Objective

The objective of testing the recovery system is to prove to us and to ESRA that, not only will the ejection charges successfully fire, but also they are sized appropriately to fully eject the nose cone and recovery chutes.  This is in accordance with verifying that our product successfully fulfills our sixth engineering requirement: The rocket must be able to successfully launch its recovery system for a controlled descent as defined in the competition rules.

Assumptions

• Rocket is correctly assembled

Hazards and PPE

Hazards

• Unexpected firing of ejection charges
• Catastrophic explosion of body tube if the nose cone isn’t seated right

PPE

• Safety glasses, ear protection, defined testing perimeter

Tools required

• Safety glasses
• Ear protection
• Video Camera

Test Setup, Required Environment

The final rocket assembly must be completed and assembled (not including payload).

All the required components for setting up the ejection charges must be available.

A testing environment must be established with a well-defined perimeter to keep out the unwary.

Procedure (Execution and Data Collection)

List the exact procedure to execute the test and collect data.

*This procedure is the same for both the drogue and the main chutes

1. Turn on the video camera and start recording the pre-test protocol
2. Double check that the rocket is correctly assembled
3. Activate the shunts to short-out the circuit mechanically, eliminating accidental discharge
4. Prepare the ejection charges
5. Insert the ejection charges into the rocket
6. Double check that the parachute is correctly connected and packed
7. Load the parachute accordingly with its section
8. Check that the area in front of the rocket is clear and keep it so
9. Insert the nose cone ensuring a correct fit (can pick the rocket up by the nose cone without it sliding out, but still is removable by hand)
10. Deactivate shunts and move to an area a safe distance away to protect against the possibility of the tube blowing rather than nose cone ejection
11. “Fool” our sensors  into firing the ejection
12. Replace shunts as soon as receiving confirmation that all charges successfully fired
13. If they have not all fired, wait 10 minutes before proceeding to replace shunts
14. Inspect the results and decide whether the test was a success or if it must be repeated with different black powder charges.

Data Analysis & Conclusion

1. Did the nose cone successfully eject (PASS/FAIL)
2. Did the parachutes deployment mechanisms work (PASS/FAIL)
3. Did the recovery system test simulate appropriate results (PASS/FAIL)

Trial #

Data Collected

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Objective

Meet The follow ERSA declaration:

Ground or flight demonstration of the recovery system (apogee and low-altitude) shall be conducted prior to the IREC. For a ground test, sensors will need to be functionally included in the demonstration (that is, they will need to be "fooled" into initiating their deployment function). Manual extraction of parachutes is acceptable. A video of the demonstration should be submitted to ESRA or posted on a publicly available web site such as YouTube by March 31, 2015. Note 3/26/14: this date is a recommendation to help teams be ready in time for the IREC, not a requirement. The test will need to be completed before the IREC (see first sentence in this paragraph).

Assumptions

Testing procedure meets objective

Hazards and PPE

Implosion risk. Eye protection advised.

Tools required

1.      Vacuum chamber with pressure indicator

2.      Video Camera

Test Setup, Required Environment

The avionic bay shall be completely assembled include support structure, batteries, shut switch, activation switch and dual commercial deployment boards.

Procedure (Execution and Data Collection)

1.      The StratoLogger and Missileworks boards shall be programmed for a dual deployment with backup configuration following the manufactures programming instructions. 

2.      Indicator LED’s shall be used in place of e-matches.

3.      The completed Avionics bay shall be placed in a clear vacuum chamber to simulate the decrease in pressure in order to be “fooled” into thinking it is at 10,000 feet AGL altitude.

4.      Begin recording avionics

5.      Activate vaccuum chamer

6.      Test for avionics activating at equivalent pressures (altitudes) for        the following: Ignition, first ejection (midpoint drogue), second ejection (nosecone main chute).

Data Analysis & Conclusion

1.      Proper indicator sequence must be observed video recorded.

2.      The chambers pressure at each indication confirmed with a corresponding simulated altitude.  

3.      After removal from the chamber, both boards are to have data logs extracted and evaluated for any anomalies.

Trial #

Data Collected

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10