Virginia TechNASA USLI CDR Presentation

Ishan Arora, Nicholas Corbin, William Dillingham, Valerie Hernley, Joseph Lakkis, Max Reynolds, Angelo Said

January 24, 1:30 PM CST

Content● Mission Overview● Final Vehicle Design● Performance● Recovery● Safety Procedures● Test Plans● Subscale Launch● Payload ● Key Interfaces● Requirements Verification

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Mission Overview

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Mission Statement:

“Our vehicle will reach apogee at 4,500 feet and separate into two independent

sections, each of which have both a drogue and main recovery parachute. After landing, the booster section will

deploy an autonomous UAV with backup RC that

delivers a navigational beacon to a Future Excursion Area.”

0) Launch1) Booster/recovery bay separation2) Main parachute deployment3) Booster and recovery bay touchdown, payload deployment4) Navigational Beacon delivery

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ConOps

0) Launch1) Booster/recovery bay separation2) Main parachute deployment3) Booster and recovery bay touchdown, payload deployment4) Navigational Beacon delivery

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ConOps

0) Launch1) Booster/recovery bay separation2) Main parachute deployment3) Booster and recovery bay touchdown, payload deployment4) Navigational Beacon delivery

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ConOps

0) Launch1) Booster/recovery bay separation2) Main parachute deployment3) Booster and recovery bay touchdown, payload deployment4) Navigational Beacon delivery

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ConOps

0) Launch1) Booster/recovery bay separation2) Main parachute deployment3) Booster and recovery bay touchdown, payload deployment4) Navigational Beacon delivery

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ConOps

Final Vehicle Design

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Final Vehicle Design: Dimensions

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Final Vehicle Design: Fin Dimensions

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Final Vehicle Design: Fin Rail Dimensions

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Final Vehicle Design: Boat Tail Dimensions

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Final Vehicle Design: Motor Retainer Dimensions

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Final Vehicle Design: Key Features

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Overview and Relative Locations

Final Vehicle Design: Key Features

Airframe Materials

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● Fins:○ Birch plywood composite with

fiberglass lamination○ External mounting system for easy

replacement● BlueTube Coupler:

○ Density: 0.751 oz/in³○ Peak Loading: 1548.9 lbf

● Nose Cone:○ COTS; Metal Tipped; Fiberglass;

Von - Karman

● Body Tube:○ Carbon Fiber / Soric LRC

Foam Laminate○ Wall thickness: 0.14 inches ○ Density: 0.193 oz/in³○ Matrix Material: FibreGlast

System 2000 Epoxy ○ Peak strength: 3270 lbf

Final Vehicle Design: ARRD

Advanced Recovery Release Device (ARRD)

1. Black powder containment area2. Pin utilized for paracord attachment, held in

place by shear pin3. Mounting plate that will attach to centering

ring4. Final resting area for pin post ignition of

black powder charge5. Pressure relief port

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Final Vehicle Design: Shock Cord Retainer

Outboard Shock Cord Retention System

● Design will incorporate a shock cord “stopper” design

○ Additional sewn loop sits in shock cord guide

○ Then wrapped around metal link that sits on a pin

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Final Vehicle Design: Final Motor Choice

Aerotech K-1000T

● Manufacturer: Aerotech● Distributor: Animal Motor

Works● Peak Thrust: 1674.0 N● Burn Time: 2.4 s

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Final Vehicle Design: Motor Casing

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Performance

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Performance: Overall Predictions

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● Static Stability: 2.09 ● Off Rail Stability: 2.13

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Performance: Stability

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Performance: Thrust-to-Weight

Motor Ignition

Motor Burnout

Average Thrust-to-Weight:

Ratio9.1

Performance: Weight Statement

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* The Recovery Bay weight shown does not include the mass of the nose cone. ** The Nose Cone weight shown includes the added mass for stability purposes.

Total Weight: 26.3 lbf

Causes of Error/Variability● Components not being weighed by

us (weight from manufacturer)● Manufacturing error

(density/dimension in simulation is not representative of actual unit)

Performance: Kinetic Energy (Cd = 1.5)

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Performance: Drift

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● Drift calculations account for

○ Descent under drogue and main parachute

○ Total mass of Booster Bay and Recovery Bay

○ 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mph wind cases

● 20 mph winds: maximum drift of 2,301 ft. from launch pad

Performance: Descent Rates

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● Booster Bay Bay & Recovery Bay meet required descent time● Booster Bay Bay & Recovery Bay also meet max landing energy requirements

Recovery

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Recovery: Hardware

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Recovery: Hardware

Chute Release:● For Main Deployment● Multi-unit Redundancy

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ARRD:● Custom Build● Black Powder Energized● Locking-Pin Mechanism● Secure Fit to Centering Ring

Recovery: Electronics Bay

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1. 2000 mAh Battery2. Adafruit 500 Power Boost Battery Shield3. Arduino Uno Microcontroller4. Adafruit Ultimate GPS Logger Shield5. XBee-Pro 900HP 6. SparkFun XBee Shield7. Adafruit BMP280 Barometric/Altitude Sensor8. Adafruit ADXL345 Triple-Axis Accelerometer

Booster Bay Electronics

1.

2.

3.

4.

8.7.

5.6.

Safety Procedures

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Test Plans and Procedures: Preparation

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Test Plans and Procedures: Preparation

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Test Plans and Procedures: Preparation

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Test Plans and Procedures: Preparation

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Test Plans and Procedures: Preparation

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Test Plans and Procedures: Post Launch

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Test Plans and Procedures: Troubleshooting

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Test Plans

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Test Plans: List of Test and Demonstration Plans

Vehicle/Recovery:T1.1 Airframe Compression Testing T1.2 Vehicle Electronics: XBee CommunicationT1.3 Vehicle Electronics: GPS Orientation/PlacementT1.4 Vehicle Electronics: Test for InterferenceT1.5 Fin Bending Test

D1.1 Sub-Scale Separation DemonstrationD1.2. Sub-Scale Test FlightD1.3 ARRD System DemonstrationD1.4 Vehicle Electronics: XBee/GPS/Altimeter/Accelerometer Data TransferD1.5 Vehicle Electronics: Cable Cutter E-match ActivationD1.6 Vehicle Electronics: Battery LifeD1.7 Final Assembly DemonstrationD1.8 Full-Scale Separation DemonstrationD1.9 Vehicle Demonstration FlightD1.10/2.5 Payload Demonstration Flight

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Payload:T2.1 Range of Flight - Battery LimitedT2.2 Range of RF Connectivity and Video TransmissionT2.3 Accuracy and Precision of GPS navigationT2.4 Passive Battery BleedT2.5 Shaker Table Test

D2.1a Deployment Electronics: Powering on the UAVD2.1b Deployment Mechanics: Powering on the UAVD2.1c Deployment Mechanics: Payload Cover FlipD2.1d Deployment Software DemonstrationD2.1e Deployment Demonstration from Booster BayD2.2 Beacon Release Electronics - Buzzer TriggerD2.3 In-flight Beacon Release DemonstrationD2.4 Manual Override Safety DemonstrationD1.10/2.5 Payload Demonstration Flight

Test Plans: Example

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Test Plans: Example

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Test Plans: Example

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Subscale Launch

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Subscale Launch: Overview & Methodology

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● Full-scale vehicle scaled down to

2.975 inch outer diameter

● Resource & Budget

● Designed in OpenRocket

● Aerotech G75J Motor

Subscale Launch: Results

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● Apogee: 1210 ft. ● Successful demonstration of full scale

recovery design

Subscale Launch: Impact on Design

● Validation of overall concept of operations● Validation of recovery systems● Lessons learned:

○ Shock cord length critical○ Parachute sizing critical○ Energy upon landing critical○ Parachute fire retardant critical

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Payload

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SADI - Superior Autonomous Delivery Instrument

Payload Bay

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Payload Bay

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Electronics

Horizontal Retaining Cable Cutters

Payload Protection Cover

Black PowderReservoir

UAV

Payload - UAV Overview

● Quadcopter● Autonomous (GPS)

and RC navigation enabled● Range: 1.4 miles*● Flight Time: 1.7 minutes● Weight: 0.51 lb● Size: 5.20 x 5.49 x 2.58 (inches)● Nav-Beacon release mechanism● Microswitch for power-off

53* Assuming 7 mph wind

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Canopy Properties

● Houses many electronic components

● Clip-in GPS● Modular and quickly

reproducible● Provides the guides for

vertical force retention system

● Optimized shape for propeller clearance

Nav Beacon

● Over 1 cubic inch of volume

● Can double to protect battery

● Held by cable cutter until ready for deploy

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GPS

For autonomous travel

Receiver

For RC back-up

VTX and Camera

For video feed and reassurance

Microswitch

For keeping UAV powered off during flight

Flight Controller

Flight controls, stability, gyroscopic ability and the “brain” of the UAV

“OMNIBUS Betaflight F3”

Payload: Key Features

● Video will be used to verify arrival at the FEA

● Transmitter will have auxiliary switch designated to the cube release

● Upon signal, cable cutter will fire and release the cube

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Navigational Beacon Release

Payload: Key Features

● Autonomous○ GPS coordinates○ iNav open-source software

● RC Back-up○ Transmitter has switch to activate in

case of autonomous malfunction○ Video with manual control can be used

to fine-tune navigation/delivery

● Ultimate goal of UAV: Deploy a 1 cubic inch navigational beacon to the FEA

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Navigation

Payload: Integration Plan

The fail-safe retention system provides both vertical and horizontal load support while doubling as a bay to protect the payload during separation, guiding it out when it finally deploys.

Vertical Retention: Guide rods running through holes in the UAV

Horizontal Retention: Cables holding down the UAV are taut until cut by cable cutters

Bulkheads: Plates at the ends protect the payload during separation and from black powder charges

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● Battery Capacity: 1000 mAh● Range: 1 mile despite 20 mph wind● Flight Time: 1.7 minutes● Assumptions:

○ Constant wind speed○ Constant thrust○ CD & A estimated from lit review

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Theoretical results will be validated by extensive testing to improve performance

predictions

Payload: Mission Performance Predictions

Key Interfaces

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Key Interfaces: ARRD Attachment

● Accessibility○ Do not have to disassemble permanent

components to access assembly.

● Reloadable○ Designed to remove and reload in

minimal time

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Key Interfaces: Payload Cover

● The very same cable cutters that retain the UAV in the horizontal direction, hold down the spring loaded protective cover

● Material - PET: Polyethylene terephthalate

● Dual purpose - protect from environment during descent and separation

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Key Interfaces: Fin Rails

● Modular○ Fins can be easily replaced

● Secure○ Multiple contact points for

fastening via centering rings○ Clamps onto fin surface to

increase rigidity

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Requirements Verification

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Requirements Verification Plan

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Requirements Verification Example

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NASA Requirements Verification Status

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Team-Derived Requirements Verification Status

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● ConOps designed around payload deployment● Target apogee: 4,500 ft● Vehicle fully designed and ready to manufacture● Simulations predict stability and ability to reach target apogee

factoring in wind speeds and launch angles● Safety procedures and test plans will hold the team accountable

and provide integrity to our design● UAV payload designed to complete mission

○ Autonomous navigation to FEA○ RF control possible for fine-tuned delivery as needed○ Cable cutter used for cube release upon arrival

Summary