On December 3rd, December 10th, and December 18th, SOAR held its first major build days for the NSL 2017 project at our off-campus workshop. A number of systems and tasks were worked on, including:
Subscale Rocket
This is the smaller rocket that will be launched ahead of time to test our systems and collect data. This rocket was reused from last year’s subscale, however it has been adapted to this year’s specifications.
- Reworked altimeter bay for Data Acquisition Package (DAP, the onboard computer system that will collect flight data when the subscale is launched).
- Cut and expoxied new bulkheads for the simulated payload and integrated simulated payload with DAP.
- Programmed altimeters and attached ematches (used to deploy parachutes at specific altitudes).
Fullscale Rocket
This is the rocket that will actually be competing. For more information on this rocket, see the design reports linked on the NSL 2016-17 page.
- Fitted and epoxied fins to motor mount.
- Added carbon fiber fillets to two of the three fins.
- Completed most of the programming and electrical engineering for the navigation and stabilization system. The rocket will use GPS coordinates and a compass sensor along with the steering hardware to navigate towards a desired landing area.
- Epoxied switchband to electronics bay.
Images
