Rocket Based Deployable Data NetworkUniversity of New Hampshire Rocket CatsCollin Huston, Brian Gray, Joe Paulo, Shane Hedlund,

Sheldon McKinley, Fred Meissner, Cameron Borgal

2012-2013 Preliminary Design ReportSubmission Deadline: October 29, 2012

Overview

• Objective• Vehicle Design• Materials and Justification• Vehicle Safety• Major Components• Recovery Design• Payload Design

Objective

• The UNH Rocket Cats aim to create a Rocket Based Deployable Data Network (RBDDN). The objective is to design a low cost data network that can be deployed rapidly over a large area utilizing rockets.

Vehicle DesignVehicle Dimensions• 67.75” in length• 4.014” Outer Diameter• 10.014” Span Diameter

Materials & JustificationComponent Material Justification

Nose Cone PNC-3.9 Plastic Nose Cone

16.75” length 3” Collar

Easily manufactured

Designed to contain electronics bay

Vehicle 4” Blue Tube 51” length

Strength Impact

Resistance Cost

Bulkheads Fiberglass Rigidity Strength

Motor Mount Fiberglass Rigidity Strength

Fins Fiberglass Rigidity Strength

Stability Margin

• Static Stability Margin– 1.528

• Center of Pressure– 48.321” from the nose tip

• Center of Gravity– 42.211” from the nose tip

Vehicle Safety

• Equipment Concerns:– Black Powder– Hazardous Materials– Motor

• Precautions:– Refer to Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for

related material– Mentor and safety officer on site for supervision

Motor Safety

• Pre-Launch– Appropriate motor selection– Full inspection of motor assembly and

compartment– Safe distance before launch

• Post-Launch– Allow motor to cool before handling

Motor Selection

• Cesaroni Technology Inc. K400-GR-13 Reloadable Motor• Total Length: 15.9 in• Diameter: 2.13 in• Launch Mass: 54.7 oz• Total Impulse: 1595 Ns• Average Thrust: 399 N• Maximum Thrust: 475 N• Burn Time: 4 s• Thrust to weight ratio: 5.9:1• Exit Rail Velocity: 55.5 ft/s

Motor Justification

• The primary reasoning for this motor choice is to reach the 1 mile apogee goal

• Sufficient thrust to achieve safe rail exit velocity

• Iterative approach to select motor based on OpenRocket simulations

• The size of the motor fits very well in our vehicle design

Launch Vehicle Verification and Test Plan Overview

• Verification of Vehicle Components– Perform tensile testing on all the load bearing

portions of the recovery system– Perform compression testing on the tubing and all

other necessary portions of the vehicle• Conducting planned test launches– To ensure payload electronics are working– Parachutes deploy properly– Sustains stable flight

Recovery Subsystem

3 Event Recovery System:

• Drogue parachute deployment at apogee

• Payload deployment at Range Safety Officer announcement

• Main parachute deployment at 700ft

Vehicle Recovery SystemComponent Part Choice

Altimeter ADEPT22

Drogue Parachute Public Missile Works PAR-30

Main Parachute Sky Angle Classic 36Electric Matches RocketFlite MF-12

• Fully redundant recovery circuit• #4-40 nylon screws for shear pins• Black powder charges for

separation

Payload Recovery System• Ejection charge initiated by

signal from ground station• Nose cone separates and lands

independently with PAR-24 parachute

• Utilize one way bulkhead to ensure that vehicle recovery system is not compromised

One Way Bulkhead• Ejection charges will

remove bulkhead from only one direction

• Shear pins to hold in bulkhead

Payload Design

• Primary Payload– Raspberry Pi– Sensor Suite (coincides with SMD)– GPS– XBee Pro 900

• Secondary Payload– Raspberry Pi– GPS– Xbee Pro 900

Payload Design

Payload Design

Payload Verification

• Power: Payloads will require power for a minimum of 2.5 hours. Our goal will be to have enough power for 5 hours. The amount of required power will be calculated and tested

• Data Acquisition: Testing will be done by collecting data from all sensors and analyzing the results

• Network: Both payloads will be tested by being able to successfully communicate with each other

Payload Verification

• Data storage: Payloads will be given data to store over the network. Successful storage will be tested

• Location tracking: Payloads will have a GPS module. Correct location data will be tested

• Network Range: Payloads will be required to be able to communicate and maintain a network at a distance of 1 mile. Our goal of 2 miles will be tested with a clear line of sight for 2 miles and analyzing signal loss