Collegiate Rocket Competition

 

Competition Engineering Parameters:

Student teams will be required to design, construct and fly a high-power, “boosted dart” (essentially a 2-stage rocket with no motor in the upper stage which drag-separates after motor burn-out) that will be recovered safely and in flyable condition, predict its flight performance, collect down-looking on-board video from the dart and construct a non-commercial on-board data collection package that will characterize dart rotation in the X, Y, and Z axes over time.  Additional rocket parameters include the use of a specific motor and dual-deploy, electronic recovery with motor-charge backup. The rocket is required to use motor deployment of the recovery parachute but in addition,  teams may also use electronic deployment for more control of the flight. A downed rocket location aid must be included in both the dart and booster. 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 full separation of the dart before apogee and whose dart achieves the highest altitude.

The competition will include three 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.  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:         I435bt   38mm Thrust curve data can be found at:  http://www.thrustcurve.org/searchpage.jsp
Competition Flight Data Recorder	Raven III Featherweight Altimeters Raven III Manual Raven III QuickStart Guide 1.80” long x 0.8” wide x 0.55” thick  (~7 gm) Powered by a 9V battery  (~45 gm) This recorder is separate from the team’s electronic deployment system and will be inserted at time of launch to record acceleration & altitude vs. time.
Rocket Supplies and Equipment	Reimbursed up to $775.  Submit a Team Reimbursement Form accompanied with original receipts to: Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium 2001 Alford Park Drive Kenosha, WI  53140 ATTN:  Lisa Crumble NOTE:  Final reimbursement deadline is May 4, 2020 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 $.58/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 Apply:  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.
• Submit the “Create Rocket Launch Team (NOI)” Grant Application Form (https://spacegrant.carthage.edu/forms/application/rocket-launch-team/).
• If applying for both the Collegiate and Midwest Rocket Competition, please indicate in the Rocket Launch Team NOI which competition is the school’s preference.   

Once the faculty advisor completes the Notice of Intent (NOI), identifies the team name, lists the known student participants, and chooses which competition the team will compete in, each student 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.
• Upload current resume to applicant profile (optional). Applicants must check box in order to allow WSGC to share the applicant resume with Wisconsin Aerospace Industry partners for co-op, internship, and employment opportunities.
• Sign in and submit the Collegiate Rocket Competition application (https://wsgc.carthage.edu/apps/application/collegiate-rocket-competition/)

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 
• be comprised of 4-6 team members
• select a team leader

Individuals/teams may:

• seek advice/mentorship from Industry, Tripoli, NAR, and others
• compete without experience (Teams will be given the basic training and information required)

*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
• Oral Design Presentation
• Launch Competition
• Submit Student Stories

 Team Lead

• Preliminary Design Report
• Preliminary Budget
• Demo Flight
• Interim Progress Report
• Final Team Roster
• Final Design Report
• Education Outreach Form
• Post Flight Performance Report
• 2-3 Photos

 Winning Teams

• Present project at the 29^th Annual Wisconsin Space Conference
• Submit a proceedings paper for the 29^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