MIT ROCKET TEAM

Overview

Mission Overview

Payload and Subsystems

Rocket and Subsystems

Management

Purpose and Mission Statement

Our Mission:

Use a rocket to rapidly deploy a UAV capable of completing search and rescue type missions with the use of a ground based system requiring little to no UAV flight training.

In doing this we aim to:

Meet NASA’s Science Mission Directorate requirements

Decrease deployment time for UAV missions

Decrease flight skill needed for successful UAV mission

Simplify search and rescue, reconnaissance, and other UAV missions

Mission Requirements

Launch UAV with Rocket

Meet the needs of NASA Science Mission Directorate including:

Gather atmospheric measurements of: pressure, temperature, relative humidity, solar irradiance, and ultraviolet radiation at a frequency no less than once every 5 seconds upon decent, and no less than once every minute after landing.

Take at least two still photographs during decent, and at least 3 after landing. All pictures must be in an orientation such that the sky is at the top of the frame.

All data must be transmitted to ground station after completion of surface operations.

Science payload must carry GPS tracking unit.

Successfully perform model search and rescue/reconnaissance mission

UAV Payload Overview (1)

Overview

Wing Span: 4.5ft

Fuselage Length: 3.75 ft

Estimated Weight: 7 lbs

Average Flight Speed: 45mph

Materials:

Wing, tail, and fuselage: Fiberglass around foam core

Nose Cone: Polycarbonate

Inrunner/Outrunner Pusher Motor with Graupner Foldable Propeller

UAV Payload Overview (2)

Folding Systems

Wing Rotating Mechanism: Spring Loaded

Dihedral Hinge: Plastic Hinge

Spring Loaded Latch Inside Wing

Folding Tail Kevlar/Plastic Hinge

Magnetic Locking System

Science Mission Directorate Payload

The SMD Payload requires recording: Solar

UVI

Pressure

Temperature

Relative Humidity

This data must be logged at a minimum of 5s intervals

At least two still must be captured during descent and three after landing

Logged data must be transmitted after landing

Payload Electronics

The payload shall carry an ArduPilotMega flight computer with the ArduPilotGPS/IMU navigation system

To fulfil the SMD requirements the payload the UAV shall carry

HTS3-R1-A, UV2-R1-A and SP1000 sensor boards(primary and secondary)

DOSonCHIP and Arduino Uno boards for secondary logging

Canon PowerShot A470 digital camera for still capturing

To facilitate first person view at the ground station, the UAV will have a CMOS camera and AVS-2400 video transmission board

Payload Safety Verification and

Testing Plan The UAV and subsystems will be tested in

three phases to minimize risk:

Phase 1: Ground Testing

Phase 2: Test Aircraft (commercially available RC)

Phase 3: UAV Testing

Separation of testing phases ensures that all systems work properly and safely before increasing level of testing and inherent risk at each phase.

A temporary parachute will be installed during UAV testing in case of propeller failure.

Each phase will include thorough analysis of data to ensure predetermined safety and success criteria are met.

Flight testing of test aircraft and UAV will be to analyze and determine margin of error of flight behavior and acting aerodynamic forces

Flight simulation software will analyze UAV patterns and acting forces to ensure staying in safe descent velocities.

Rocket Overview (1)

Requirements:

Launch rocket to 5280 ft

Deploy UAV at 2500 ft

Concept

Solid rocket motor

Carbon fiber airframe

Redundant flight computers

Sabot deployment

Dual deployment recovery

Mass

(kg)

Cost

(USD)

Propulsion 5.56 562.99

Airframe-Body 5.26 581.32

Airframe-Fairing 1.01 27.00

Avionics/Comm 0.58 1004.94

Payload Support

Equipment 1.60 121.00

Recovery 2.02 480.64

SUBTOTAL 16.03 2777.89

Rocket Overview (2)

Key components

Motor retention

Body tube coupler

Nose cone coupler

Recovery system

bulkhead

Avionics package

Rocket Airframe and Materials

Airframe Carbon fiber: 11 oz weave

Aeropoxy 2032/3660

Bulkheads Plywood: fin core, motor centering

Stainless steel: motor retention

Nylon: recovery/deployment bulkheads

2-part foam: sabot

5 minute epoxy

Various Phenolic tubing: motor mount, avionics package

Nylon: avionics assembly components

Stainless steel: quick links, eye bolts

Nomex: chute protectors, deployment bags

Rocket Propulsion Design

Rocket Motor – Cesaroni L1115

Requires much less ground support than hybrid

motor that was originally considered

4908 N-s impulse - more than enough to reach target

altitude given mass estimates

Full-scale Test Motor – Cesaroni K510

Similar enough to the L1115 that experience and

knowledge is easily transferred

2486 N-s impulse

Flight Profile Modeling

Battery of simulations with

varying wind speeds and

launch rail angles

Optimal ballast: 3.65 kg

All ballast placed at

bottom of motor bulkhead

gives initial static margin =

1.17

If 0.8 kg of ballast is

moved to sabot, static

margin = 1.56

Rocket Recovery System

3 ft drogue parachute

Deployment at apogee

Shear 4x 2-56 screws

2.1 g black power charge

9 ft main parachute

Deployment at 2500 feet

Deployed by sabot

Sabot released by charge released locking mechanism

Rocket Recovery System Testing

Barometric testing

Deployment sensing

Altitude verification

Nose cone release

Shear pin failure force

Black powder charge

Separation distance

Charge release locking mechanism

Black powder charge

Operational verification

Locating components

Finding emergency locator transmitter

UAV Deployment

• Sabot – safely stores UAV during flight

• Opened by wings unfolding

• Charge released locking mechanism - releases sabot at 2500 ft

• UAV oriented nose down inside rocket

• Autopilot brings UAV into level flight from dive

• Chute Bag – delays opening of main chute

• Separation of rocket and nose cone prevents UAV entanglement

Main Chute

Deployment Bag Sabot

Sabot

Drogue

Chute

Broken Charge

Released Locking

Mechanism

UAV Deployment Testing

Drop Testing Rig

After UAV has passed flight testing and

gains have been adjusted

Electronics unnecessary to testing

deployment capability and glide control

replaced by ballast

Unpowered

No LiPo makes a potential crash safer

UAV in Sabot dropped from tethered

balloon platform

200 ft high

Radio controlled release

Sabot opens and UAV deployed as in real

launch

UAV glides down under autopilot

Sabot descends under drogue

Avionics and Communication

There are four communication streams: Three associated with the UAV

One associated with the Rocket

UAV communication streams: 72MHz back-up UAV controls

900MHz command uplink / telemetry downlink

2.4GHz Real time video downlink

Rocket communication stream: 900MHz telemetry downlink

NOTE: the rocket and UAV telemetry downlinks shall be on different channels within the 900MHz band

Integration Plan

Avionics

Assembly

Main parachute and

sabot

Main chute and recovery system

bulkhead

Drogue

parachute

Nose coneMotor

UAV assembly

enclosed within

sabot

Schedule

Key Rocket Dates

9/10 Project initiation

11/19 PDR materials due

12/30 Scaled test launch

1/24 CDR materials due

2/20 Full-Scale test launch

3/21 FRR Materials Due

4/14 Competition launch

Key Payload Dates

9/10 Project initiation

12/1 Stability analysis

completed

12/5 Prototype without folding

mechanisms completed

12/10 Test launch with only vital

electronics

2/1 Prototype with folding

mechanisms completed

2/20 Full-Scale test launch

Educational Outreach

Boston Museum of Science Mid-January

MIT Museum: Mid-January

MIT Splash Weekend: 21 November

MIT Spark Weekend: Mid-March

BACK UP SLIDES

Flight Computer

Inertia Measuring Unit

Oilpan

GPS Receiver

GS407 U-Blox5

Position

Velocity

Position

900MHz Transmitter

Xbee Pro 900 Humidity, Position, SolarUVI, Temperature, Pressure

Humidity, Position, SolarUVI, Temperature, Pressure

Flight Computer

ArduPilot Mega

16Mb Flash Memory

Internal to ArduPilot Mega Humidity

UVI Temperature Solar PressurePosition

UVI Sensor Board

UVI2-R1-A

Humidity/Temperature/Solar Board

HTS3-R1-A

UVI Temperature Humidity Temperature, Solar

Pressure Sensor Board

SCP1000 Breakout

Pressure

Ancillary Boards

C-MOS Camera

CM-26P

2.4GHz Transmitter

AVS-2400-1000-KX171-G2

Video DataVideo Data

Humidity/Temperature/Solar Board

HTS3-R1-A

Back-Up Data-loop Board

Arduino Uno

Micro SD Card

Via DOSonCHIPFAT16 FAT32 uSD Module

UVI TemperatureHumidity Temperature, Solar

UVI Sensor Board

UVI2-R1-A

Pressure Sensor Board

SCP1000 Breakout

Pressure

Humidity, UVI Temperature Solar, Pressure

Rocket Avionics Communication

Rocket

Telemetr

y

900MHz

UAV Avionics Communication

UAV

Controls

72MHZ

Comman

d/

Telemetry

900MHz

Real

Time

Video

2.4GHz

AltitudeVelocity

TemperatureUVIPressureSolar

Land Here

Go Here

Capture Still