Student Launch from Wallops Island Tomorrow

[Swampcat]

<center>Embry-Riddle students rocketing into history<br /><blockquote><p align="left"><font color="orange">WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- A group of students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Fla., are spending their spring break traveling 800 miles in an attempt to make history. They have planned, designed, fabricated, tested and are now preparing to stage and launch their own suborbital rocket -- Icarus.</font>/p><br /><p align="left"><font color="orange">Launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., Icarus is projected to reach an altitude of 40 miles. If all performs nominally, the 16-foot tall rocket will set an altitude record for a university built vehicle.</font>/p><br /><p align="left"><font color="orange">Icarus is scheduled for launch between 5 and 8 a.m. EDT on Thursday, March 22, with 6 to 9 a.m., March 23, as a backup date.</font>/p></p></p></p></blockquote></center><br />Of course, this is <b><i>only</i></b> a sounding rocket, but can't it be imagined that someday universities will be building and launching their own student-built orbital vehicles?<br /><br />For more info on the building of Icarus visit the Project Icarus website. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[rocketman5000]

very true, depending on the size of rocket such things turbo pumps could be fashioned from turbochargers etc. That and we know much more about high temperature alloys

 

[Swampcat]

From the Project Icarus website:<br /><br />Propellant is 70% ammonium perchlorate, 10% aluminum and 20% R45M which is an HTPB binder. The booster motor has a maximum thrust of 3549 lbs and burns for 6.4s, while the sustainer has a max thrust of 931.5 lbs and burns for 7s. The motors were provided by Loki Research which builds commercially available rocket motors for amateur rocketry. I couldn't find the exact designation for this motor, but from the PDF drawings it appears that the rocket could handle the largest commercial motor Loki produces which is a P class.<br /><br />Amateurs do indeed build liquid motor rockets. They are, however, rather rare. There are no liquid motors certified by NAR, TRA or CAR and certain restrictions apply to their use. There is even a company, Aerocon Systems, where liquid motors can be purchased.<br /><br />Liquid motors tend to be much more complicated than solids, with plumbing and all that, so most amateur rocketeers stay away from them opting for easier APCP-based solid motors. I'm taking a middle road by getting into hybrid motors. They're a little more complicated than solids, with some plumbing, but are much safer than either APCP solids or liquid fueled motors.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[spacester]

<br />Jon Clarke's buddy builds them.<br /><br />I just hope I don't need to correct it to past tense! <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[docm]

And of course there is a rapidly growing community of hybrid rocket builders, with NOX/paraffin being used by many (ours included) instead of NOX/HTPB because it burns several times faster. <br /><br />Can be shut down @ launch, throttled, restartable etc. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Swampcat]

Finally found some info on the launch from the Project Icarus website:<br /><br /><center><blockquote><p align="left"><font color="orange">Flight in review. The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student rocket was successfully launch at 6:15 (EDT), March 22, from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Preliminary data show that it looks like both the 1st and 2nd stages of the Icarus rocket performed nominally. We did have a problem in tracking the second stage so we do not have direct data on the apogee achieved. However, it is believed that an apogee may be determined from first stage tracking, payload data, optical data, and vehicle performance data. As soon as this is determined, more information will be posted at this site.</font>/p></p></blockquote></center> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

So far so good <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> He hasn't done much on it for a while though, life has intervened.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[Swampcat]

<font color="yellow">"...life has intervened."</font><br /><br />I know all about that...was saving some money for hybrid GSE...had to spend it on a new car <img src="/images/icons/mad.gif" />. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[spacester]

<font color="yellow">. . . life has intervened.</font><br /><br />Yeah, me too. spacesterzone.com is stuck in first gear until I can get some real-life things to fall into place. Another weekend spent doing other things . . . <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /><br />But anytime I'm looking for a chuckle, I can just remember your pal's "load cell". That is still one of the most amusing yet brilliant yet simple pieces of engineering I've ever seen. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Simple but brilliant, that's his approach. In real life he is a senior poject engineer running multi million $$$ projects building things like ship loaders, metallurgical plants, and power stations. He is also one of the nicest guys I know.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[rocketman5000]

is that hydraulic jack and guage?

 

[spacester]

Yeah, also called a "bottle jack". I've always been a fan of that simple little device, because it's a "complete" hydraulic system in a small inexpensive package. Tank, pump, valve, cylinder: every hydraulic system starts with those four.<br /><br />But then I saw the "load cell" and knew I hadn't fully appreciated a bottle jack before. Makes me think there are other undiscovered applications. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[holmec]

Congrats! <br /><br />Seems like a year for problems with second stages.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>