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'''Pegasus 1:''' This was the first test flight of the Pegasus rocket where a parafoil was used instead of a parachute to safely land the rocket. The main purposes of this launch were to:
'''Pegasus 1:''' This was the first test flight of the Pegasus rocket where a parafoil was used instead of a parachute to safely land the rocket. The main purposes of this launch were to:
# Test out our idea to store the parafoil under the nose cone
# Test out our idea to store the parafoil under the nose cone
# Take a video of parafoil deployment and discover any unforseen problems with our current design, folding technique for the parafoil.
# Take a video of parafoil deployment on the rocket to try and find any unforseen problems with our current design, folding technique for the parafoil.
''Brief Rocket Design'' The rocket measures 7.5ft long with a 4" OD. It is made of two phenolic airframes connected by an internal phenolic coupler 7" long. The three fins are fiberglass with a trapezoidal design and the nosecone is an ogive shape 18" long made of polystyrene. We had the parafoil stored under the nosecone and had the attachment lines running along the outside, lightly taped to the rocket with white duct tape. Inside we custom built an avionics bay to contain and protect our SPOT trackers from the heat of the motor ejection charge. We decided to make this launch an ultra basic one where instead of using an altimeter to set off the charge at specified height. The holes through which which the parafoil is attached is 5"towards the aft of the coupler in the lower airframe. A 10dof had originally been planned to have on the parafoil, but there was not enough time to attach and secure the 10dof prior to launch. Lastly, a mini U8 camera was mounted on the aft airframe just above the fins to take video of the parafoil deployment. Initially, two were planned to be used, but one was loaned to another team and was not returned in time for the launch.
The motor that was chosen for this launch was a DMS I280 from Aerotech. This was because it closely mimicked the speed off the rod and average thrust of our end motor. The I280 that was purchased actually had Magnesium in its propellant to create the sparkling flame trail behind the rocket.
The motor that was chosen for this launch was a DMS I280 from Aerotech. This was because it closely mimicked the speed off the rod and average thrust of our predicted final rocket motor. The I280 that was purchased included Magnesium in its propellant to create the sparkling flame trail behind the rocket.
''Results'' This launch successfully displayed that storing the parafoil underneath the nosecone is a very feasible option. There was no initial tangling of the lines over the parafoil, however a problem of the lines becoming twisted around each other was shown to be a serious concern for when control lines are invariably added to each 'flaperon' on the parafoil. The launch also demonstrated that we had correctly sized the parafoil to our rocket weight, and could even safely add weight, as the landing was extremely soft and the rocket experienced no damage upon touchdown.[[File:Example.jpg]]
= Vehicle Criteria =
= Vehicle Criteria =