Collegiate Rocket 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 monitor internal systems 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 motor selected from a list of acceptable motors 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 the apogee closest to 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 assessment of competition flight data results.  Teams are required to submit simulations in RockSim.  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: All 38mm I435T, I366R, I284W, J350W, J500G, I600R Thrust curve data can be found at:  http://www.thrustcurve.org/searchpage.jsp
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.
Rocket Supplies and Equipment	Reimbursed up to $775.  Submit a Team Project Expense Form accompanied with original receipts to: Connie Engberg cengberg@carthage.edu 262.551.2966 NOTE:  Final reimbursement deadline is May 10, 2021.   WSGC Team Expense Reimbursement Instructions
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 >50 miles<100miles = 1 night hotel (maximum 2 rooms) >100 miles = 2 night hotel (maximum 2 rooms) *NOTE:  Only one travel reimbursement per team for competition weekend The reimbursable mileage rate is $.56/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, 1^st-3^rd 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 31st Annual Wisconsin Space Conference
• Submit a proceedings paper for the 30^th 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