Introduction
- Ashton Franiak (Mechanical Engineering afraniak@elon.edu)
- Joshua Trubinsky (Mechanical Engineering jtrubinsky@elon.edu)
- Sponsor: Dr. Kyle Altmann, Associate Professor of Physics
The Idea
This project was inspired by reusable self landing rockets like the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Starship. Ashton and I were interested in the challenge to see if we could create a reusable self landing model rocket. Previous self landing model rockets have been built and tested, however, the most reliable self landing model rocket has only achieved a successful landing on 2 out of 9 flights. Our goal is to increase this reliability and make the most reliable self landing model rocket with a landing success rate over 50%.
First Steps
Our initial prototype (Insight I) was meant to be simple and did not include any electronics or parachute. This launch allowed us to test our 3d printed body tube and the overall shape and size of the rocket. The rocket reached a height of about 40 feet, which was close to our target apogee. For initial testing and landing attempts, we wanted to keep the rocket close to the ground before increasing the altitude.
Continuous Iteration and Design
Insight was designed using Fusion 360 and 3d printed on Bambu Lab P1S 3d printers. We decided to use 3d printing as the primary tool for this project because it allows us to rapidly prototype and test our designs. This project requires large amounts of testing and iteration, so it was important for us to be able to do this in a time efficient and cost-effective way. The 3d model is constantly being modified and changed, and we are able to digitally assemble and render the rocket to get a realistic idea of how it will function in real life.
First Launch Test with TVC (Thrust Vector Control)
The primary goal of Insight II was to test the TVC (thrust vector control) system and the parachute deployment system. During the first second of the launch, the TVC system functioned properly and kept the rocket in a vertical orientation. After the first 15-20 feet, the rocket began to turn over and veer to the left of the camera frame. We believe this was due to a strong wind gust, self induced oscillations within the TVC system, unsymmetric weight distribution, and air drag acting on the open section of the rocket body tube. Even though the Insight II launch test resulted in the rocket spinning out of control, crashing into the ground, and breaking apart upon impact (seen in the picture below), we still viewed the flight test as successful because we were able to gain important information about how the rocket performs and how we can improve it for future flight tests.
Next Steps
We are currently working on modifying the rocket and implementing changes to address issues discovered during the second launch test. We plan to launch Insight III over the summer with the goal of achieving a controlled vertical ascent using thrust vector control. Once we have achieved a controlled vertical ascent and a safe landing with the parachute, we plan to begin testing and implementation of the landing leg deployment system.