List small or large improvments we can make to design, process, or operations.
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SAC 2023
General
Successes:
Test-flight timeline (even without test flight) made us do much less last-minute so IREC weeek was less stressful
Same goes for integration tests well before IREC
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Show up to saftey check fully assembled (sans energetics)
Weigh the rocket in the field
Assign a systems engineer
Structures
Failures:
Long tube makes assembly very hard
Tubes fill with dust when wind gusts
Weathercock off rail
Low-ish TWR
Long railguides levered and caught on rail
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Aim for higher TWR
Return to button rail guides
Shorter/more open tubes
Printed end caps for tubes
Make long tubes before lengths are figured out (work in parallel)
Avionics
Successes:
Sleds not wired together
Crimping multiple conductors into one ferrule for bridging
Huge Big Red Bee battery
Batteries with protection circuits
T-shaped and tapered key, easy to insert and stops in the right place
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Retain the sleds while outside a tube
Impact test avionics bay
Re-do FEA after all changes, new holes/slots mean new stress concentrations
Think about assembly forces, not just flight forces
Better nut retention on the mounting bars
Do smaller slots for wire pass or put them on the side of the sled (DO backplane sled, DON’T do COTS sled)
Reduce the number of threaded connections, labor-intensive to Loctite everything
Have spares for everything (backup Big Red Bees saved us)
Tripod for the antenna holder on the stands
Use rubber ducky (or other encased antenna) for everything sticking up
GSW tracks “time of last update” and “time of last change” for GPS packets to check lock
Payload
Successes:
Mounting electronics to side panels improved density and made assembly easier
JST connectors worked well
Good to buy batteries with protections
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Put a switch on every battery
Stronger line for line cutter
Recovery
Successes:
Drogue streamer is easier to integrate, easier to see on descent/recovery, less snatch force
Mini-Tamiya connectors worked and did not need to be zip tied. Very cheap and easy to use.
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Back to dual bay
Higher TWR for less weathercocking
Fully (dummy energetics) integration test! No exceptions
Protect potential cut points (wrap more kevlar/other protection)
Wrench flats on charge cups
Launch operations
Weigh the rocket
More radio training
Field recovery
Land navigation training
Require all recovery to be HAM licensed
Earpiece microphones
More radio training
Make sure one person has cell reception (Verizon seems reliable)
Timer to drink water
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