Indiana Tech Students to Attempt Historic Rocket Launch

In early January, Indiana Tech associate professor Paul Wilder and four students will travel to Florida to continue the process of being the first student group to launch a rocket into space. Indiana Tech students successfully launched the first phase of the project from Florida in May 2003.

The upcoming test launch on Jan. 8 is a collaborative effort between Indiana Tech and JAMSTARS, an advisory group of amateur and professional rocketeers who donate their time to assist university and high school students in the implementation of rocketry projects. With the second-generation payload and a six-inch diameter airframe, the test launch rocket is expected to reach an altitude of about three miles. Rocket recovery will take place after it has returned to dry land.

If the test launch is completed successfully, the actual record-setting launch will take place in May 2005 at NASA’s Wallops Island launch facility in Virginia and will be a joint project between Indiana Tech, JAMSTARS, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Embry-Riddle will provide the rocket airframe for the May launch, which will consist of a 4.5-inch diameter upper stage and 9-inch diameter lower stage. It will carry the Indiana Tech designed payload that monitors spin, barometric, and acceleration sensors, and uses onboard computers to store flight dynamics data.

It even includes an onboard TV station. Clearance is being sought from the U.S. government to place a GPS system onboard. During the rocket’s flight, the payload will send information in real-time to computer systems on the ground. The rocket will be recovered by volunteers after splashdown in the ocean.

Professor Wilder leads the team, which is made up of Professor Richard Kenefic and a group of four Indiana Tech students, three of whom are finishing their senior year at the university. The seniors are Michael Earnhart (team leader), Steve Eckhart, and Joseph Johanningsmeier. The sophomore participant in the group is John Welsh, whose HAM radio expertise will assist in allowing the rocket to communicate signals back to earth while in flight. “The students get to work on the project in one of their courses, but they’re primarily participating in it on their own time,” Professor Wilder stated. The students are responsible for the design of the payload and its functionality. Professor Wilder provides some guidance, but allows the students to learn by making some mistakes.

A portion of the funding for the project is being provided by Logikos, a local Fort Wayne software developer; by TriTech Manufacturing, a local Fort Wayne printed circuit board maker; and by Under Sea Sensors, Inc. in Columbia City, a maker of sonobuoys. Logikos hires interns from Indiana Tech, including Steve Eckhart.

Currently, two universities are working on competing projects for what is being touted in the publication Florida Today as the “Race to Black.” JAMSTARS is assisting on both projects. One of the key members of JAMSTARS works at Florida Institute of Technology, the other school competing to be the first to launch a student-built rocket project into space. Florida Tech and Indiana Tech had previously tried to coordinate their efforts for a rocket launch to 18 miles last spring, but the Florida Tech airframe has not been completed, so Indiana Tech is participating in this shorter duration test launch.

Professor Wilder has been involved with this project for more than two years. “It is a great project, since it provides the students an opportunity to test their skills on real-world engineering challenges.” Wilder’s interest in space was influenced by his father, who worked at Raytheon developing the guidance controller for the Apollo lunar module. “This project is like the proverbial mountain. It’s there, and we want to be the first to climb it.”
On Jan. 8, the Indiana Tech professor and his students will know whether they are one step closer to the top.

Indiana Tech, 1600 E. Washington Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46803, is a private, not-for-profit, coeducational institution that offers bachelor of science degrees in engineering, accounting, business administration, computer-information systems, computer science, human-services management, recreation management, and therapeutic recreation. Master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees in business administration are available through the university’s College of Professional Studies. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Source: Indiana Tech