Cardinal: 23-24 Rocket
Cardinal is the working name for NCSSM Rocketry's 23-24 rocket. We've been hard at work so far this year, and we plan to launch in March.
NCSSM ARC, High Power, Safety, and Media Captains
Rocketry is back!
The year is starting strong with high power captains me (center left) and David (center right) leading the high power team into the new rocketry season.
Lesson Series
During September I worked on training new juniors on the team with basic knowledge for rocketry.
Lesson 1 - Mechanics of Flight.pdfLesson 2 - Anatomy of a Rocket.pdfRocketry Independent DEsign and Research Initiative (R.I.D.E.R. Initiative) - HPR 2023-2024 - Project Proposal.pdfGrant Proposal
Team leads authored a grant request to the school for funding this year. I was principal author of technical sections.
Cardinal OpenRocket Design
I worked with a team of juniors teaching them the skills to use OpenRocket to design this years rocket, and hopefully enable them to design a rocket by themselves in the future.
Construction So Far
We have made great progress so far this year, and below are a few snapshots of our work so far. We are planning on launching in March, so we are looking to speed up our timeline slightly. Overall, everything is really starting to come together for the rocket.
Marking Tubes for Cuts
Inspecting Tubes
Finished Laminated Fin
Process of Laminating Fins
CAD of Airframe Transition
Shown here is a relatively simple piece which just slides into the joint where the body diameter changes to improve aerodynamics.
CAD of Fin Body and Edges
Shown here is the balsa core and leading/trailing edges. These are glued and then laminated with fiberglass and carbon fiber as above.
Current State / Plans
As we approach March and our prospective launch dates, the clock is ticking down for the build process. As such, we are working towards the final stages of building the airframe, and we are ratcheting up to full speed on the payload process.