On April 18, a group of Vanderbilt engineering students will fire off a 16-foot, 82-pound rocket. If all goes as planned, the vehicle will power its way one mile directly overhead where it will release a remotely piloted aircraft that will collect images and infrared data of the ground below as it is guided back down to earth.
The students are members of Vanderbilt’s Aerospace Club, one of 20 student teams selected by NASA from colleges and universities around the country to participate in NASA‘s University Student Launch Initiative. The competition will take place at Bragg Farms in Toney, Ala., near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
In order to win the competition, a rocket must top out the closest to one mile in height and must carry a payload that gathers measurable data. The rocket launch is the culmination of a year-long effort in design, fabrication and evaluations by NASA.
Last year, the Vanderbilt group participated in the competition and won the “closest to altitude” prize when their rocket attained an altitude of 5,264 feet, just 16 feet short of the one mile goal.
This year, the students have designed and built an unmanned aerial vehicle that will be deployed from their rocket at a set altitude. The UAV is equipped with a “reconnaissance” package that consists of two cameras and an infrared thermometer.
Additional information about the competition is available at the NASA USLI website: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/University_Student_Launch_Initiative.html. The Vanderbilt Aerospace Club’s website – http://www.vanderbilt.edu/USLI – provides more information about the Vanderbilt team and their entry.
Media Contact: David F. Salisbury, (615) 322-NEWS
david.salisbury@vanderbilt.edu