Rocketry

Project Status: 100%

As an after work project at NASA JSC, the interns developed a model rocket with an advanced avionics payload. While we didn’t quite succeed in all regards, we did have an awesome launch, a successful parachute deployment, and a hell of time making the damn thing.

The Tiny Flying Rocket (TFR) was modeled after the Saturn 5 and initially intended to be a multi stage, but later reverted to a single stage. It was powered by two F type Estes engines, a 9v battery and custom designed/hand soldered power distribution board, and was run by a raspberry pi zero wireless with accompanying camera. This is where I spent the majority of my time on the project - payload. I led the flight avionics team which involved environment capture modules, the power distribution board, and radio transmission; although I thoroughly enjoyed pitching in everywhere.

The payload didn’t end up with the design I iterated to nor the functionality I had desired, but I did start the camera over a bluetooth ssh shell to our onboard flight computer and it did capture some interesting footage. Almost immediately after launch our rocket went into a heavy spin as the launch force snapped one of the fins halway off. Despite this, we still managed to gain an awesome amount of altitude, well over Johnson Space Center and easily enough to see Earth’s curvature.

Hope you enjoy the footage and some design pictures.

Here is the link to my CAD files for the whole project:

Onshape CAD Model