Combine theory and application with ERPL
R. Steve Murphy
Issue date: 12/1/09 Section: Student Life
Have you been searching for an opportunity to put your engineering skills to use? Need to find a better balance between theory and application? If so, the Experimental Rocket Propulsion Labs (ERPL) invites you to join us in our mission to develop propulsion systems! ERPL is currently pursuing liquid, solid, and hybrid rocket propulsion systems.
Our liquids team is involved in the early design stages of a bipropellant liquid oxygen and liquid methane propulsion system suitable for a small upper stage orbital insertion or lunar lander application. Preliminary design work should be wrapped up on our first motor by semester's end with testing of gaseous propellants as soon as January 2010.
The solids team is designing 38mm motors with a total impulse in the vicinity of 240 Newton seconds. The goal of our research is to study the effects of different propellant mixtures and grain patterns on rocket performance. We will be utilizing reloadable motor kits with various nozzle geometries including a promising aerospike insert.
ERPL's hybrid rocket team is busy fabricating a new test stand to collect better data and improve upon last year's engine design. The hybrid development will culminate with this year's entry into a hybrid rocket competition sponsored by the Florida Space Grant Consortium. The hybrid rocket is being totally redesigned for this year's competition from the carbon air structure down to the control system.
If you are interested in getting involved we can surely use additional insight and expertise on everything in the broad discipline of propulsion system design and development. For more information and scheduling updates please check out our new website, erlp.tk, and come join us at any one of our weekly group meetings!
Our liquids team is involved in the early design stages of a bipropellant liquid oxygen and liquid methane propulsion system suitable for a small upper stage orbital insertion or lunar lander application. Preliminary design work should be wrapped up on our first motor by semester's end with testing of gaseous propellants as soon as January 2010.
The solids team is designing 38mm motors with a total impulse in the vicinity of 240 Newton seconds. The goal of our research is to study the effects of different propellant mixtures and grain patterns on rocket performance. We will be utilizing reloadable motor kits with various nozzle geometries including a promising aerospike insert.
ERPL's hybrid rocket team is busy fabricating a new test stand to collect better data and improve upon last year's engine design. The hybrid development will culminate with this year's entry into a hybrid rocket competition sponsored by the Florida Space Grant Consortium. The hybrid rocket is being totally redesigned for this year's competition from the carbon air structure down to the control system.
If you are interested in getting involved we can surely use additional insight and expertise on everything in the broad discipline of propulsion system design and development. For more information and scheduling updates please check out our new website, erlp.tk, and come join us at any one of our weekly group meetings!
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