practiced to ensure that the launch vehicle setup can

be completed within the required amount of time.

The launch vehicle will be capable of remaining in

launch-ready configuration at the pad for a

minimum of 1 hour without losing the

functionality of any critical on-board

components.

All batteries and power supplies will be selected to

allow for successful powering of all electronic systems

for an extended period of time.

The launch vehicle will be capable of being

launched by a standard 12-volt direct current

firing system. The firing system will be provided

by the NASA-designated Range Services Provider.

Launch vehicle will use commercial igniters provided

by Cesaroni utilizing a standard 12 volt direct current

firing system.

The launch vehicle will require no external

circuitry or special ground support equipment to

initiate launch (other than what is provided by

Range Services).

Launch vehicle will be designed without the

requirement of external circuitry or special ground

support equipment to initiate launch.

The launch vehicle will use a commercially

available solid motor propulsion system using

ammonium perchlorate composite propellant

(APCP) which is approved and certified by the

National Association of Rocketry (NAR), Tripoli

Rocketry Association (TRA), and/or the Canadian

Association of Rocketry (CAR).

Launch vehicle will use a Cesaroni L1355 motor for its

full-scale launch vehicle.




Pressure vessels on the vehicle will be approved

by the RSO and will meet the following criteria:

➢ The minimum factor of safety (Burst or

Ultimate pressure versus Max Expected

Operating Pressure) will be 4:1 with

supporting design documentation included in

all milestone reviews.

➢ Each pressure vessel will include a pressure

relief valve that sees the full pressure of the

valve that is capable of withstanding the

maximum pressure and flow rate of the tank.

➢ Full pedigree of the tank will be described,

including the application for which the tank

was designed, and the history of the tank,

including the number of pressure cycles put

on the tank, by whom, and when.

The current vehicle design does not include any

pressure vessels. If the design is modified to include a

pressure vessel in the future, NASA and the RSO will be

notified and the outlined criteria will be met.

The total impulse provided by a College and/or

University launch vehicle will not exceed 5,120

Newton-seconds (L-class).

Launch vehicle will utilize L1355 motor with total

impulse of 4025.5 Newton seconds.

The launch vehicle will have a minimum static

stability margin of 2.0 at the point of rail exit. Rail

exit is defined at the point where the forward rail

button loses contact with the rail.

Launch vehicle static stability margins of at least 2.0

will be verified with hand calculations, OpenRocket

and RASAero. The current launch vehicle design has a

static stability margin of 2.6.

The launch vehicle will accelerate to a minimum

velocity of 52 fps at rail exit.

The current estimated 8ft rail exit velocity is 61.4 fps

using OpenRocket.

All teams will successfully launch and recover a

subscale model of their rocket prior to CDR.

Subscales are not required to be high power

rockets.

The team plans to design a 1:2 scaled model of the full

scale launch vehicle for verification of stability and

integration of systems.




All teams will successfully launch and recover

their full-scale rocket prior to FRR in its final flight

configuration. The rocket flown at FRR must be

the same rocket to be flown on launch day. The

purpose of the full-scale demonstration flight is

to demonstrate the launch vehicle’s stability,

structural integrity, recovery systems, and the

team’s ability to prepare the launch vehicle for

flight. A successful flight is defined as a launch in

which all hardware is functioning properly (i.e.

drogue chute at apogee, main chute at a lower

altitude, functioning tracking devices, etc.).

The full-scale rocket test flight will be flown with all

final flight configuration systems and payload with the

goal of a successful flight as outlined. This test flight

will be treated exactly like the competition flight.

Any structural protuberance on the rocket will be

located aft of the burnout center of gravity.

The launch vehicle will be designed so that any

protuberance will be located aft of the burnout center

of gravity. The burnout center of gravity will be

verified using hand calculations, OpenRocket and

RASAero.

Vehicle Prohibitions:

➢ The launch vehicle will not utilize forward

canards.

➢ The launch vehicle will not utilize forward

firing motors.

➢ The launch vehicle will not utilize motors that

expel titanium sponges (Sparky, Skidmark,

MetalStorm, etc.)

➢ The launch vehicle will not utilize hybrid

motors.

➢ The launch vehicle will not utilize a cluster of

motors.

➢ The launch vehicle will not utilize friction

fitting for motors.

➢ The launch vehicle will not exceed Mach 1 at

any point during flight.

➢ Vehicle ballast will not exceed 10% of the

total weight of the rocket.

The launch vehicle will be designed while adhering to

the list of Vehicle Prohibitions.



7.7.2. Recovery System Requirements

Recovery System Requirements Solutions

The launch vehicle will stage the deployment of its recovery devices, where a drogue parachute is deployed at apogee and a main parachute is deployed at a lower altitude.

The launch vehicle will use redundant Stratologgers which are capable of dual deployment. Both parachutes will be located in a single compartment in the rocket and will undergo a linked deployment.

Each team must perform a successful ground ejection test for both the drogue and main parachutes. This must be done prior to the initial subscale and full-scale launches.

The team will ejection test the launch vehicle in flight configuration, without motor, prior to both initial subscale and full-scale launches. All tests will be documented.

At landing, each independent sections of the launch vehicle will have a maximum kinetic energy of 75 ft-lbf.

Parachutes will be designed such that all independent sections of the launch vehicle have a maximum kinetic energy of 75 ft-lbf.

The recovery system electrical circuits will be completely independent of any payload electrical circuits.

The recovery system will not be combined with the payload electrical circuit.

All recovery electronics will be powered by commercially available batteries.

Two Stratologger altimeters will be used as redundant recovery systems, each having its own 9-volt battery.

The recovery system will contain redundant, commercially available altimeters. The term “altimeters” includes both simple altimeters and more sophisticated flight computers.

Both Stratologgers will utilize two arming switches each. The first arming switch will be used to power on the Stratologger, and once the device has completed its boot sequence, the second arming switch connects the igniters to the Stratologger. All arming switches will be located on the exterior at a height that is accessible from a person standing on the ground.

Motor ejection is not a permissible form of primary or secondary deployment.

Motor will be mechanically fastened to the launch vehicle and unable to move for duration of flight. Black powder will be used as the deployment mechanism for the drogue parachute and also used to separate the two parachutes.

Removable shear pins will be used for both the main parachute compartment and the drogue parachute compartment.

The design will utilize removable shear pins to allow for proper pressurization of the parachute compartment before ejection.

Recovery area will be limited to a 2500 ft. radius from the launch pads.

The parachute will be of a reasonable size such that the launch vehicle remains within the recovery area.



Recovery System Requirements Solutions

An electronic tracking device will be installed in the launch vehicle and will transmit the position of the tethered vehicle or any independent section to a ground receiver.

GPS and radio beacons will be installed in launch vehicle and will be transmitted back to a ground receiver to allow for position tracking for each independent section.

Any rocket section, or payload component, which lands untethered to the launch vehicle, will also carry an active electronic tracking device.

The current design does not have any section, or payload component, that is untethered from the launch vehicle. If the design changes NASA and the RSO will be notified and the requirement will be met.

The electronic tracking device will be fully functional during the official flight on launch day.

A launch procedure will be utilized to check that all systems are fully functional.

The recovery system electronics will not be adversely affected by any other on-board electronic devices during flight (from launch until landing).

The recovery system electronics is located within the launch vehicle such that any other on-board electronic devices do not adversely affect them.

The recovery system altimeters will be physically located in a separate compartment within the vehicle from any other radio frequency transmitting device and/or magnetic wave producing device.

Any radio frequency transmitting device and/or magnetic producing device are located in separate compartment(s) from the recovery system altimeters.

The recovery system electronics will be shielded from all onboard transmitting devices, to avoid inadvertent excitation of the recovery system electronics.

The recovery system electronics are shielded from all on-board transmitting devices.

The recovery system electronics will be shielded from all onboard devices which may generate magnetic waves (such as generators, solenoid valves, and Tesla coils) to avoid inadvertent excitation of the recovery system.

The recovery system will be shielded from all on-board devices which may generate magnetic waves if they are included in design.

The recovery system electronics will be shielded from any other onboard devices which may adversely affect the proper operation of the recovery system electronics.

The recovery system is shielded from any other onboard devices that may adversely affect them.



7.7.3. Experiment Requirements

Experiment Requirements Solutions

Each team will choose one design experiment option from the following list:

➢ Target Detection ➢ Deployable Rover ➢ Landing Coordinates via Triangulation

The rocket will be carrying a deployable rover through launch and recovery.

Teams will design a custom rover that will deploy from the internal structure of the launch vehicle.

The team will design a rover that will deploy from the internal structure of the launch vehicle.

At landing, the team will remotely activate a trigger to deploy the rover from the rocket

Black powder charges will be used to pressurize the payload cavity, separating the upper body and nose cone. A spring will decompress, further pushing the payload out of the rocket.

After deployment, the rover will autonomously move at least 5 ft. (in any direction) from the launch vehicle

After deployment, the rover will activate and use infrared navigation to avoid objects and travel a predetermined distance of at least 10 feet to ensure it travels the minimum required distance from the rocket.

Once the rover has reached its final destination, it will deploy a set of foldable solar cell panels.

Once the rover has traveled the predetermined distance, a latch will be retracted. This will allow the spring-loaded solar panel to open.

7.8. Major technical challenges and solution

7.8.1. Launch Vehicle Challenges

Launch Vehicle Challenge Solution

Maintaining launch vehicle/payload statement of work while reducing total weight.

The use of composites and structural reinforcements will aid in reducing total material used for similar strength and function.

Aligning Fins Properly Design fin alignment jig to hold fins at correct position for attachment to rocket.

Nose Cone Fabrication Seek guidance from mentor, and outside companies, on proper techniques to creating a nose cone.

Table 9 – Launch Vehicle Challenges and Solutions



7.8.2. Recovery System Challenges

Recovery System Challenge Solution

Implementing linked deployment of the parachutes

Use a redundant system of cable-cutters linked in parallel to ensure that the main and drogue chute are deployed

Changing our method of separation from CO2 to black powder ejection

Incorporate fireproofing and Nomex fabrics to prevent any detrimental damage to the recovery system.

Preventing the vehicle from drifting outside of the ½ mile launch zone

Create a calculator that may be used on launch day to assess the wind speeds and adjust the main parachute ejection altitude

Ensuring the vehicle launch system lands with less than the maximum allowed landing kinetic energy

Ensuring that the weight of the rocket and the anticipated landing velocity are within the restrictions deemed by the Akronauts to ensure a lowered landing kinetic energy.

Table 10 – Recovery System Challenges and Solutions

7.8.3. Experiment Challenges

Experiment Challenge Solution

Reduced diameter of the vehicle limits payload design options

Went through rapid research for miniaturizing electronics and decided upon a two wheeled self-balancing rover design

Remote deployment of the payload after the vehicle has landed

Use a fiberglass body tube and long-distance radio controllers to allow for signal reception within the landing distance

Unknown terrain upon landing, increasing difficulty of navigation to target distance from vehicle

Infrared sensor to detect obstacles and allow for autonomous object avoidance once the rover has been activated remotely.

Once the rover is remotely activated, a two-wheel design will be unable to extract itself from the vehicle.

Spring-loaded mechanism that will be triggered by the ejection of the nose cone will allow for the rover to be extracted at a controlled rate.

Table 11 – Payload Experiment Challenges and Solutions



8. Educational Engagement

Over the next year, the Akronauts anticipate engaging the local community in a variety of STEM

activities. The Akronauts members are passionate about instilling a love for science in the minds of young

people. As a team, members have regularly participated in community outreach events for local inner-city

schools by hosting design competitions for the students to foster STEM education within the school.

Schools that the Akronauts have visited include North Middle School, St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School,

and Washington Park Community Elementary School. The current educational outreach plan includes

programming with students ranging from first grade to college.

Figure 9 – Akronauts Electronics Lead, David, teaching high school students about telemetry and GPS tracking

8.1. Hope Always Lives On

Over the past summer, the Akronauts partnered with a local disaster relief non-profit called Hope

Always Lives On (HALO). Within this local organization is the LEADR Program. LEADR stands for Leadership,

Education, And Development Retreat. This 3 day, 2 night retreat is designed to educate high school and

middle school students from the Akron area on the importance of being a leader in their communities and

to also inform them of the historical initiative, “93 Cents for Flight 93”. This is a youth-based educational

initiative and outreach program based around the inspiring messages of bravery, leadership, and sacrifice

personified by the passengers and crewmembers of Flight 93.

One of the projects the students participated in this past summer through the Akronauts was a

parachute egg drop challenge in which the students designed and fabricated their own parachutes (similar

to that of the Akronauts’ student fabricated 2017 NASA Student Launch Parachute). The parachutes then

had to safely carry a raw egg during a descent of 7ft. Afterwards, the Akronauts discussed their competition

rocket with the LEADRs and taught them some of the fundamentals of rocketry, such as the significance of

Center of Pressure and Center of Gravity.



Figure 10 – HALO Members holding the Akronauts’ 2016 Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Challenge rocket, Project

Daedalus.

8.2. 93 Cents for Flight 93

During the LEADR retreat with HALO, the participating high schoolers and middle schoolers are

educated on the personality and gifts that each brings to the table. These natural traits and talents are

developed through team-building exercises and leadership training, and then they are put into action

through business plans created to impact the community. One business plan that the LEADR students

presented is to sell wooden planes (as seen below) for $0.93 to the public to raise funds for a memorial for

the 40 lives lost on Flight 93 during the September 11th attacks. The public will then have the chance to

decorate the planes.

The top 40 designs will be fastened and launched inside of one of the Akronauts’ rockets as a

beautiful, symbolic gesture to allow the passengers of Flight 93 to fly again. After launching, the launched

rocket may be put on display in the Military Aviation Preservation Society (MAPS) Museum and will have

the 40 launched planes assembled into a mobile and hung from the displayed rocket as a lasting memory of

the lives lost on Flight 93.

Figure 11 – One of the wooden planes sold to

public for 93 cents that will be secured and

launched in an Akronauts rocket. After

recovery, all 40 planes will be assembled into

a plane-mobile and hung from the Akronauts

rocket in the MAPS Museum.



8.3. National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle School

This year, the Akronauts are partnering with NIHF STEM middle school, where 5th graders will be

building rockets. Team members will demonstrate the concepts of physics, more specifically, how forces

and motion in flight affect rockets. Members will also engage the students in specific fields of engineering,

by providing them with technical challenges in mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering that are

relevant to rocket technology. Specific aspects of the team’s high-powered rocket will be presented to the

students over the course of five class periods. Questions intended to lead to critical thinking will be posed

to the students. The school itself will provide the necessary funding for materials to carry out education on

rocketry.

Figure 12 – NIHF Student running with one of the Akronauts fabricated parachutes

In evaluating the educational engagement activities, a case study shall be completed, detailing the

Akronauts time with the 5th grade students from the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle School.

The Akronauts will visit the school a minimum of five times and present material in conjunction with the

forces and motion unit that the students will be studying.

Students will engage in various activities that will increase their knowledge of basic principles in

engineering fields as they contribute to rocketry. During three of the classroom sessions, students will

design and build their own model rockets. Participation in each of the three sessions will earn the students

level certifications. The levels will be labeled as silver, gold and platinum. If the students achieve all three

levels, they will earn the title of Junior Akronauts. Our goal is to encourage students to actively participate

during each session as they apply concepts to the rockets they build.

During the silver level, the students will assemble and launch model rockets that have been supplied.

During the gold level, students will design and build a launch pad with which to launch the previous model

rocket off of. During the platinum level, the students will design and build a model rocket from provided

recycled materials. The recycled rocket will be launched from the launch pad the students designed and

built during the gold level. The case study will detail the mile marker skills or activities involved in each level

of achievement. The team’s goal will be to have each student achieve platinum by the end of the program.



An additional workshop period will focus on payload concepts and designs. The team members will

present several payload concepts to students. Students will then develop their own payloads, keeping in

mind how the experiment will be incorporated into a rocket. Dimensions provided will be sized to fit a

future Akronauts project. While the students will not physically construct their payload experiments, they

will draw their designs and in groups, discuss functions and potential challenges the designs might pose.

Students will be encouraged to polish their designs for consideration for incorporation into a future

Akronauts project.

8.4. Boy Scout Troop 1 and Cub Scout Pack 3001

Local Scout Troop 1 and Pack 3001 also plan to participate in the Akronauts educational programming. A

similar curriculum to the NIHF STEM Middle School will be used with the troop and pack, however,

necessary modifications will be made to account for the diverse age groups present. The scouts range from

first grade to high school.

The Akronauts are also working to make similar arrangement with one of the Northeastern Ohio Girl Scout

Troops.

8.5. University of Akron Ex[L] Center

One of the University of Akron’s most recent additions is the Experiential Learning Center for

Entrepreneurial & Civic Engagement. The Ex[L] Center provides students with unique education

opportunities often not available in a traditional classroom environment. Their goal is “to enable students

to emerge as civically engaged, skilled and adaptable leaders, ready to take on real world challenges.”

Part of the Ex[L] Center’s program offerings include what are known as Unclasses. These special topic

offerings are university and community focused. Recent Unclasses have included Skills for Community

Engagement and Consequences of Caring. The Akronauts have proposed an Unclass that would promote

the partnership of university engineering design teams with other departments on campus.

A frequent need that design teams have faced is the need for management of communications and

public relations. The Akronauts are one of the first of their kind to include a public relations manager on

their officer board. After interacting with the other engineering design teams on campus, the Akronauts

have initiated the next steps in promoting a relationship with the School of Communication.

Through the Ex[L] Center, the team aims to support the development and execution of an Unclass that

would connect design teams with other departments on campus. The School of Communication will be the

first partnership, as there are currently no classes within the curriculum that teach public relations within

STEM fields. Participating students, through the Unclass program, will be able to receive course credit for

their work with the design teams. The Akronauts will also pursue similar courses for partnership with the

College of Business, School of Art and Department of Finance.



While this partnership will evolve over multiple semesters, for the purpose of this proposal, the

Akronauts intend to work with the Ex[L] Center and School of Communication to continue developing the

first Unclass.

8.6. Judith Resnik Community Learning Center

Located in West Akron, the Judith Resnik CLC is a well-known Akron elementary school. The CLC was

named for astronaut Judy Resnik, an Akron native killed on the Challenger explosion. The Akronauts are

currently seeking to partner with the Judith Resnik CLC to coordinate a similar program that will be carried

out at the NIHF Middle School. Evaluation will be conducted as students achieve silver, gold and platinum

status. A case study will be completed along with the Educational Engagement Activity Report.

Figure 13 – A 5th Grader takes distance measurements for her catapult design



9. Project Plan

Task Name Duration Start Finish

NASA Student Launch 156 days Mon 9/11/17 Mon 4/16/18

Safety 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Compliance/Requirements 2 days Fri 9/15/17 Mon 9/18/17

Unmanned Rocket Launches

Procedures for NAR/TRA Personnel

NAR Safety Requirements

Hazard Recognition 112 days Thu 9/14/17 Fri 2/16/18

Accident Avoidance 2 days Fri 9/15/17 Sun 9/17/17

Pre-Launch Briefings 3 days Thu 9/14/17 Sun 9/17/17

Personnel Hazard Analysis 6 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 9/25/17

Hazards Ranking w/Likelihood and Severity 11 days Mon 10/2/17 Mon 10/16/17

MSDSs 11 days Mon 10/2/17 Mon 10/16/17

Data Justifying Rankings 11 days Mon 10/2/17 Mon 10/16/17

FMEA of Proposed Design 6 days Mon 10/16/17 Mon 10/23/17

Warning of Hazards from Missing a Step 47 days Wed 11/1/17 Thu 1/4/18

Update Fail Modes and Effects Analysis 25 days Mon 1/15/18 Fri 2/16/18

Environmental Concerns 111 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 2/19/18

List all Environmental Concerns 26 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 10/23/17

Final Hazards 6 days Mon 2/12/18 Mon 2/19/18

Functional Risks 21 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 10/16/17

Time Risk

Resource Risk

Budget Risks

Mitigation Technique for each Risk

Launch Procedures 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Recovery Preparation

Motor Preparation

Setup on Launcher

Igniter Installation




Troubleshooting

Post-Flight Inspection

PPE 3 days Thu 9/14/17 Sun 9/17/17

General PPE 3 days Thu 9/14/17 Sun 9/17/17

PPE for Each Step in Procedure 47 days Wed 11/1/17 Thu 1/4/18

Motor Transportation Plan 3 days Thu 9/14/17 Sun 9/17/17

Methods for Verifying Controls/Mitigations 20 days Mon 1/29/18 Fri 2/23/18

Aerostructure 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Vehicle Dimensions 137 days Wed 9/13/17 Thu 3/22/18

General Vehicle Dimensions 4 days Wed 9/13/17 Sun 9/17/17

Material Selection 4 days Wed 9/13/17 Mon 9/18/17

Final Vehicle Design 49 days? Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Size and Mass 47 days Wed 11/1/17 Thu 1/4/18

Rail Size 47 days Wed 11/1/17 Thu 1/4/18

Suitability of Fin Design

CAD Drawings of Final Launch Video

Integrity Discussion

Materials for Bulkheads

Justification for Material Selection

Provide Justification for Design Selection

Final Motor Choice 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Launch Vehicle Summary 20 days Fri 9/22/17 Thu 10/19/17

Describe Each

Subsystem/Components

26 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 10/23/17

Estimated Masses for Each Subsystem

Motor Mounting and Retention

Provide a CAD Drawings

Design Review 18 days Thu 9/21/17 Mon 10/16/17

Discuss Alternative Designs

Evaluate Pros/Cons of each

Alternative

Flight Simulations 136 days Thu 9/14/17 Thu 3/22/18

PDR Simulations 6 days Sun 10/1/17 Fri 10/6/17




Thrust to Weight Ratio

Rail Exit Velocity

Altitude Predictions with Vehicle Data

Stability Margin

Simulated CP/CG Locations

Calculated Kinetic Energy

Altitude Predictions

CDR Simulations 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Simulated Motor Thrust Curve

Altitude Prediction

Final Design Sims 37 days Thu 1/4/18 Fri 2/23/18

Flight Profile

Altitude Predictions

Stability Margin

Landing Kinetic Energy

Thrust to Weight Ratio

Rail Exit Velocity

Key Phase KE

Construction 47 days Wed 11/1/17 Thu 1/4/18

Construction Methods 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Final Assembly Description 31 days Fri 1/5/18 Fri 2/16/18

Discussion on Deviations 6 days Mon 2/19/18 Mon 2/26/18

Mass Statement

Safety 11 days Mon 1/1/18 Mon 1/15/18

Recovery 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Final Recovery System 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Identify/Justify Final Design

Describe Parachute

Describe Harness

Describe Bulkheads/Attachment

Hardware

Mass Statement and Mass Margin

Parachute Sizes




Recovery Harness Type

Size, Length, Descent Rates

Tests of Staged Recovery

Parachute Design 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Projected Parachute System Design 4 days Wed 9/13/17 Mon 9/18/17

Preliminary Design Review 21 days Wed 9/20/17 Wed 10/18/17

Review Each Component's Design/Alternatives

Evaluate Pros/Cons of Alternatives

Chose Leading Components/Explain

Prove Redundancy Exists within the System

Parachute Dimensions 90 days Fri 9/15/17 Thu 1/18/18

Preliminary Analysis on Parachute Sizing 21 days Wed 9/20/17 Wed 10/18/17

Size Required for Safe Descent 21 days Wed 9/20/17 Wed 10/18/17

As Built Parachute Sizes 17 days Thu 1/4/18 Fri 1/26/18

Descent Rates 6 days Fri 1/26/18 Fri 2/2/18

Calculations 84 days Mon 9/11/17 Thu 1/4/18

Drift Calculations 6 days Wed 10/18/17 Wed 10/25/17

Adjacent Drift Calculations 6 days Wed 10/18/17 Wed 10/25/17

Kinetic Energy at Landing 50 days Sun 10/29/17 Thu 1/4/18

CDR Drift Calculations 27 days Sun 10/29/17 Mon 12/4/17

Final Drift Calculations 20 days Mon 1/29/18 Fri 2/23/18

System Defense 27 days Thu 1/4/18 Fri 2/9/18

Recovery Preparation 15 days Mon 2/5/18 Fri 2/23/18

Propulsion 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Motor 83 days Mon 9/18/17 Wed 1/10/18

Motor Choice 21 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 10/16/17

Review Motor Choices 21 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 10/16/17

Final Motor Choice 22 days Wed 11/1/17 Thu 11/30/17

Simulated Motor Thrust Curve 9 days Mon 10/16/17 Thu 10/26/17

Motor Preparation 1 day Fri 9/22/17 Fri 9/22/17

Set-up Plan on Launcher 5 days Mon 2/12/18 Fri 2/16/18

Igniter Installation 27 days Thu 1/4/18 Fri 2/9/18

Launch Procedure 15 days Mon 2/5/18 Fri 2/23/18




Payload 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Payload Description 4 days Fri 9/15/17 Wed 9/20/17

Payload Summary 26 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 10/23/17

Objective/Experiment Description

Design Review

Alternatives Review

Mass Estimate of all Payload Components

Electronics Schematics

3D Drawings 51 days Fri 10/27/17 Fri 1/5/18

Drawings and Specs for Each Component

Entire Payload Assembly

Payload Integration into Launch Vehicle

Payload Optimization 31 days Thu 1/4/18 Thu 2/15/18

Final Ejection Testing

Changes to Assembly

Final Dimensions/Drawings

Electronics 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Established Member Skills 6 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 9/22/17

Onboard System to Collect Flight Data 21 days Thu 1/4/18 Thu 2/1/18

Recovery 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Critical Design Review 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Electrical Components

Drawings of all Electrical Component

Block Diagrams and Electrical Schematics

Operating Frequency of Locating Tracker

FRR 40 days Mon 1/1/18 Fri 2/23/18

Altimeters/computers/switches/connectors 21 days Mon 1/8/18 Mon 2/5/18

Complete Redundancy Features 30 days Mon 1/8/18 Fri 2/16/18

Transmitters Discussion 17 days Fri 1/19/18 Mon 2/12/18

Drawings/Schematics 40 days Mon 1/1/18 Fri 2/23/18

Electronics/Recovery Interference 36 days Mon 1/1/18 Mon 2/19/18

Payload 130 days Fri 9/15/17 Thu 3/15/18




Preliminary Design Review 26 days Mon 9/18/17 Mon 10/23/17

Electrical Schematics for All Elements of

Preliminary Payload

Estimated Masses for Electrical Components

Justify Electrical Component Selection

Preliminary Interfaces between Payload and

Launch Vehicle

Critical Design Review 49 days Mon 10/30/17 Thu 1/4/18

Discussion of Electronics/Safety

Switches/Indicators

Drawings/Block Diagrams

Battery Choice/Justification

Switch/Indicator Wattage and Location

Justification for Electronics Selection

Aerostructure 31 days Mon 1/8/18 Mon 2/19/18

Wiring

Switches

Retention of Avionics Boards

Post-Flight Inspection Safety Plan 31 days Mon 1/8/18 Mon 2/19/18

Communication of Electronics 21 days Thu 1/25/18 Thu 2/22/18

Educational Engagement 156 days Fri 9/15/17 Fri 4/20/18

Outreach to Schools 95 days Mon 9/18/17 Fri 1/26/18

STEM After-School 60 days Mon 9/18/17 Fri 12/8/17

Activity Development 14 days Mon 9/18/17 Thu 10/5/17

Background Clearances 7 days Thu 10/5/17 Fri 10/13/17

Team Training 10 days Mon 10/16/17 Fri 10/27/17

Program Execution 15 days Mon 11/20/17 Fri 12/8/17

Physics Discussions 15 days Mon 1/8/18 Fri 1/26/18

Various Event Outreach 105 days Mon 10/2/17 Fri 2/23/18



10. Projected Budget

10.1. Recovery

Description Manufacturer Quantity Unit Cost Total Cost

Ripstop Nylon Material JoAnn Fabrics 3 yd. In Stock $0

Ripstop Nylon Material Performance Textiles

20 yd. Donated $0

Sewing Kit (Needles, Thread, Etc.) JoAnn Fabrics 1 $10 $10

Paracord Dick's Sporting Goods

100 ft. $30/100ft. $30

Black Powder Bass Pro Shop 1 $30 $30

1” Nylon Shock-Resistant Cord McMaster-Carr 50 ft. $4/ft $200

Total $390

Table 12 – Recovery System Budget

10.2. Avionics

Description Manufacturer Quantity Unit Price Total Price

StratoLogger Altimeter Module PerfectFlight 2 $60 $120

Total $120

Table 13 – Avionics System Budget



10.3. Structure


5.5” Cardboard Body Tubes LOC Precision 2 $38.50 $77.00

Cardboard Couplers for 5.5” Airframe LOC Precision 2 $9.08 $18.16

PR2032/PH3660 Resin & Hardener Kit Aircraft Spruce 1 $141.95 $141.95

6K Carbon Fiber Tow Solar Composites 8 $24.00 $192.00

3K Fiberglass Tow Solar Composites 4 In Stock $0.00

3D printed nose cone mandrel University Facilities N/A $0.00 $0.00

Button Head Screws McMaster-Carr 1 $8.71 $8.71

Threaded Inserts McMaster-Carr 2 In Stock $0.00

Loctite® 1324007™ McMaster-Carr 2 In Stock $0.00

⅜” 36”x48” Plywood Sheets or Balsa?? McMaster-Carr 1 $68.27 $68.27

5.75” Dia. 6” Lg Aluminum round stock McMaster-Carr 1 In Stock $0.00

Soldering Iron Tips Amazon 1 (3 tips) $5.48 $5.48

Duct Tape Home Depot 2 $4.00 $8.00

Misc. Extras $100

Total $619.57

Table 14 – Structure System Budget



10.4. Payload


Arduino Leonardo Microcontroller Board

Arduino 1 $19.80 $19.80

MPU-6050 6 Axis Motion Tracker

InvenSense 1 $5.25 $5.25

Gear Motor With Encoder Cytron 2 $21.32 $42.64

Infrared Receiver Sensor Adafruit 2 $1.95 $3.90

IR Transmitter Assembly Kit Parallax 2 $2.40 $4.80

Resistors, Wires, Other Miscellaneous Parts

N/A N/A N/A $20

Spring 3” Diameter, 5”length,

2.31lb/in

Lee Spring 1 $23.76 $23.76

Solar Panels Sundance Solar 4 $6.95 $27.80

3D Printed Wheels University Facilities 2 $0.00 $0.00

3D Printed Casing(s) University Facilities N/A $0.00 $0.00

45g CO2 Cartridges Peregrine 2 In Stock $0.00

CO2 Ejection System Peregrine 2 In Stock $0.00

Black Powder Bass Pro Shop 1 gram In Stock (Recovery)

$0.00

Rechargeable AA Batteries Energizer 1 (4pack) $9.59 $9.59

Total $177.34

Table 15 – Payload System Budget



10.5. Propulsion


4025L1355-P Motor Cesaroni Technologies 1 $246.95 $246.95

54mm Propellant Grains White Lightning 6 $59.99 $359.94

Total $606.89

Table 16 – Propulsion System Budget

10.6. Subscale Rocket


Cesaroni Pro 38 - 3 grain Cesaroni Technologies 1 $109.95 $109.95

3” Cardboard body tubes LOC Precision 2 $10.44 $20.88

Cardboard Couplers for 3” Airframe

LOC Precision 2 $4.13 $8.26

Button Head Screws McMaster-Carr 1 $8.71 $8.71

Threaded Inserts McMaster-Carr 2 In Stock $0.00

Loctite® 1324007™ McMaster-Carr 2 In Stock $0.00

⅜” 36”x48” Plywood Sheets McMaster-Carr 1 $68.27 $68.27

5.75” Dia. 6” Lg Aluminum round stock

McMaster-Carr 1 In Stock $0.00

6K Carbon Fiber Tow Solar Composites 4 In Stock $0.00

PR2032 Resin Aircraft Spruce 1 $99.75 $99.75

PH3660 Hardener Aircraft Spruce 1 In Stock $0.00

3D printed Nose Cone mandrel

University Facilities N/A $0.00 $0.00

Total $315.82

Table 17 – Subscale Rocket Budget



10.7. Travel Expenses

Description Price

Hotel Expenses $2,500

Fuel $1,000

Food $250

Rental Cars/Vans $3,000

Shipping $100

Total $6,850

Table 18 – Travel Expenses

10.8. Total Expenses

System Total

Recovery $390

Avionics $120

Structure $620

Payload $178

Propulsion $607

Subscale Rocket $316

Travel $6,850

Total $9,100

Table 19 – Total Expenses



11. Funding Plan

The required funding for the NASA rocket is going to be an estimated $9,100. The Akronauts will be

presenting the requested funding to the College Board of Engineering at the beginning of October. During

last year’s launch for the NASA competition, the proposed budget was $12,500. During 2016-2017, the

university awarded $8,500 for the team’s budget. The team also has a number of sponsors including: PCC

Airfoils, Schaeffler, Performance Textiles, Advanced Circuits, Ronyak Paving, NASA Glenn Research Center,

Tallmadge Collision Centers, Outback Steakhouse, and X-Winder.

With the Rocket Team attempting to complete additional competitions this year, it is important to

obtain additional funding from sponsors and the university. Students on Co-Op work with the Human

Resources Department and management to negotiate possible sponsorships with sponsorship packets.

Leadership and Akronauts personnel are also working on fundraising through the community, University of

Akron, and online platforms to raise additional money.

Organization Contribution

College of Engineering $13,000

Mechanical Engineering Department $14,000

Electrical Engineering Department $4,600

PCC Airfoils $1,000

Schaeffler $2,500

Aetos Systems Inc. $400

Parker Hannifin Corp $500

Ronyak Paving $2,000

Akronauts Fundraising Events $2,200

Total $40,200

Table: List of Past Sponsors



12. Plan for Sustainability

The Akronauts understand the importance of sustainability, especially as a young team. Each group of

officers puts serious consideration into how to best set up future teams for success. A current goal for the

2017 - 2018 season is to increase community awareness within both The University of Akron and the City of

Akron. The team intends to continue to utilize social media accounts to further connect with team

members and also with various publics. The Akronauts have begun speaking with the Great Lakes Science

Center (GLSC) about collaborating by creating a camp for middle school and high school students. The GLSC

has expressed interest in allowing the Akronauts to host a booth on the weekends as well to engage and

encourage the public.

In the spring of 2017, the Akronauts brought their previous year’s NASA SLI Rocket to the Soap Box

Derby, a popular event for young students in the Akron community, where children build their own car and

aspire to race against other kids their age. The Akronauts successfully engaged the public and inspired

young minds to consider rocketry and STEM related careers through answering questions, demonstrating

the ingenuity behind the payload design, and giving encouraging advice.

Figure 14 – Akronauts President, Victoria, listening to an eager young student discuss her love of science at the Soap

Box Derby

The Akronauts are actively involved on the university campus. The team has participated in New

Roo Weekend- a welcome weekend for incoming freshman and transfer students- as well as events like the

new student engineering fair. As stated in in the Educational Outreach section of this report, the Akronauts

are partnering with the Ex[L] Center to develop a class and long term program to unite student engineering

design teams with communication, finance, business and design students.



Figure 15 – Akronauts members recruiting new members at the University of Akron’s New Roo Weekend

With currently more than 40 active team members, the Akronauts continue to demonstrate success

in recruiting new members. This year alone, the Akronauts recieved over 260 requests to join the team. The

team’s project focused structure enables and encourages members to participate in various projects, even

while still working within the same subsystem. Such projects include getting level 1 and level 2 certified as

well as participating in the Battle of the Rocket Competition.

For recruitment this year, the Akronauts had all of the new members create their own rockets

limited to the materials they were provided and within the time allotted. At the end of the event, over 10

rockets were created with a surprising amount of creativity.

Figure 16 – Some of the supplies the new

members were limited to use for their rocket Figure 17 – New member brainstorming designs for their rocket



During the event, the members had the chance to launch their rocket and were scored on three

criteria: Design, Altitude, and Rocket Name. Each rocket was launched using a student built air compressor

and was launched under 15psi. The rocket that hit the highest altitude won a prize.

The Akronauts have incorporated surveys throughout the year, providing team members with an

opportunity to give additional feedback. Along with surveys, one-on-one meetings with members and

officers have yielded constructive feedback that has been taken into consideration and implemented.

Sustainability must be achieved through active listening.

Community partners have included local businesses, locally based and nationally regarded

engineering companies, schools, and local aerospace professionals. Maintaining an open line of

communication with all partners is key to sustainability and growth. Communication methods range from

emails, to newsletters to social media updates. Several partners have provided use of machines not

accessible at the university. Others have provided materials or fabrication of student designs. The

Akronauts regularly update a sponsorship proposal, discussing team and current project details. Team

members are encouraged to deliver addressed sponsor proposal to the companies where the students are

on co-op rotation.

The Akronauts have received financial support from several companies and continue to seek

additional sponsorships. In the first year of operation, the team was awarded the Ohio Space Grant, an

application that is again underway for the coming season. Aside from company sponsorships, additional

funding will be raised through campus fundraisers such as dine-in events at various restaurant chains.

Educational engagement continues to be at the forefront of the Akronaut’s mission. As an

increasing number of people across the globe return their attention to concepts of space travel and life on

other planets, research and education have become increasingly critical to steady progress. In the city of

Akron, a city founded and grown on innovation, the Akronauts value the opportunity to continue a thriving

STEM tradition. The team seeks to inspire and equip future generations with the knowledge and passionate

curiosity to continue to move the aerospace industry forward.

Figure 19 – Akronauts member eagerly waits to launch his rocket

Figure 18 – Akronauts member prepares the compressed air launcher to launch a rocket

the university of akron c e 302 e b a , oh 44325 · phone: (704) 608-7230 email:...

Documents