Team of undergraduates racing to be the first student organization to successfully launch a rocket powered by a 3D-printed engine.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
T Minus 3 Days
almost 10 years ago
– Thu, May 19, 2016 at 05:17:16 PM
Hello backers! You read that right! The status of The Vulcan has been progressing rapidly. We are excited to announce that we are several days away from launch, planned for early this Saturday morning! Beyond that, we will be livestreaming the entire launch! To tune in, visit the following link Saturday morning between the hours of 9am-12pm PST for the live launch feed:
The rocket has undergone extensive testing, most recently with what’s called a Cold Flow. A trained team of half a dozen Vulcan Members filled the rocket with liquid nitrogen to substitute the liquid oxygen that would be there for launch, using the similar temperatures of the two liquids to troubleshoot the system. Instead of the fuel (kerosene) we used ionized water. These two substitutes provide a good picture of how our two propellants will act in our system when we run it at the pressures we need to attain the combustion chamber mass flow rates associated with our target thrust. While compared to a launch this is just a rehearsal, it's still dramatic, and the video is worth a watch!
The Vulcan Rocket itself has matured wonderfully. With various components like the boattail assembly, camera bay, and aesthetic decals reaching completion, we can’t help but be proud - and you should too! Thank you for helping enable us to produce such beautiful work.
Vulcan Members work in integration between the engine thrust struts and boattail.
A 360 degree view camera bay is incorporated into the Vulcan near the top of the rocket Airframe.
The entire rocket, shown disassembled without aeroshell coverings.
We hope that you join us live for the launch, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thank you for your continual support - we look forward to demonstrating what you helped us accomplish!
Video Update! Vulcan Construction and Testing
about 10 years ago
– Tue, Jan 26, 2016 at 08:25:59 PM
Hi all, this is Bryan Dierking again. We had a productive build this weekend! I filmed fellow team members along the way and edited a video update for everyone. Enjoy!
General Construction and Testing Updates!
about 10 years ago
– Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 09:25:50 PM
Hi all, my name is Bryan Dierking. I have been involved with Vulcan from the very start, but only on the engineering side. Our business team, who helped organize this campaign, say that everyone on Kickstarter would appreciate more frequent technical updates as we approach out launch date, so I volunteered!
Every time I walk by our printer, it's printing out awesome rockets for everyone, so although this isn't my department, I know they are on their way and looking good!
The nose of our rocket on top of the printer while it prints incentives!
The rest of this update might only appeal to our backers with a technical predisposition, but if you like keeping up with more general advances, check out our facebook.
Here is a brief technical update on the Vulcan:
STRUCTURES
1. Several fiberglass aeroshells still need a finishing coat of paint.
2. We fabricated several more structures this weekend to accommodate a 6" extension to the aluminum struts beneath the lox tank. These struts have been welded in place and were completed in the last few weeks.
The tank and strut extensions pre-weld
3. The final number of recording video devices on the rocket will be 7. 4 MeCams will allow us to create a 360 degree stitched video of the launch. The other 3 cameras will be small keychain cameras dispersed through out the length of the rocket. The structures that accommodate the keychain cameras are small and nearly complete. The 4 MeCams have a more substantial structure located near the top of the rocket between the Kerosene tank and the Drogue Parachute Bay. The cameras are inset into the airframe using acrylic windows. They will be logging to a Black Box of our own design that way we can have an assurance of retrieving footage even in the event of a failure.
4. There is some significant non-rocket work that is being done as well, including a launch pad interface structure to help measure tank fill rates and secure the engine ignition mechanism.
AVIONICS
1. There are several electronic devices that we finished in the last month! This includes a radio arming system that will allow us to control many essential operations of the rocket from the bunker.
2. A new microphone system has been tested that will allow us to hear various functions of other electronics from the bunker.
3. A pressure transducer recording system using a microprocessor that will document the engine pressure and the ullage pressures of both tanks is operational, and a revision using flight-ready components should be up and running by launch.
RECOVERY
1. Deployment of the 28' diameter main parachute has undergone successful ground testing. Some moderate structural damage occurred during this testing, but it is being repaired without issue.
A progressive frame grab of the deployment mechanism.
2. Deployment of the much smaller drogue parachute hasn't seen a success yet, but the issues are known, and several people are devoting next weekend to troubleshooting it and hopefully documenting a successful test.
3. Several port covers are near the end of the design phase and entering initial fabrication.
4. Painting will be one of the last steps, with some NICE decals from our sponsors. There are also some of you backers who will have your name on the rocket, and it will look just as good!
PLUMBING AND PNEUMATICS
1. The tank fluid content has been switched! The lox now goes in what was the kerosene tank, and the kerosene now goes in what was the lox tank. This change reduces the distance of piping required to transport the lox to the engine. Because this piping is difficult (compared to the kerosene piping, which is room temperature instead of cryogenic), it is advantageous to have less of it.
2. The main launch valve has a new fix. We will be machining a new steel lever that will transfer force from the actuation piston to the shaft of the ball valve. Because it is steel now (like the ball valve shaft) we won't have an issue with dissimilar contraction and slippage at the location of the shaft.
3. We've welded larger fittings onto the lox tank - both for the vent and the fill sides. Faster filling, better venting.
4. Our lox tank has been re-heat treated after the welding it needed.
5. We are nearing another full system test in the next month. If this test is successful, it will mean our pneumatics and plumbing systems are cleared for launch.
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
1. Once the dry-runs of various systems have been completed, the rocket will be completely integrated in the shop. While this has happened before, this time it will be with an eye for any small items that might be troublesome or time consuming out in the desert when we prep the system for launch.
/technical update.
We are also trying to work out a live YouTube event for the launch, if we manage to coordinate this, I will make sure to distribute the link widely.
I will post more technical updates each week. If you'd like even more insight into the project, check out my website for daily work progress.
Thank you all for your backing and continued interest. When this thing finally flies it will not merely be an accomplishment of students, but an accomplishment of your belief in students.
Incentives Update
about 10 years ago
– Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 02:31:29 PM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Rewards and NASA
over 10 years ago
– Mon, Nov 16, 2015 at 10:48:06 PM
Hello,
We are very sorry for the delay in shipping out rewards. We are working every chance we get to get them shipped out to you, and please accept our sincerest apologies. We have begun boxing rewards and will be shipping them out as they are boxed.
In other news we had engineers out from NASA come visit us and they were super impressed by what we are accomplishing! None of it could be done without you, and we are working to get all rewards shipped out ASAP
