Virginia Tech
Sounding Rocket Project
Jeremy Davis
Lauren Bendig
Cathy Herman
Becky Buxton
Aswad Hinton-Lee
Cari Faszewski
Kenny Kawahara
Mohamed Khalil
Brian Leginus
Tiffany Murray
Christopher Ramiro
Photo courtesy of NASA
Joe Barretta
John Mills
Jesse Panneton
Brian Squires
Michael Weronski
Emily Woodward
David Ziegler
Overview
• General sounding rocket information
• NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC)
• Improved Orion launch vehicle
• Science mission
• Payload overview
• Detailed payload description
• Alternative payload designs
• Future plans
• Cost effective
• Allows for relatively simple
payloads
• Test platform for future
spacecraft components
• “To Sound”
• Suborbital trajectory
• Altitude higher than
weather balloons, lower
than conventional rockets
Photo courtesy of NASA
Photo courtesy of NASA
What is a Sounding Rocket?
NASA Sounding Rocket Program
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14 different rockets
Up to four stages
30-1500 km altitude range
7-65 feet in height
Most rocket motors are military
surplus
Photo courtesy of NASA
NSROC
NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract
• Will provide Improved Orion launch vehicle
• Will cover launch costs
• Will provide consultation and support
NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Photo courtesy of NASA
• Will provide support to Virginia Tech, such as
machining and instrument development
• Will rigorously test payload before launch
• Launch scheduled for May 2004
The Improved Orion
Payload
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Length overall:
~18 ft
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Diameter:
14 inches
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Motor length:
9 ft
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Payload length:
~9 ft
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Payload includes:
Motor
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Nose cone
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Experiment
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Recovery
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Firing/Telemetry
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Throw weight:
100 to 400 lbs
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Altitude range:
55 to 105 km
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Impact range:
20 to 110 km
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Launch elevations:
78 to 84 degrees
Payload Length Comparison
Photos courtesy of NASA
Improved Orion Performance
General Flight Sequence
Science Mission
• Measure aerosols in the upper atmosphere
• Aerosols are tiny particles in the atmosphere
• Act as "seeds" to start the formation of cloud droplets
• Instruments will be provided by Naval Research
Laboratories (NRL) and the University of Colorado at
Boulder
MAGIC
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Mesospheric Aerosol-Genesis, Interaction and Composition (MAGIC)
The VT payload will fly two MAGIC canisters
Particle counters: pins extend to collect aerosols
for approximately 5 km of altitude each
Each canister is self contained
Requirements:
• Must be the first aerodynamic disturbance
• 95 km apogee
• Protection of the instruments upon landing
• MAGIC instrument can get wet
Photo courtesy of NRL
Charged Aerosol Probes
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Measure dust or heavy ion currents in the meteoritic
layers below 110 km
Small detectors, 2.2” x 2.5” x 1.3” and 0.5 lb each
The VT payload will fly two detectors and one circuit
box on a full aluminum plate.
Total system weight: 6 lb
Requirements:
• 95 km apogee
• 150 Hz to 1500 Hz sample rate
• Attitude knowledge <5°
• Instruments may get wet
Photo courtesy of the University of Colorado
Scope
Includes:
• Jump-start a continuous sounding rocket
program at Virginia Tech
• Design, build, test, launch, recover, and collect
data for a sounding rocket payload
• Provide community interaction
Does Not Include:
• Launch vehicle selection
Needs, Alterables, and Constraints
Needs
Alterables
• Payload orientation
• Conduct an atmospheric
• Structural subsystem
science mission at 95 km
• Materials selection
Establish a continuing
sounding rocket program at VT
Constraints
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Payload launch elevation
Science instruments
Nose-down landing
Launch vehicle
Launch facility, Wallops Island
Manufacturing capabilities
Must survive mission, be recovered
Cost
Launch must comply with WFF
regulations
Payload Apogee
• Both groups supplying the science instruments would like
an apogee of 95 km
• Payload should cover the region between 85 km and 95 km
• Total payload weight required: 140 lbs
• Current weight estimate: 190 lbs
• Current apogee is at approximately 80 km
• Both instrument suppliers will fly at this lower altitude
• Main goal is to achieve as close to 95 km as possible
Payload Overview
IRMA
Wet
Section
Experiment
Section
Aerosol
probes
Orion
Adapter
Bulkhead
MAGIC
mounting
Bulkhead
• Main payload components:
• Nose cone and MAGIC mounting
• Forward and aft bulkheads
• Aerosol probes and mounting plate
• TM components: transmitter, PCM, batteries, AD
• Wet section: umbilical, switches, antenna
• Ignition Recovery Module Assembly (IRMA)
MAGIC
Deployable
Nose Tip
Payload Joints
Radax Joint
• Fixed joint, 32 screws inserted at an angle
• Can be vacuum sealed using a ¼” o-ring
Male radax connection
Female radax connection
Payload Joints
V-band Joint
• Deployable joint, 2 bands held together by shear pins
• At desired altitude, the pins are sheared by a firing gun and the bands
detach, allowing the payload sections to separate.
V-Band Firing Gun Positions
V-Band Joint
V-Band Joints
Payload
Section
V-Band
Shear Pins
V-Band
Payload
Section
Nose Cone
Deployable Nose Tip
• Nose cone: 19° total angle cone (TAC)
• Total length: 42 in.
• Deployable nose tip length: 12 in.
• Base is attached to payload using radax
joint
• Deployable nose tip system will be
designed by NSROC
Bulkheads
Forward and Aft Bulkheads
• Used to seal a section from water/air
• Acts as a base for components
• Weight: 8 lbs (each)
Aft Bulkhead
Photo courtesy of UVA
Forward Bulkhead
Experiment Section Skin
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Material: Aluminum
Length: 24 in.
Thickness: ¼ in.
Weight: 23 lbs
Radax joint at each end
• Experiment section includes:
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Two Charged Aerosol Probes with circuit box and mounting plate
Transmitter
PCM encoder
NSROC “a” attitude determination system
Standard pyrotechnic controllers
Charged Aerosol Probes - Mounting
Mounting Method on Previous Flight
• Aluminum mounting plate: 180° semicircle, ¼” thick
• Bolted directly to skin
MAGIC - Mounting
Considerations When Mounting MAGIC
• Collection pin positioning
• Free movement of revolvers
• Protection from impact
• Structurally sound
MAGIC - Mounting
MAGIC Mounted on Platforms Secured to Interior of Nose Cone
• Easily integrated
• Lightweight
• Nose cone heating may damage the mounting plate and MAGIC
MAGIC - Mounting
MAGIC Mounted on Deck Plate Elevated by Four Vertical Beams
• Structurally separate from nose cone
• Additional support from beams
• Additional weight from beams
Telemetry (TM)
• TM system includes:
• Attitude Determination (AD)
• Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)
encoder
• Transmitter
• Batteries
• TM will go at the bottom of the
experimental section
Photo courtesy of UVA
• Total weight: 30 lbs
• AD system provided by NSROC, integrated by VT
• PCM encoder and transmitter provided and integrated by
NSROC
• NSROC systems typically are integrated by NSROC with their
own power source
• Experimental power requirements are low - VT will
piggyback power from NSROC systems
Attitude Determination
Photo courtesy of WFF
• NSROC “a” system:
• Three axis accelerometer
• Three axis magnetometer
• Spin rate sensor
• Solar sensor
• Properties
• Less than 1 lb
• Requires 50 mA
• System will be acquired from
NSROC
• Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) takes parallel
data and serializes it for telemetry
• Digital, rather than Frequency Modulation
(FM), an analog form of transmission
• Lightweight, compared to FM
• In-house low cost PCM encoder developed by NSROC
• PCM encoders typically cost $5,000 to $25,000. The low
cost PCM encoder is about $1500
• Low power: 48 mA
• Ideal for low data rate requirements of aerosol probes and
AD system
• Weight: under 1 lb
Photo courtesy of WFF
PCM
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Vector T-700S/L transmitter
28 V
3.0 Amp max
Weight: 11 ounces max
VTSRP payload will transmit on
S-Band: 2200 to 2300 MHz
Images courtesy of Aydin Vector
Transmitter
Power
• WFF supplies only Nickel Cadmium batteries:
Cell type
Manufacturer
Weight (lb)
Capacity, (AH)
2/3 AF
Sanyo
1.59
0.475
A
Panasonic
2.46
1.4
C
Gates
5.94
2.4
Cs
GE
N/A
1.2
D
GE
11
4.5
F
Sanyo
16.73
7
M
Sanyo
28.34
10
• Nickel Cadmium:
• Cheap
• Reusable, lifetime of up to 10 years
• Output approximately 28 V
Wet Section
NSROC supplied section
• Umbilical: for monitoring payload before launch
• Switches: mechanical and electronic timers for in-flight
events
• The switching system is proprietary; specifications
unavailable
• Antenna: NSROC will supply an appropriate antenna
for telemetry
• Radar transponder: WFF will track the payload from a
ground station
• Weight: 23 lbs
IRMA: Recovery
• IRMA (Ignition Recovery Module Assembly)
• NSROC-supplied recovery system
• Parachute automatically deploys at
30,000 feet
• Aft parachute: nose-down landing
• Recovery requirements:
• Payload must float
• MAGIC instrument must be
protected from damage
• Tracked by WFF
• Coast Guard will recover the
payload with a student
Orion Adapter
NSROC supplied section
Connects payload to motor
Firing: Separates payload from motor
Provides necessary despin for parachute deployment
Photo courtesy of NASA
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Performance
• Weight saving concessions:
• No flight computer/housekeeping
• No additional instruments
• Integrated power with NSROC
section
Photo courtesy of WFF
• Required weights:
• 95 km apogee: 140 lb
• 85 km apogee: 185 lb
Performance: Current Design
• Current design weight estimate: 190 lb
• Deployable nose tip pros:
• Lightweight: 8lb
• Deployable nose tip cons:
• Has never been done before
• Sufficient protection of MAGIC?
Payload Weight Breakdown
Component
Nose cone (no components)
Weight (lbs)
9
MAGIC  2
6.6
MAGIC structural support
10
Forward bulkhead
8
Experimental section skin
23
Aerosol probes (2) and control box
3
Experimental section deck plate
3.5
TM
30
Aft Bulkhead
8
Wet section
23
IRMA
47
Orion adapter
16
Wiring
5
Total
192
Performance: Alternate Designs
• Push-off or Clamshell nose cone
• These nose cones are pre-made for our payload size
• Weight: 60 lbs – immediately pushes total weight from
190 lb to 242 lb
• Would require a retraction system for MAGIC,
increasing weight further
• Apogee of approximately 70 km
• Mount aerosol probes directly to forward bulkhead
Performance: Weight Saving
• Replacement of bulkheads with plates:
• Saves approximately 5 lb each
• Plates may not retain a water-tight seal
• The NSROC TM estimate of 30 lb may be an
overestimate
• Mount MAGIC directly to the nose cone – remove
MAGIC support connected to the forward bulkhead
• Decrease skin thickness from 1/4” to 1/8” – saves about
10 lb (NSROC believes this most likely is not possible)
Future Plans
• Continue to recruit new team members
• Integrate science instruments into payload
structure
• Optimization of design concepts
• Decision making on final design
• Manufacture and test components
• Send prototype to Wallops for testing
(December 2003)
• Launch (May 2004)
Questions?
Wallops Main Base photo courtesy of NASA