IEEE Spectrum January, 2014 - 26

resources_eDucaTIon

tHe yOung rOcketeers
thEy may bE thE First
stuDEnts to launch
a rockEt into spacE

n september 2013, after
two years of development, and
a 10- to 12-hour drive from Los
Angeles to Black Rock Desert in
northern Nevada, some 50 members of the University of Southern California Rocket Propulsion
Laboratory (RPL) launched Traveler, their 4-meter
tall, 136-kilogram rocket, and held their breaths.
It blew up after 3.5 seconds.
"We were really disappointed, but at the same
time glad the rocket launched after two years in
limbo and interested to find out what happened,"
says Jason Silverman, a third-year astronautical
engineering student. Turns out, parts of the solidfuel propellant were improperly cast and started
burning too soon, creating excessive pressure.
Despite the setback, these young men
and women stand to become the first
undergraduate students to design, build, and
launch a rocket into space. Their goal is to
reach 122 kilometers (space begins at 100 km).
They're experimenting with new propellant additives, redesigning the rocket motor, and eyeing a spring launch date.
The dream began in 2005 with RPL's founder,
then-undergraduate Ian Whittinghill. Now

jan 2014

norTh aMerIcan

an aerospace engineer, he is currently the
group's industry advisor. Today, the lab is run by
Silverman, along with fellow students Jordan
Noone and Brandon Edelson. "It was one of
the factors that made me want to come to USC,"
says Silverman.
The lab's mission is to give students experience in all aspects of rocketry, from design to
launch. Newbies begin with menial tasks, like
sanding (lots of it), and slowly increase their responsibilities according to interest, skill sets,
and availability. There are roughly 15 very active
members, and another 40 to 50 regular helpers.
Silverman, Noone, and Edelson are there daily.
"After a few months, members can learn
enough to build their own rockets and get certified by the Tripoli Rocketry Association. This
qualifies them to fly bigger rockets and buy propellant," says Silverman.
With the lab completely student-run, the team
also learns more earthbound aspects of the job-
like Federal Aviation Administration applications
for launch approvals. With a university-funded
annual budget of US $30 000 to $50 000, RPL
relies heavily on industry donations of materials,
often tapping lab alumni as liaisons.

sPecTruM.Ieee.orG

"Last year, Boeing gave us a very generous
donation of carbon fiber, which we use to make
motor cases and fins," says Silverman. "Companies often give us carbon fiber that is too old for
them to use but good enough for us."
"Running the lab is quite a bit like running a
start-up," adds Noone. "We have to go after our
own funds and get our names out to companies."
The Traveler rocket uses 96 kg of an ammonium
perchlorate composite propellant, similar to the
fuel that was used in the space shuttle's boosters.
The fuel is cast in the desired shape of the rocket
motor, which takes hundreds of volunteer-hours.
Industry visitors often walk away impressed.
Apollo 7 astronaut Walt Cunningham toured the
lab before presenting Silverman with the prestigious Astronauts Scholarship Award in October.
"It seemed like the students were really in charge
of what was going on," says Cunningham. "They'll
be well prepared to step out in the world around
them and willing to live by those decisions."
For those wanting to start similar labs at their
universities, "you'd have a better chance of succeeding if members have done rocketry in the
past," Silverman advises. "Our founders already
knew what they were doing. We also have good
relationships with many aerospace companies."
Silverman acknowledges that those were easier to establish because of the concentration of
such companies in Southern California.
By this time next year, the students hope to
have made history. As Noone wrote in the flight
report on the September launch: "We didn't
reach our end goal, but...no other group of students has gotten anywhere close.... We had
issues, and we'll work through them and will be
back soon enough." -SUSAn KARLIn

usc rockEt propulsion laboratory (2)

BeFORe The BAnG: The flight of this rocket-pictured here a moment after launch-ended in an explosion, but work on the next rocket is under way.

http://sPecTruM.Ieee.orG

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum January, 2014