Introduction To Rocketry

Casper College "Introduction To Rocketry" 2011 students launched their rockets on May 7th. All of the rocket motors worked flawlessly and the rockets were all stable, even during some wind gusts at the launch site. The students designed and built their own rockets and solid rocket motors using information learned during the class. Materials for the rockets and rocket motors were provided by Wickman Spacecraft & Propulsion Company in Casper, Wyoming at no cost to the students.

2011 Spring Class With Their Rockets Ready For Launch

2011 Student Rocket Lifts Off

The video below shows a typical flight from lift-off to landing if you were riding on the rocket. The tone heard after the parachute is deployed is a signal from the electronic timer that the parachute ejection charge has fired. The tone also helps locate the rocket after it has landed.

This one semester course in rocketry will provide an overview of various rocket propulsion concepts such as solid, hybrid, liquid, nuclear and antimatter. It will focus on composite solid rocket motors and cover their design, ballistic analysis, structural analysis and thermal analysis. During the first half of the semester, students will design, build and test their own solid rocket motor. The course will discuss the design, analysis and construction of rocket bodies including structural analysis, flight stability and recovery systems. During the last half of the semester, students will design, build and fly their own rocket.

To acquire a basic knowledge and understanding of rocketry principles and to develop his or her abilities and skills in Engineering, Physics or other sciences.

Specific Objectives (Outcomes):

Acquire a knowledge of impulse and momentum, solid propellant formulation, solid rocket motor design, aerodynamics, thermal analysis and stress analysis.

a) To actually design, build and test a solid rocket motor.
b) To design, build and fly a rocket capable of flying several thousand feet in altitude.