2012-2013 USLI Proposal - AEM - Aerospace Engineering and

100 Pages·2012·37.16 MB·English

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES

2012 – 2013 University Student Launch Initiative
Proposal
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
8/31/2012

This is the University of Minnesota proposal to compete in the 2012 -2013 USLI,
submitted to NASA Student Launch Projects Team.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. GENERAL INFORMATION 3
1.1 SCHOOL NAME 3
1.2 FACULTY ADVISER 3
1.3 SAFETY OFFICER 3
1.4 STUDENT TEAM LEADER 3
1.5 TEAM MEMBERS 3
1.6 NAR/TRA CHAPTER 8
2. FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT 10
2.1 FACILITIES 10
2.2 COMPUTER FACILITIES 14
3. SAFETY AND MISSION ASSURANCE 15
3.1 SAFETY PLAN 15
3.2 TRA/NAR PERSONNEL PROCEDURES 18
3.3 STUDENT BRIEFINGS 18
3.4 NECESSARY SAFETY DOCUMENTATION 18
3.5 FEDERAL/STATE/LOCAL LAW COMPLIANCE 18
3.6 ROCKET MOTOR HANDLING 19
3.7 TEAM MEMBER COMPLIANCE 19
4. TECHNICAL DESIGN 20
4.1 GENERAL VEHICLE DIMENSIONS 20
4.2 RECOVERY SYSTEM 22
4.3 MOTOR 23
4.4 CONCEPTUAL PAYLOAD DESIGN 23
4.5 DESIGN REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA 25
4.6 DESIGN CHALLENGES 27
5. EDUCATIONAL ENGAGEMENT 30
6. PROJECT PLAN 31
6.1 PROJECT TIMELINE 31
6.3 FUNDING SOURCES 33
6.4 COMMUNITY SUPPORT 33
6.5 PROGRAMMATIC CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS 34
6.6 SUSTAINABILITY 35
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APPENDIX I: TEAM RESUMES I
APPENDIX II: SAFETY INFORMATION XVIII
APPENDIX II: MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS) XXVII
APPENDIX IV: PROJECT PLAN LXIII

LIST OF FIGURES
Table 1: Hazardous Materials List ________________________________________ 15
Table 2: Initial risk assessment and mitigation _______________________________ 16
Table 3: Risk assessment and mitigation table ______________________________ 17
Table 4: Simulated Rocket Characteristics __________________________________ 21
Table 5: Initial agenda of outreach events __________________________________ 30
Table 6: Key Milestones and Dates _______________________________________ 31
Table 7: Time allocated for each phase of the project _________________________ 32
Table 8: Costs associated with testing supplies ______________________________ 32
Table 9: Costs associated with full-scale vehicle _____________________________ 32
Table 10: Costs associated with educational engagement _____________________ 33
Table 11: Costs associated with travel/lodging ______________________________ 33
Table 12: Total costs associated with the project _____________________________ 33

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Hazardous Materials List ________________________________________ 15
Table 2: Initial risk assessment and mitigation _______________________________ 16
Table 3: Risk assessment and mitigation table ______________________________ 17
Table 4: Simulated Rocket Characteristics __________________________________ 21
Table 5: Initial agenda of outreach events __________________________________ 30
Table 6: Key Milestones and Dates _______________________________________ 31
Table 7: Time allocated for each phase of the project _________________________ 32
Table 8: Costs associated with testing supplies ______________________________ 32
Table 9: Costs associated with full-scale vehicle _____________________________ 32
Table 10: Costs associated with educational engagement _____________________ 33
Table 11: Costs associated with travel/lodging ______________________________ 33
Table 12: Total costs associated with the project _____________________________ 33

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1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 SCHOOL NAME

Name of School: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
107 Akerman Hall
110 Union Street SE
Minneapolis, Minnesota
55455

Project Name: University of Minnesota USLI Rocket Project

1.2 FACULTY ADVISER

Team Official: Dr. William Garrard
Director of Minnesota Space Grant Consortium
Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
University of Minnesota
Email: [email protected]

1.3 SAFETY OFFICER

Safety Officer: Binh Bui
Undergraduate (Senior)
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
University of Minnesota

1.4 STUDENT TEAM LEADER

Team Leader: Mark Abotossaway
Undergraduate (Senior)
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
University of Minnesota
Email: [email protected]

1.5 TEAM MEMBERS

Currently there are 12 undergraduate students committed to the University of Minnesota
USLI team for the 2011 – 2012 year. Short bios of the entire team are listed including
the faculty advisor and team mentor.

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Dr. William Garrard
Team Official
William Garrard is a Fellow of AIAA. He received his BS in
Mechanical Engineering and his PhD in Engineering
Mechanics from the University of Texas at Austin. Garrard’s
research is dynamics and control of aerospace vehicles and
parachute systems. He is the author of over 100 technical
publications in these areas. He is currently Professor and
was Head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and
Mechanics at the University of Minnesota for 15 years.
Garrard is Director of the NASA Minnesota Space Grant
Consortium. He represented AIAA on the Engineering
Accreditation Commission of ABET for five years. He
received the Educational Award for Excellence from the U.S.
Army, a Certificate of Appreciation from the AIAA for
organizing, coordinating and conducting the H.G. Heinrich Parachute Systems Short
Courses from 1982 through 1998, and the ASEE/AIAA John Leland Atwood Award in
2006 for advancing the discipline of aerospace engineering through effective and
creative research and consulting and for distinguished leadership in the development of
enhanced programs of instruction and research. He has served as a Member AIAA
Aerodynamic Decelerator Technical Committee, the AIAA Guidance and Control
Technical Committee, and the SAE Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems
Committee, and is past Chair of AIAA Academic Affairs Committee.

Gary Stroick
NAR/TRA Team Mentor
Gary Stroick has been involved in high powered rocketry
since 1998 and is certified Level 3 with the Tripoli Rocketry
Association. He also holds a Low Explosives Import and
User Permit. Currently a Board Member of Tripoli Minnesota
he was Vice President from 2007 to 2011. As owner of Off
We Go Rocketry he provides high power rocketry motors and
supplies to high power rocketry enthusiasts across the
Midwest as well as advises numerous fliers on various
aspects of rocketry and certifications. Academically, Gary
holds a MS in Computer Sciences, an MBA, and a BS in
Mathematics as well as Computer Sciences.

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Mark – Team Lead
Mark is a senior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. He is
the only returning member from the 2011 – 2012 USLI team. He is
Level 1 NAR certified and has been on multiple school rocket
teams. He was the Team Lead for the 2011 – 2012 USLI Team and
hopes to expand rocketry projects at the University of Minnesota.
He was a Research Assistant for a payload to be flown on the High
Altitude Student Platform (HASP) this summer, which will be
detecting x-rays in the stratosphere. He is interested in
experimental spacecraft propulsion system and hopes to work for
NASA someday in the future.

Tyler – Project Manager
Tyler is a junior at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities where
he is studying Physics and Astrophysics. He will be the project
manager of this year’s team. He first became interested in rocketry
when he first saw a NASA space shuttle launch. He is glad to
experience the task of building and launching a rocket on a smaller
scale and hopes to perhaps work with NASA someday.

Devin – Structural Lead
Devin is a senior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. His
interests are broad, but he’s academically focused on the design
and usages of structures within aerospace. Devin has experience
working on design and manufacturing composite turbine blades for
the student group Innovative Engineers and managing the schools
2012 Cansat team. Away from school, he enjoys reading, drawing,
and a mixture of other flight related hobbies including rocketry. For
the USLI competition, Devin will be responsible for managing the
Structures Team and ensuring that the vehicles structures are safe
to operate within the USLI flight envelope.

Trent – Structures Team
Trent is a sophomore in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics.
His goals for this year are to gain valuable experience in the
design, assembly, and technical workings of rocketry. Trent has
experience working with the American Indian Science and
Engineering Society (AISES) Rocket Team with emphasis on
airframe design and simulation. Outside of school he enjoys
poetry, philosophy, and music. For the USLI competition, Trent will
be working within the Structures Team.

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Maninder – Avionics Lead
Maninder is a senior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. For
the USLI competition, he will be the Avionics lead, responsible for
the deceleration mechanism, onboard altimeters and other onboard
avionics. Maninder has been an intern Air India’s Jet Engine
Overhaul Complex and gained experience with jet flows he also
interned with Robosapiens-India where he gained experience with
the AVR microcontroller family. He is currently involved with
research on control systems in the Aerospace Department.

Nathan – Recovery Lead
Nathan is a senior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, with
minors in Astrophysics and Management. He has an intense
interest in aerospace vehicles, especially spacecraft, and has some
experience with high altitude ballooning from working as a research
assistant for the Minnesota Space Grant (MnSGC). For the USLI
competition, he will be the recovery officer responsible for ensuring
the proper deployment of the rocket's parachutes and the
functionality of the on board tracking systems that will allow for the
safe recovery of the vehicle after flight.

Hannah – Payload Structural Lead
Hannah is a junior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics and is
expected to graduate in May 2014. She has a specific interest in
astronautic systems and design. She has experience with high-
altitude ballooning as well as the design of wind turbines. Her
responsibility for the USLI competition will be focused on the
payload aspect of the rocket.

Vishnuu – Payload Electronics Lead
Vishnuu is a junior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics and is
expected to graduate in May 2014. He is highly enthusiastic about
space exploration systems and supersonic aircraft design. Vishnuu
has experience working on high-altitude balloon payloads for the
Minnesota Space Grant Consortium and is also a Research
Assistant in the Interactive Guidance and Control Lab. For the
USLI competition this year, he will be working on developing the
rocket payload.

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Tim – Payload Team
Tim will be a junior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics this
year, after completing a bachelor’s degree in Physics at the
University of Winnipeg. He will contribute to the structures team
and payload team.

Amir – Financial Officer
Amir is a senior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, with a
minor in Management from the Carlson School of Business. For
the USLI competition, he will be the financial officer responsible
for all materials acquisitions involved with the rocket and the
handling of the financial documents and grant proposals. Away
from school he is working on starting up a gaming company
managing the financial concerns, as well as volunteer as a lab
assistant and extra hand for MnSGC.

Binh – Safety Officer
Binh is a senior in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. For the
USLI competition, he will be the safety officer responsible for
ensuring that team members are proper trained in safety
procedures, handling of various materials and operation of
machineries. Duties will also include providing appropriate
equipment and documentation for the team. Binh has experience
working on the 2011 CanSat team helping to develop the recovery
and internal system.

Monique – Outreach Officer
Monique is an Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Graduate
Student. Her study focuses are dynamics & control and fluid
mechanics. She has been involved with the MnSGC High Altitude
Ballooning Team for the past two years with working on several
different projects.

See Appendix I for detailed resumes on all team members.
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Team Organization

The team organization is shown in the following chart:
Team
 Lead

Project

Manager

Vehicle
  Financial
  Safety
  Outreach

Team
  Officer
  Officer
  Officer

Structural

Lead

Avionics

Lead

Recovery

Lead

Payload

Lead

Figure 1: Team organization flowchart
Team Lead is the most experienced and oversees and assists all other officers with
their duties. Project Coordinator is an assistant to Team Lead and keeps the team
organized, maintaining documents and meetings accordingly. Financial Officer, Safety
Officer and Outreach Officer report to Team Lead. Technical Leads (Structural,
Avionics, Recovery and Payload) also report to Team Lead. The Technical Leads will
work closely with each other for systems integration. They will also work with the
Financial Officer during design and acquisitions, and the Safety Officer at all phases.
The Technical Leads will most likely have subordinates to assist with technical design,
testing and construction.

1.6 NAR/TRA CHAPTER

During the flight testing of our rocket, our team will be assisted by:

Tripoli Minnesota (North Branch) High Powered Rocketry Club
Tripoli Rocketry Association Prefecture #45
President: Steven Anderson
www.tripolimn.org

Our Team Mentor is an experienced rocketeer from the Tripoli Minnesota North Branch:

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Gary Stroick
Level 3 Certified TRA Prefecture #43
Owner of Off We Go Rocketry Supplies
[email protected]

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