TARC 2014-2015
AIAA OC Rocketry
Team America Rocketry Challenge
(TARC)
2014-2015
September 2014 Kick-off Meeting
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TARC 2014-2015
AIAA OC Rocketry
What
is
TARC?
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Team America Rocketry Challenge
“Team America Rocketry
Challenge (TARC) provides
7th through 12th grade
students a realistic
experience in designing a
flying aerospace vehicle
that meets a specified set
of mission and
performance requirements.
Students work together in
teams the same way
aerospace engineers do”
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Video on line at http://aiaaocrocketry.org/AIAAOCRocketryDocs/TARC2013/TARC_TeamAmericaRocketryChallenge.wmv
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International Rocketry Contest
Up to 1000 teams
7th through 12th graders
Compete for scholarships and a trip to an Air
Show in Europe
Each year a challenge is issued in the form of a
specification
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Maximum weight
Minimum length
Certain altitude
Duration of flight
Payload
And more…
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Once you are given a
specification for a rocket with
payload
• You design and simulate your
rocket using a CAD program
• You build and test launch your
rocket
• You modify your design and test
launch again until the specifications
are met
• You qualify by declaring 3 test
flights to be scored – before flight
• If you are in the top 100 teams,
you go to Washington DC for final
fly-offs
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TARC 2014-2015
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The 2014-2015
Challenge
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Rocket requirements
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Flight requirements
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Must comply with the NAR safety code
Must be no less than 650mm (25.6”) long
Must not exceed 650 grams in weight
Use an approved “F” motor or lower (or multiple
motors total of 80 Newton-seconds or less)
Payload (egg and altimeter) portion must return
separately on its own parachute
Must contain one approved altimeter (PerfectFlite
APRA or Pnut)
Portion with rocket motor must return separately
with any safe recovery method
May not be a kit designed to carry an egg
No pyrotechnic charges except those provided as
part of the commercially made motor
Must attain an altitude of exactly 800ft
Must have a total flight duration of 46 – 48
seconds
Must carry a payload of one raw hen’s egg, 55 –
60 grams in weight and return undamaged
Team members (not adults) do the work
There are more rules – see the Team Handbook – the final authority
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2014 – 2015 Scoring
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Similar to golf – the lower the score the
better
Target altitude is 800 ft
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Target time window is 46 to 48 seconds from
liftoff until the payload touches down (or can
no longer be seen)
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Each foot your altitude is different costs 1 point
Accuracy is down to 1 foot measured by an onboard altimeter (PerfectFlite APRA or Pnut)
In the window costs 0 points
Each second your time is different costs 4
points
Time is measured to .01 seconds idependently
by two observers on the ground
Up to three Qualification Flights must be
made between 9/2/2014 and 3/30/2015 –
you MUST make two
Second flight at finals will be 775 feet and
45-47 seconds
Final score is the sum of the two best scores
Scores must be received by at the offices of AIA by 3/30/2015 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
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How are
you
going to
do this?
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Assemble a team
• Teams must be sponsored by a nonprofit organization with a youth program
• Teams must be 3 – 10 members
• All members must be in 7th through
12th grades
• You need a lot of different skills – not
just “rocket scientists” – members that
• Like to lead and manage
• Technically skilled for design
• Mechanically skilled to helpe build
• Computer literate for Computer
Aided Design and simulation
• Members that like to track budgets
and fundraise
• One team member must be the
Program Manager
• Each team member must make a
significant contribution to the design,
building and/or launching
• Team members can be added or
dropped until the 1st qualification flight
• No limit to the number of teams from
any one sponsoring organization.
• But if more than 3 teams qualify from
one sponsor, only the 3 teams with the
best scores can go to finals
• Those 3 teams can add members from
other qualifying teams from that sponsor
up to a maximum of 10 per team
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Early Team Tasks
• Each team member should read and
understand the contest and safety rules
in the Handbook
•Meet often to discuss options and work
on your design
• Identify what you need to know and
needed areas of expertise
• Establish a schedule with dates and
stick to it
• Estimate your costs and your
fundraising needs and methods
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NAR Safety Code Highlights
• Use only lightweight, non metal parts for the nose,
body, and fins
• Use only certified and approved commercially
made motors
• Use an electrical launch system with safety
interlock for the ignition switch
•Use a launch rod, tower or rail pointed to within 30
degrees of vertical
• Don’t launch at targets, into clouds, or near
airplanes
• Assure adequate space (“F” motors require a
minimum of 1000 ft across launch site
• You must use a recovery system (parachute(s) or
streamer
• Read the full Model Rocket Safety Code in the
Handbook
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Schedule and Budget
•Schedule: Use Microsoft
Office “Excel” or Open Office
“Calc” to show tasks and
time – then stick to your
schedule!
Budget: Use the same tool to get an
estimate of what you will spend on this
project – then you know how much
money you will need to raise
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Research areas of expertise
• You might want to have each member
research a different area and report to the
team to share their knowledge
• Areas of expertise might include
• Payload (protect the eggs)
• Recovery (deliver eggs from altitude)
• Airframe design, fins, nose cone
• Rocksim CAD Design
• Motors and igniters
• Effects of weather on the rocket
• Collect and analyze launch data
• Construction and finish
• Budget and fundraising
• Discuss design concepts – you might
want one joint design, or try several
different designs
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Evaluate potential designs
Make use of your technology experts
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Long or short body
Shape of nose cone
Shape of fins
Placement of egg payload
Protection of egg payload
Shape of parachute
Black Powder or APCP motor
Materials to use
• The list goes on and on
• The team needs to
make educated decisions
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Design and Simulate with Rocksim
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RockSim – Design & Motor Selection
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RockSim - Simulation
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Order and receive parts and motors
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Build your design(s)
Construction is as important as design for consistency of flights
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Test and Tune Your Design
Record details of the vehicle, motor, flight, and weather conditions
for EACH flight to use to refine your design after the launch
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Where can you launch?
• Very restrictive - NOT in your back yard, park, or school yard
• State of California requires the landowners permission, the local fire
authority’s permission, and often a permit ($300 - $1,000 per day)
• Rockets above 500g and with larger motors have more restrictions in
California
• Best to launch at organized launches
(Distances are from the city of Orange)
• R.O.C. in Lucerne Dry Lake past Apple
Valley (about 100 miles)
• D.A.R.T. at Fiesta Island near San
Diego (about 90 miles)
• S.C.R.A. at Santa Fe Dam Recreation
Area (about 35 miles) – limit is 500g
rockets and “C” motors in spring
• There are more sites even further
away – we will use those if needed
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The Qualification Flight
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The Qualification Flights are your
ticket to the finals
You can make up to 3, your final
score is the sum of the best 2
There is no single qualification
event – you can make a
qualification flight at any launch
with a NAR observer
You declare your Qualification
Flight BEFORE the launch
The NAR observer will inspect your
rocket before flight
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Safety – is it stable and well built?
For rule compliance – one egg, motor
size, correct altimeter, separates,
payload on parachute
He will record the results
You need to send in the results
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Qualify!
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Video on line at http://aiaaocrocketry.org/AIAAOCRocketryDocs/TARC2013/ASAT_TARC2010-W-Beeps.wmv
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Attend Finals near Washington D.C.
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Previous TARC Years
YEAR
The Challenge
Top 100
Teams
Mentored
AIAA
Result
2008
750ft, 45 sec, 1500g, 2eggs, “G”
motors, any recovery
22.20
1
22.28
3rd Alternate
2009
750ft, 45 sec, 1500g, 1 egg on
side, “G” motors, any recovery
17.60
1
23.60
No Joy
2010
825 ft, 40-45 sec, 1000g, 1 egg,
“F” motors, streamer
29.60
1
4.00
8th National
> SLI
2011
750ft, 40-45 sec, 1000g, 1 egg,
“G” motors, 15” parachute
15.87
1
31.86
Too Busy with
SLI
2012
800ft, 43-47 sec, 650g, 1egg, “F”
motors, parachute
13.20
3
21.13
Too Busy with
SLI
2013
750ft, 48-50 sec, 650g, 1 egg on
side, “F” motors, 15” parachute
16.12
5
4&9
2 teams to
finals
2014
825 ft, 48-50 sec, 650g, 2 eggs,
“F” motors, 2 parachutes
54.12 (2
flights)
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453.18
5 teams to
finals
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TARC 2014-2015
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How can AIAA OC Section help?
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Teams must be attached to a non-profit organization with a
youth program such as AIAA, a school, scout troop, 4H
Each organization can have any number of teams of 3 to 10
members each, but only 3 teams can go to finals
If your school, 4H, scout troop or other youth program will
not let you form a team attached to them, you can become
an AIAA team or we will find other professional organization
For any team
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We will provide mentoring as needed
We will provide a place to meet with PCs with Rocksim
We will provide construction materials (glue, fin jigs etc.)
We will have many launch outings to test and fine-tune
We will help you put together a field box with essential tools and
support materials – we have 10 tool boxes to LOAN
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Budget
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Teams are responsible for their own expenses
• Materials to build one rocket: $25 - $50 (2 or more per design)
• Motors to launch: $6 - $19 each (10 – 30 launches total)
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Small “E” Black Powder Single Use: $6.00
Estes or Aerotech APCP “E” Single Use: $15 - $18
Estes or Aerotech APCP “F” Single Use: $18
Aerotech or Cesaroni APCP “E” Reloads: $9 - $15 + One Casing
Aerotech or Cesaroni APCP “F” Reloads: $15 - $19 + One Casing
• Transportation to the launches (gas and vehicle)
• WHEN you make the finals
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Air Fare to Washington DC - $400/person
Hotel ($89/room/night – share rooms)
Meals ($5-$10/meal)
Fundraising
Sales: Garage, Sees Candy, Mary
Kaye Cosmetics
Corporate Sponsors: Industry,
Aerospace, Local Businesses
Do chores, beg parents to help (it’s
your responsibility to raise money, not
your parents)
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AIAA OC Rocketry
2014
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Schedule
9/2 – 12/12: Sign up (completed paid application received)
September 20 & 28th – AIAA OC Section TARC 2015 kick-off
October 11: ROCtober Youth Launch at Lucerne Dry Lake
November 8: ROCstock – large launch at Lucerne Dry Lake
Sept – Dec: Design, build, and test – the earlier the better
2015
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Jan – 3/30: Refine design and continue to test
3/30 – Must have completed all qualification flights
3/30 – Qualification flight forms RECEIVED at AIA
4/3 – top 100 teams announced
5/9 – Final Fly-offs near Washington DC
5/10 – Alternate Final Fly-off in case of inclement weather
More Information
http://rocketcontest.org
http://AIAAOCRocketry.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NARTARC
http://www.nar.org
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How to proceed from here
Teams can go on line to sign up OR
complete the “TARC 2015 Application
Packet”
Each team member
needs to submit the
completed and signed
“Parent/Guardian
Consent & Release
Form” – this can also
be done on line
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A Few General Tips
• New teams might want to build and fly 2.6” rocket kit as a group, or have each
member build and fly a smaller kit to get some experience before designing.
• Start as soon as possible with your design – time passes very fast and school
must come first.
• Select your motor early from RockSim and validate with test flights – motors can
be difficult to find December - March
• After you select and validate which motor you will be using, buy all the motors
you need at one time with the same lot number
• Prepare for bad weather and cancelled launches January through March
Our Favorite Launch Site – Lucerne Dry Lake – isn’t always Dry
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Thank you
Questions?
Disclaimer: Read the handbook and the rules. If there is any
discrepancy between this presentation and the official NAR and
AIA documents, those documents win.
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