Airframe
Airframe intro projects for new members.
Last updated
Airframe intro projects for new members.
Last updated
The Airframe meetings at the start of the year - along with the GitBook - will contain all the information required to complete the project. In addition, I will hold office hours, so please stop by and ask any questions you may have. If these scheduled office hours do not work for you, please feel free to reach out to me and schedule a different meeting time.
This intro project is broken up into 4 main sections, spanning 4 weeks
Airframe Terminology
Airframe Project
Technical Project
Technical Project Manufacturing
There are a lot of different terms and buzzwords we use in STAR day to day as we design and manufacture our rockets. The first step to getting comfortable with the team is learning what all these words mean. For that, we have the Airframe Handbook.
After reading through the Airframe Handbook, take this quiz.
You must retake this quiz until you have gotten 100%.
After completing the quiz, reach out to your mentor and they will check you off.
The Airframe Terminology quiz is due Monday 9/11 before the meeting!
OpenRocket is a critical tool STAR airframe members use to design the rocket from the ground up. Proficiency in this tool enables us to access a wide range of metrics about the rocket, fine-tune designs to optimize various parameters, and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the entire project and its objectives. After completing this project, you'll have the skills to navigate OpenRocket with confidence. This project also serves as an introduction to the anatomy of a rocket.
Installation:
There have been some issues with downloading for Mac users. If you run into trouble, let your mentor know. There are some people on the team that know the workarounds for this.
Once you have it installed, go ahead and open some of the preset rockets. A sample rocket is also provided to look at. Mess around with it to observe how changing different variables changes the performance of the rocket.
If you're feeling a bit lost or scratching your head at what all the buttons do, that's totally okay! The next part is actually learning how to use OpenRocket.
Using OpenRocket:
Now that you have OpenRocket downloaded, it is time to learn how to use the software.
An excellent way to learn from these videos is to follow along and do everything on your own computer
Watch these videos until you are comfortable to move on to the next part of the project.
Airframe Project:
Now that you have a basic understanding on how to use OpenRocket, it is time to put your skills to the test! Your task is to recreate this rocket from scratch.
This document contains details for each component. If you follow all of it, your resulting rocket should have similar characteristics
(Its okay if they are not exact, sometimes OpenRocket values can be slightly different from simulation to simulation)
If you get stuck at any point in this project, try looking up solutions to any issues. Besides STAR and rocketry, it is an important skill for life! That being said, do not hesitate to reach out to your mentor or go to office hours. We are all here for you!
Submission:
Once you are finished, show your mentor your rocket and the simulation. You will get checked off if they match. You can also get checked off at meetings or office hours by any mentor.
Now that with a fundamental understanding of the rocket, it is time to move on to meaningful tasks that help us build our rocket. For the 3rd part of the intro project, you will stard getting hands on with designing and manufacturing.
Download Solidworks:
The Projects:
You should have been assigned a specific project. Look at this document to for more information for your specific project:
Coming soon
Use this to go to the download site for OpenRocket.
This is a good resource to get situated with the process of using OpenRocket. Some of the videos are redundant, however, they each have their own highlights.
