UCI Rocket Project subteam updates for Oct 18 – Oct 25
Another week has passed! Check on Rocket Project’s progress!
Avionics Subteam
Update By: Brennden LaGreek
The Avionics team has been hard at work on their various projects! Major progress was made on the ECU (Engine Control Unit), as thermo data can now be gathered from the board. Additionally, new battery improvements were made on the ECU, allowing coding and testing of components without fear of destroying more sensitive parts of the board. Several other projects such as ATPs and GUIs are still in development, with more updates to come soon.
Launch Vehicles Subteam
Update By: Michael Ross
The Launch Vehicles team finalized the VTF Mount design, and performed a critical design review (CDR) on Friday. After performing simulations on the engine mounts, the team will make minor adjustments to the design before placing purchase orders. The recovery systems team made great progress as they opened and folded the 16-foot main parachute for the first time. With the help of the Operations team, full documentation of opening and folding the drogue and main parachutes was acquired, which will be extremely useful for future reference and optimization of packing the parachutes. See below for pictures of the recovery systems team initially deploying and folding the main parachute!
Propulsion Subteam
Update By: Thomas Westenhofer
The propulsions team has been continuing progress on the plumbing assembly. Water and compressed air tests have been done on the test stand and the aluminum parts for the MVAS (Main valve actuator system) are currently being cut out. These parts will replace the current 3D printed parts. On Friday, the engine’s injector plate was assembled (pictured below)
Solids Subteam
Update By: Ryan Chu & Kenny Tsing
This week, the Solids team had their last lecture going over simulations in OpenRocket. These simulations will be important in determining optimal parachute deployment times, and finding the expected altitude, velocities, and accelerations of their own rocket designs. The motor that the Solids team will use for their rockets was also revealed: the Aerotech H182R-14A motor is a H class single use motor with 182N of thrust and a 14 second delay. This commences the individual design phase on the Solids team’s journey towards Level 1 Certification.
