Editor's note: this is the original project proposal, circulated in May of 2007. The current high level summary is available here.
Proposed BALLS '08 Project
Goals:
- Prepare for a launch in '09 or '10 of at least 50,000 feet on
a nitrous hybrid.
- Build and launch a hybrid at BALLS '08:
- Entire project cost to be less than $3K, exclusive of the cost
of the trip to BALLS. The budget does not include tooling.
Major Components:
Avionics and Recovery
- Project Lead: Rik Faith
- Components:
- Altitude measurement
- Recovery system deployment, including apogee detects and ejection system
- System for locating the rocket once on the ground.
- Any other payload (e.g cameras, experimental instrumeents)
Air Frame
- Project Lead: Steve Daniel
- All tubes, nose cone, fins, couplers.
- Motor mount and positive retention
- Includes rail buttons and hard attach points to the airframe
Propulsion
- Project Lead: Evan Daniel
- Engine design, development and testing
- Fuel, ignition.
- Fill, vent, and dump.
- Inludes all on-board plumbing, quick-disconnects, etc.
Ground Support
- Project lead: TBD
- Nitrous tankage
- Nitrous chill
- Fill and dump valves and controls
- Ignition control
Launch Logistics
- Project Lead: TBD
- Nitrous supply, both NC and NV
- Transportation, lodging.
- Ground based GPS, communications
- All launch paperwork (TAP, Tripoli, as required)
Major Schedule Milestones
| fall 08: |
Launch |
| summer 08: |
Final logistics; refinement based on test results |
| April 08: |
Supersonic Test Launch (MDRA's Red Glare) |
| winter 07-08: |
Finish recovery system, test launches |
| winter 07-08: |
GSE build-out and test |
| fall 07: |
Motor test |
| fall 07: |
L3 certification |
| summer 07: |
Construct major airframe components |
| summer 07: |
Engine test stand and instrumentation |
| summer 07: |
Small scale tests, fuel characterization |
| summer 07: |
completely design and build an L3 rocket |
| may 07: |
finalize high-level design |
High level budget:
| Motor |
$600, includes on-board plumbing, quick disconnects |
| Airframe |
$300, includes CF, expoxy, phenolic tubes, finishing supplies |
| Avionics |
$700, includes ground station |
| Recovery |
$100, includes chutes, hardware, shock cord |
| GSE: |
$600, includes ground tanks, valves, control boxes |
| Consumables |
$200, nitrous and fuel during testing cycles |
| Overage |
$500, anything I've not thought of; cost overruns |
High level design:
| Motor: |
- 48" x 4" Loki casing, modified as a hybrid.
- Fueled by PBAN w/ carbon black and possible aluminum loading
- Chilled nitrous (400 PSI tank pressure)
- Estimating an M-1000 with approximately 9000 N-S total impulse
- 280 lbs initial thrust
- 26 lbs total mass, including fuel, nitrous, flight plumbing
|
| Airframe: |
- 9' x 4" carbon fibre over phenolic.
- Nose cone will be carbon/glass composite; custom-built
- Fins will be carbon over glass
- Finish needs to be smooth as glass. Motor section must be white.
- 6 lbs (??) exclusive of hardware
|
| Avionics: |
- Custom. Onboard GPS with gound-link for recovery.
- Altimeter-base apogee detect.
- Timer back-up apogee detect.
- 2 lbs
|
| Recovery: |
- Apogee: pair of aerocon 12" artillery chutes? Streamer?
- Main: pair of aerocon 60" artillery chutes? Bigger? 3 of them?
- misc hardware, including shock cord, eye bolts, etc
- 4 lbs
|
| GSE: |
- 30 lb tank, nitrous chill system.
- continuous duty valves
- solid-state valve controller, cat5 control link to LCO
|
Mass Ratio (Wet to Dry): 38 / 27.5 = 1.4
|
| Flight Plan: |
- approximately 10 minutes fueling time
- 8 second burn
- 25 second coast to apogee
- apogee at 20,000 feet
- 2 minute descent
|
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