News:The Aerospace Systems Engineering team
will test fire their rocket motor once again on May 18, 2008 at the BCMA
airfield east of Lake Jackson.
The test will occur at 2pm.Here is a map to the test site [Map]
Recent
Test Firing:
On November 11, 2007 ASA test fired our 2000 lb
thrust rocket motor at the BCMA airfield south of Houston.The motor ran a full duration (20 seconds), the computer system
worked well, and the test stand held the motor solidly.
Refer to the Propulsion team website for more details.
This video shows the test firing
from several viewpoints.
Rocket Motor Test
– FAQ
Q:How did
the rocket motor perform?
A:The
motor produced about 1500 pounds of thrust initially, but this tapered off
to around 800 pounds as the test progressed.
Q:What is
“exploding” out of the motor?
A:Caused
by a “hard start” ignition, a pressure wave blew off our
graphite nozzle.The chunks you see
flying past the camera were the outer pieces of the nozzle.
Q:What
happened to the video camera?
A:Our
nozzle-cam was intentionally placed in the line of fire downstream of the
rocket motor.Video from the camera
was recorded on a VCR nearby.Here
is a unique picture of ignition looking up the rocket nozzle:
Q:Does
the camera still work?
A:Yes, it
still works and we’ll use it again next time.
Q:Did the
computer system work?
A:Yes,
the computer system and remote video monitoring system worked great.Data, video, and commands were sent
wirelessly to/from the test stand,
Q:What
next?
A:Next
year, we will fix the remaining issues with the rocket motor and re-test
fire it.Then, we will build a
rocket body around this motor and launch it!
Q:Could
you tell me more about the program?
A:ASE
Program:For the last year and half, high
school students have worked with volunteer engineers to build a
liquid-fueled rocket motor and computer control system.
This engineering outreach program,
called Aerospace Systems Engineering, is designed to teach students
practical engineering and inspire them to pursue college careers in science
and engineering.
Here are two pictures from a recent work day
Student and engineer working on a
rocket motor part
Two students working on a pressure
sensor
You can follow the
progress of each team on their blog pages:
Lastly, you can
download a brochure about the ASE program here.
This
is a CAD drawing of the rocket motor the students are building
DONATE
The
ASE program is funded through generous contributions from the public and
local companies.Please help supportthis
endeavor!
This is a CAD
drawing of the rocket motor on the test stand.
The test stand
was built in May, 2006 by the
Civil Engineering Team.The upcoming
test firing will use the steel structure shown above but it will be mounted
on a mobile platform.
Who is currently
looking at the ASA website?Find out
here.
