Past Competitions
Here you can find information regarding past Intercollegiate Rocket Launch Competitions.
First Intercollegiate Rocket Launch Competition
The first Launch Competition was held on January 5th, 2006, near Green River, Utah. The University of Alabama in Huntsville and Utah State University competed.
The competition criteria was to launch a 2-lb payload closest to 10,000 feet, and to launch and recover the rocket and payload intact. The teams were to produce flight data to the judges within one hour of retrieving their rockets. Also, a written paper and poster presentation were required.
- The USU rocket was a 20-foot long, 17-inch diameter hybrid rocket with an 8-inch diameter motor. It generated approximately 2000 pounds of thrust at liftoff. It successfully launched and climbed to approximately 5700 feet above the ground before experiencing partial recovery system failure. The rocket broke apart at parachute deployment, with the lower propulsion section falling at high rate of speed and being totally destroyed on impact. The upper payload section fell more slowly and was significantly damaged, though the avionics survived and flight data was able to be recovered (but after the 1-hour window required by the competition).
- The UAH rocket was approximately 7 feet long and 8 inches in diameter. It included a camera in the nose with a pivoting mirror in the transparent nose tip. Its propulsion unit was a commercial hybrid generating approximately 400 pounds of thrust at liftoff. It also launched successfully, reaching over 11,200 feet altitude. It also experienced partial recovery system failure, impacting the ground at high speed. Flight data was recovered later, after the 1-hour window.
Professor R. Gilbert Moore was the Guest of Honor at the awards banquet, and gave a presentation on the role of rocket clubs in the early development of rockets.
Since both rockets experienced partial recovery failures and could not produce flight data in the required amount of time, the judges relied on the written report, posters, and general level of student involvement in the rocket design to determine the winners. They selected USU, and the trophies were presented at an awards banquet.
Second Intercollegiate Rocket Launch Competition
New Update! - June 28, 2007.
The Second Intercollegiate Rocket Launch Competition was held, and was a success. Pictures from the event can be seen on the Image page.
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The second launch competition is scheduled to be held on June 21-24, 2007, near Green River Utah, hosted by Utah State University.
Location: the competition will be held at the following coordinates:
N 38.931111º W 110.099167º
N 38 º 55’52” W 110º05’57”
Elevation: 4160 ft. MSL
Directions:
From I-70, take Exit 164 (previously numbered Exit 162).
Motels and Tamarisk Restaurant: head north from Exit 164, this is Main Street and will take you into the town of Green River and the motels. The road curves around to the west, and on the near (east) side of the Green River is the Tamarisk Restaurant, on the left (870 East Main).
Launch site: head south from Exit 164 and after ¼ mile you come to a T in the road. Turn left at the T and proceed in an easterly direction. There will be large gray buildings on your right. Continue heading east until there is a right turn and a sign for Crystal Geyser. Turn right and proceed down this road (Crystal Geyser Road, also called Little Valley Road on maps.google.com) about 4 miles. About ¼ mile past the hairpin turn, there will be a dirt road turnoff to the left that heads to where we will launch. Please park along the side of Crystal Geyser Road—only rocket transport vehicles should come down the dirt road. The viewing area will be approximately 200 feet south of Crystal Geyser Road. The launch tables will be set up just south of the power lines (about 1/3 mile from Crystal Geyser Road), and the launch rails will be set up about 200 feet south of the launch tables.
Registration and Presentations
Registration and team presentations will be held at the TBD.
Fees:
Fees for participating teams are $200/team. This includes light breakfasts, lunches at the launch site and six tickets to the Awards Banquet.
Fees for observers are $50/person. This includes light breakfasts, lunches at the launch site and one ticket to the Awards Banquet.
There are no fees for judges; light breakfasts, lunches and one ticket to the Awards Banquet are provided.
There are no fees for guests invited by ESRA; lunches at the launch site are provided but no tickets to the Awards Banquet are provided.
A limited number of tickets to the Awards Banquet will be available for $15 each on a first-come, first-served basis.
Schedule:
Thursday June 21, 2007
8:00 AM-9:00 AM: registration at John Wesley Powell Museum Basement Meeting Room, light breakfast provided
9:00 AM-12:00 PM: rocket preparation at launch site, inspection by judges
12:00 PM-1:00 PM: lunch at launch site
1:00 PM-5:00 PM: launch decision, launches or oral presentations
6:30 PM-8:30 PM Opening Social at City Park. Hors d'oeuvres provided
Friday, June 22, 2007
8:00 AM: Meet at Museum Meeting Room, light breakfast provided, launch decision
8:00 AM-12:00 PM: launches or presentations
12:00 PM-1:00 PM: lunch at launch site
1:00 PM-5:00 PM: launch decision, launches or oral presentations
6:30 PM-8:30 PM Awards Banquet at Tamarisk Restaurant
Saturday: backup launch day (same schedule as Friday)/Awards Banquet -or- teams depart
Sunday: teams depart if Saturday used for launches
Awards:
First, second, and third place trophies will be presented at the awards banquet. The first place team will be awarded the Robert H. Goddard Intercollegiate Rocket Trophy, presented by the Guest of Honor, Dr. Neal Brown, and Michael and Linda Goddard, relatives of Dr. Goddard. The trophy is modeled after Dr. Goddard's rocket launched at Roswell, New Mexico, on April 19, 1932.
The Jim Furfaro Award for Technical Acheivement will also be presented to the team with the best paper, presentation, and level of professionalism. A successful rocket launch is not required for this award. The award is named in memory of Jim Furfaro, who was an engineer at ATK Thiokol and a judge at the first Rocket Competition in 2006. He was a great supporter of student rocket programs until his death in an auto accident in 2006.
Rules:
Each rocket is to launch a 10-lb payload to 10,000 feet above ground level and safely recover the rocket and payload. The rocket must clear the launch rail for team qualification.
Maximum points are allotted for hitting 10,000 feet exactly, with reduction in points for going over or under 10,000 feet.
The altitude will be measured by an audible output from a team-supplied barometric altimeter which is installed in the rocket with passages to external ports on opposite sides of the rocket. The altimeter will be calibrated to the launch elevation within one hour of launch. The altitude reported by this altimeter will be the primary source used by judges to determine maximum altitude. Acceptable altimeters are:
Missile Works RRC², RRC²X
Adept Rocketry ALT-05-50K
Perfect Flite miniAlt/WD
The rocket will also produce altitude versus time data in a form readable by the judges (plot or printout with altitude in feet and time in seconds) within one hour of rocket retrieval. This data may be used by judges to determine maximum altitude if the altimeter output is suspect.
The payload can be active or passive; however the rocket must be able to fly without the payload (i.e. rocket electronics needed for flight do not count as payload).
Each team must prepare an 11-page (maximum) paper summarizing their rocket design. The paper must be submitted in electronic form to ESRA two weeks prior to the competition.
Each team must give a 45-minute oral presentation summarizing their rocket design.
Competition points will be allotted per the judges’ determination on the judging sheet.
In the case of a dispute, the President of ESRA will be the final appeal authority.
Presentations: presentations will be held in the John Wesley Powell Museum Basement Meeting Room. All team members are required to attend all presentations—no working on rockets is allowed during presentations.
Lodging:
Motels in Green River, UT |
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| Book Cliff Lodge | (435) 564-3406 | |
| Budget Inn | 564-3441 | |
| Comfort Inn | 564-3300 | |
| Green River Inn | 564-8237 | |
| Holiday Inn Express | 564-4439 | |
| Motel 6 | 564-3436 | |
| Ramada Limited | 564-8441 | |
| Best Western River Terrace | 564-3401 | |
| Robber's Roost | 564-3452 | |
| Rodeway Inn | 564-3421 | |
| Sleepy Hollow | 564-8189 | |
| Super 8 | 564-8888 | |
Camping |
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| Shady Acres Campground | 564-8290 | |
| United Campground | 564-8195 | |
| Green River State Park | 564-3633 | |
| KOA Kampground | 564-3651 | |
| A/OK RV Park | 564-8372 |
Air Service:
Air service available in Salt Lake City or Grand Junction, Colorado.