Collegiate Rocket Competition
COLLEGIATE ROCKET LAUNCH (CRL)
Unique NASA Opportunity to Launch Rockets (2021-2022)
High-Power Rocket Competition
APRIL 22-24, 2022
About the Program: The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) announces the Annual Collegiate Rocket Launch Design Competition. This competition is an opportunity for students to design and construct rockets to be launched at a competition in the spring from Richard Bong State Recreational Area, Kansasville, WI. Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) will sponsor up to twelve (12) teams - one team per academic institution. To qualify for the competition, interested teams of 4-6 students will be required to submit a Notice of Intent to Compete by a faculty member, in which the team lead and team members are listed. Teams are allowed to seek advice from Industry, Tripoli, NAR, and others. Teams do not need to have prior rocket experience.
Note: Teams selected to participate in the Collegiate Rocket Launch Competition may only receive funding for one WSGC sponsored rocket competition. Individuals selected to compete in the Collegiate Competition cannot compete on a Midwest High-Power Rocket Launch team but are encouraged to shadow a Midwest High-Power Rocket Launch team. Only six (6) students can register per collegiate team on the WSGC registration site.
Informational Telecon: October 7, 2021 @ 6:00 pm (Zoom)
Notice of Intent to Compete Due: October 22, 2021
Selection Announcement: October 29, 2021
Kick-off Meeting Online: November 4, 2021 @ 6:00 pm (Zoom)
Safety Review Meeting: March 26, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
@ Fox Valley Technical College
Oral Presentation at Carthage College: April 22, 2022 @ 6:00 pm
Launch Competition: April 23, 2022 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
“Actively Minimized Roll-Rate Challenge”
@ Richard Bong Recreational Park
Collegiate Rocket Launch Zoom Meetings: https://carthage-edu.zoom.us/j/92786761125
A calendar of events fully detailing program due dates is included in the competition handbook.
See a list of current and past award recipients
Purpose: The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium’s (WSGC) Collegiate Rocket Competition is intended to supply teams of affiliated university students with the opportunity to demonstrate engineering and design skills through direct application. It allows the teams to conceive, design, fabricate and compete with high powered rockets. The restrictions on rocket motors and dimensions are limited so that knowledge, creativity and imagination of the students are challenged. The end result is a great aerospace experience for students that would not otherwise be available in the region.
It is the purpose of this Announcement of Opportunity to support the innovative, visionary projects that are student- led and designed to fully realize WSGC’s goal of assisting in training the next generation of aerospace professionals.
Team Challenge Awards (based on availability of funds):
Mission Grand Champion: $3000* and VIP Tour at Sierra Space in North Freedom, WI
2nd Place: $2000
3rd Place: $1000
Team Funding: up to $775 $1,000 rocket supplies, equipment, flight competition motor,
flight data recorder, travel (WSGC increased team funding from $775 to $1000 on 10.07.21)
Travel Funding: based upon round trip travel to and from competition (see chart below)
*Awarded to highest scoring team that successfully completes the mission and all aspects of the competition.
COMPETITION ENGINEERING PARAMETERS:
Student teams will be required to design, construct and fly a high-power, one-stage rocket that, following apogee, will be recovered safely and in flyable condition, predict the rocket’s flight performance, collect down-looking on-board video and include an avionic system that will actively minimize rocket roll-rate and monitor the rocket’s performance throughout the flight. The avionic system must be controllable while on the launch pad via a wired-remote with magnetic breakaway connector. Additional rocket parameters include the use of a specified rocket motor and dual-deploy, electronic recovery with motor-charge backup. The rocket is required to use electronic deployment of the recovery parachute and must include motor deployment as a backup. A downed rocket location aid must be included. All structural components and materials for the rocket must be obtained from reputable high-powered rocketry vendors or an engineering analysis demonstrating their suitability must be included with the design. The winner of the flight portion of the competition will be the team whose rocket completes a safe, successful flight with a combination of best apogee as well as the accuracy of their predicted apogee.
The competition will include a series of written reports about the design, analysis, simulation, build, and test flight results of the rocket, an oral presentation, plus an assessment of competition flight data results. A panel of professionals will score these from both academia and industry. Scoring of the pre-competition reports and the post-flight report will focus on the system design and its performance. More details about the competition motor, reports, deadlines, etc. are available in the competition handbook.
Equipment/Reimbursable funds provided by WSGC:
Required Competition Rocket Motor |
Aerotech Consumer Aerospace: 38mm I435T |
Competition Flight Data Recorder |
Jolly Logic AltimeterTwo AltimeterTwo User Guide https://jollylogic.com/public/JollyLogicAltimeterTwo-Gen2-V4web.pdf 1.90” x 0.7” x 0.57”, ~ 0.35 oz. Powered by a built in, rechargeable battery. This recorder is separate from the team’s electronic deployment system and will be inserted the day of launch to record acceleration and altitude. |
Project/Travel Award |
Reimbursed up to $$ NOTE: Final reimbursement deadline is May 9, 2022. |
Travel Award |
Teams are eligible for lodging reimbursements based upon one-way mileage from Richard Bong Recreational Area to the team’s college/university. Travel budgets must be included with the preliminary budget submission.
<50 miles = no lodging The reimbursable mileage rate is $.585/mile. 4 member teams are eligible for up to 2 competition mileage reimbursements. 5-6 member teams are eligible for up to 3 competition mileage reimbursements. All teams are eligible for one EAA Safety Meeting mileage reimbursement. All travel reimbursement requests must be signed and submitted by the Faculty Advisor. |
To Register and Apply: The faculty advisor must first register with WSGC before students/team members register. One exception to the order of registration exists. If the student team lead has never registered with WSGC, he/she must register before the advisor begins the Notice of Intent (NOI).
A faculty advisor must complete the following steps:
- REGISTER as faculty on the WSGC website (https://spacegrant.carthage.edu/about/login/). Applicants will be prompted to update personal information annually.
- Complete and submit the “Rocket Launch Team (Create NOI)” Grant APPLICATION form (https://spacegrant.carthage.edu/forms/account/login/?next=/forms/application/first-nations-rocket-competition/).
- The following information/documents will be submitted during this step:
- Other WSGC funding received
- Team Name
- Co-Advisor (if applicable)
- Student Team Lead
- Grants Officer (if applicable)
- Industry, Tripoli, National Rocketry Association Mentor Name and Email
- Competition (Collegiate)
- Team Members List
Once the faculty advisor completes the Notice of Intent (NOI), identifies the team name, lists the co-advisor (if applicable), team lead and student participants, and chooses which competition the team will compete in, each team member (including a co-advisor) will need to:
- REGISTER as an undergraduate student on the WSGC website (https://spacegrant.carthage.edu/about/login/). Applicants will be prompted to update personal information annually (if previously registered).
- Sign in, complete and submit the Collegiate Rocket Competition APPLICATION form (https://wsgc.carthage.edu/apps/application/collegiate-rocket-competition/).
- Upload current resume to applicant profile (optional). Applicants must check the box in order to allow WSGC to share the applicant resume with Wisconsin Aerospace Industry partners for co-op, internship, and employment opportunities.
- Submit the following information/documents during this step.
- Other WSGC funding received
- Team Name submitted by the Faculty Advisor
- Resume (optional – Applicants must check the box in order to allow WSGC to share the applicant resume with Wisconsin Aerospace Industry partners for co-op, internship, and employment opportunities.)
- Prior Rocket Experience
- Media Release
- Individual W9
Application Requirements: Team/Individual applicants who meet the following requirements can apply for this grant by registering and applying online at spacegrant.carthage.edu/about/login:
- be US citizens
- attend any WSGC Academic Affiliate Institution full-time
- have a committed faculty mentor
- have a committed Industry, Tripoli, and/or National Association of Rocketry mentor
- be comprised of 4-6 team members
- select a team leader
Individuals/teams may:
- compete without experience (Teams will be given the basic training and information required).
- seek membership and Level I, II, and/or III through Tripoli and/or the National Association of Rocketry
*Note from Tripoli: Without exception, university teams must involve an experienced mentor, preferably a TAP or L3CC, during the design and construction phases of their rocketry projects if they expect to fly them at Tripoli events. The mentor must be certified at or above the level of motor the team wishes to fly AND experienced in the type of construction, propulsion, and recovery the team uses.
Although it is ultimately up to the judgment of the RSO and Launch Director, University teams who build a rocket that requires a motor higher than their member cert levels, and then as an afterthought contact a club hoping to fly (without ever involving an experienced mentor) should be told no.
Groups of students wishing to be paired up with like-minded students at other affiliate institutions should contact the WSGC Institutional Representative for their campus. Members of groups underrepresented in aerospace disciplines are particularly encouraged to participate.
*Individual students cannot participate in more than four WI Collegiate Rocket Competitions.
See a list of current and past award recipients
Award Acceptance Components: As part of the award acceptance, 1st-3rd place awardees will be asked to attend and present at the Annual Wisconsin Space Conference as outlined in the award agreement and all participants will submit the following documents on the WSGC application website under Program Applications/Your Applications:
All Advisors/Participants
- Award Agreement Letter
- Media Release Form
- One-Paragraph Biography
- Professional Photo
All Team Members
- Attend the Online Kick-off Meeting
- Attend the Online Design Review Meetings
- Attend the Safety Review Meeting @ EAA
- Oral Design Presentation
- Launch Competition
- Submit Student Stories
Team Lead
- Preliminary Design Review Report
- RockSim model file of Preliminary Design
- Preliminary Budget
- Demo Flight
- Critical Design Review Report
- Final Team Roster
- Flight Readiness Review Report
- Education Outreach Form
- Post Flight Performance Report
- 2-3 Project Photos Featuring Team Members
Winning Teams
- Present project at the 32nd Annual Wisconsin Space Conference
- Submit a proceedings paper for the 32nd Annual Wisconsin Space Conference online journal
- Individual W9
The WSGC Student Tools & Tips website is an excellent resource for all of your Collegiate Rocket Launch needs. If you cannot find your answer here, questions can be sent to the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium at spacegrant@carthage.edu , Questions will be answered on an individual basis, and duplicate questions will be posted on WSGC’s Facebook Page.
Please direct your questions about the Student Satellite Initiatives Program to:
Dr. William Farrow | Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium |
---|---|
Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium | Carthage College |
Associate Director for Student Satellite Initiatives | 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha, WI 53140 |
Milwaukee School of Engineering | Phone: 262-551-6054 |
Phone: 414-229-3951 | Phone: 262-551-6054 |
farroww@msoe.edu | spacegrant@carthage.edu |
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This funding opportunity is made available for the pursuit of space-related research and/or activities through the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: NASA Educational Cooperative Agreement #80NSSC20M0123. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this award is 43.008.
All awards are fully competitive awards of opportunity in which applications are reviewed by the WSGC Technical Advisory Panel and other experts as needed. Awards are made by the Assistant Director based on recommendations from the Associate Director.