  2016-17 Virginia Tech 2016-17 UW Platteville |
  Kent State Normandale CC |
2017-2018 Space Grant Midwest High-Power Rocketry
Competition
The Minnesota Space Grant Consortium (MnSGC) announces its intention to run a Space Grant Midwest High-Power Rocket Competition (formerly called the Space Grant Midwest Regional Rocket Competition and previously run by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium) during the 2017-2018 academic year. This competition will be held in the midwest but is open to college/university student teams from across the nation. This competition is an opportunity for students to design and construct custom high-power rockets to be launched in May of 2018 from a Tripoli MN launch site near North Branch, MN, about a one hour drive north of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
In this competition student teams will design and construct a “roll-orientable” single stage high-power rocket system (dual deploy optional) that will fly twice on the same I-class or J-class motor and be recovered safely and in flyable condition. The students must implement a roll-control mechanism (without using canards) that can minimize roll (on the first flight) then follow a set of commands to roll to a series of specific orientation angles then hold each orientation for 1 second (on the second flight). Students must construct a non-commercial on-board data-logging sensor package that can log roll orientation (at least) at 10+ Hz, for comparison with orientation as documented by a downward looking video camera. Bonus challenge: Implement an XBee-radio-based communication system so that the orientations requested can be reprogrammed at a distance and so that orientation data (and possibly other sensor data) can be sent down to a ground station by radio while the rocket is still in flight. More points for teams able to control roll and hold orientation effectively. More (bonus) points for teams able to send commands and data through their communications system quickly and reliably.
Logistical questions may be directed to James
Flaten, MN Space Grant, U of MN, flate001@umn.edu.
Technical questions may be directed to Gary Stroick,
Tripoli MN, president@offwegorocketry.com.
INDUSTRY SPONSORS:
IMPORTANT DATES:
1. September 26, 2017, 7 to 8 p.m. CST (repeated January 18, 2018, 7 to 8 p.m. CST): Informational telecon -- contact James Flaten for call-in information
2. October 2, 2017: Obtain own state's Space Grant "sponsorship" and submit "Notice of Intent to Compete" letter (all teams, even those not starting to work till winter/spring)
3. January 31, 2018: $400 Registration Fee due (must pay more (later) if the two motors selected cost over $100 total)
4. January 31, 2018: Date by which all judges should be identified. Each state sponsoring more than one team needs to provide ONE judge. States may bring a judge from their own state or work with Gary Stroick or Tripoli MN to identify a local person to serve this role.
5. March 9, 2018: Preliminary Design (Written) Report (PDR) along with Competition Motor Order and Model Rocket Flight documentation
6. May 4, 2018 (LATER MOVED TO May 9, 2018): Flight Readiness (Written) Report (FRR) along with Educational Outreach form
7. May 19-20, 2018 (Saturday/Sunday): (Afternoon/evening) oral presentations and safety checks (first day) then all-day launch competition plus evening social event (second day)
8. May 21, 2018 (Monday): Alternate (weather delay) launch date
9. May 30, 2018 - Post Flight Performance (Written) Report (PFPR)
10. June 8, 2018 - Competition Results Announced
Document archive for 2017-2018 "Roll-Orientable" competition
Announcement of Competition (circulated September 1, 2017):
Competition promotional flier:
Handbook for Competition:
- SpaceGrantMidwestRocketryCompetitionHandbook2017-2018postedv1 version 1 - posted 9/26/2017
- Also, here is a summary of this year's rules.
- NEW - here are additional
notes which include questions for mentors,
default roll instructions, and more details about
bonus activities - re-posted 3/5/2018 (one typo
corrected 3/8/2018) (one minor clarification
3/27/2018)
Slides for Informational Telecon:
- IntroductoryTeleconSlides2017-2018
- A
WebEx video recording of the Sept. 26, 2017,
Informational Telecon
Q and A documents:
- Q_and_A_added Nov. 6_2017
- Note about how OpenRocket and RockSim both potentially model fins with control surfaces incorrectly
- Q_and_A_Sept_26_2017_intro_telecon
(Non-Binding) "Notice of Intent to Compete" Template (due Oct. 2, 2017, mail form to James Flaten at flate001@umn.edu):
Reports by a past year's winning team (from U of MN - Duluth) - optional reading:
Instructions for paying
the $400 Registration fee, due January 31, 2018:
Information about hotels
and camping options, plus stores (like hardware
stores) and other "local attractions"
- Hotel room block information (and contact info for other hotels, if the rooms blocks are full by the time you call).
Last Modified: 2019-01-30 at 16:34:28 -- this is in International Standard Date and Time Notation