Team's Abstract

The purpose of the NASA Student Launch Senior Design project is to build a rocket and rover to enter NASA’s Student Launch Competition. This competition is intended to resemble an NASA mission where a rocket is launched and flown to another planet, a rover is deployed from the rocket to explore the planet, and collecting a soil sample for testing. The goal of the project is to design and launch a rocket equipped with a rover (payload) for the NASA Student Launch competition. The rocket must be able to launch safely and carry the rover up to an altitude between 4000 ft and 5500 ft. The team’s specific goal is 4900 ft. The rocket must deploy a small parachute to help control the landing and a larger, main parachute to slow the rocket down before landing. The rocket must land within a 2500 ft radius of the launchpad. The team will send a signal through a remote control when it is time to release the rover. This will be the only part of the competition the team will actively control any of the vehicles. After the rover exits the rocket, it must move 10 ft away from the rocket without any user input. Finally, the rover must collect and seal a 3 oz soil sample. Through completing this project, the team members are learning how to build fully functional high-powered rockets and self-driving vehicles. The team is also learning how to work well with design constraints and implementing knowledge from various engineering courses in the mechanical, aerospace, electrical, and computer fields. This project also helps the team build time management, cooperation, and technical skills