home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Return-path: <usenet-space-news-request@arc.nasa.gov>
- Received: from mailhub.arc.nasa.gov by delphi.com (PMDF V4.2-11 #4520) id
- <01H2C4J14PS08Y6F5M@delphi.com>; Mon, 30 Aug 1993 00:07:58 EDT
- Received: from news.arc.nasa.gov by mailhub.arc.nasa.gov with SMTP (PP); Sun,
- 29 Aug 1993 20:54:26 -0700
- Received: by news.arc.nasa.gov id AA22787 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for
- usenet-space-news@arc.nasa.gov); Sun, 29 Aug 1993 20:15:06 -0700
- Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 03:10:45 +0000 (GMT)
- From: steven@igor.Levels.UniSA.Edu.Au (Steven Pietrobon)
- Subject: AUSROC III: The Development of Australian Launch Vehicle Capability
- Sender: usenet@news.arc.nasa.gov
- To: bachand@delphi.com, lkrumenaker@delphi.com
- Message-id: <1993Aug30.031045.21803@news.arc.nasa.gov>
- Organization: Australian Space Centre for Signal Processing,
- Signal Processing Research Institute, University of South Australia
- Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
- Originator: yee@atlas.arc.nasa.gov
- Newsgroups: sci.space.news
- Path: ames!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
- Apparently-To: sci-space-news@ames.arc.nasa.gov
- Followup-To: sci.space
- Approved: sci-space-news@ames.arc.nasa.gov
- Lines: 625
-
- AUSROC III
-
- The Development of Australian Launch Vehicle Capability
-
- M. A. Blair
- B.E.(Mech.), Grad. I.E.Aust.
- ASRI Director
- Ausroc Program Coordinator
-
- 1. INTRODUCTION
-
- Ausroc III is the third of the Ausroc series of liquid fuelled rockets
- aimed at the promotion of research, development and education of the field
- of launch vehicle technologies within Australia. Ausroc III is being
- designed as a sounding rocket capable of lifting 100kg of useful scientific
- payload to an altitude of 500km and then recovering it intact. The vehicle
- is also being developed as a test bed for a number of technologies that
- have direct application in satellite launchers. These technologies include:
- regenerative liquid propulsion, composite structures, inertial navigation,
- vehicle guidance and control, telemetry and flight termination systems,
- ground support, tracking and range safety. The Australian Space Research
- Institute (ASRI) supports and promotes the Ausroc program through
- cooperation with Australian Universities and a team of dedicated ASRI
- members. This paper describes the past present and future development of
- the Ausroc III program as well as its educational benefits.
-
- 2. AUSTRALIAN SPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
-
- The Australian Space Research Institute Ltd. (ASRI) was formed on the 17th
- May 1993 as a result of the merger between the Australian Space Engineering
- Research Association Ltd. (ASERA), and the Ausroc Projects Group. ASRI
- will be undertaking space related research, development and education
- programs in the launch vehicle and satellite technology areas. The
- Institute has been formed to fill a void in these research and development
- disciplines within Australia. The objects with which the company (ASRI) has
- been established are to, on a non-profit basis :
-
- a. Develop and advance space science and technology.
-
- b. Conduct, encourage and promote research in the field of space science
- and technology.
-
- c. Educate and extend knowledge in the field of space science and
- technology and to make available education opportunities in the field of
- space science and technology to supplement and further those opportunities
- made available by established educational institutions.
-
- d. Conduct, co-ordinate and support projects for the advancement of the
- above objects.
-
- The Ausroc program is now one of 3 major program areas within ASRI. The
- other 2 being the AUSTRALIS Micro-satellite program and the SCRAMJET
- Development program.
-
- 3. AUSROC PROGRAM BACKGROUND
-
- The Ausroc Projects Group was established in 1988 to fill an educational
- void in launch vehicle engineering disciplines within Australia. Ausroc I
- was a 2.6m bi-propellant liquid fuelled rocket using nitric acid and
- furfuryl alcohol as propellants. It was launched from the Graytown Proof
- Range in Victoria on the 9th of February, 1989. The vehicle velocity and
- altitude were approximately 600km/hr and 3.5km respectively.
-
- Although the recovery system failed to operate as planned during this
- flight, the propulsion system worked very well, as did the electronics and
- telemetry system. The Ausroc I project was undertaken as a private project,
- although assistance was given by several members of the Monash Uni.
- Mechanical Engineering staff.
-
- The success of Ausroc I paved the way for a much more ambitious project,
- Ausroc II. In 1989, Monash Uni. Engineering students commenced an official
- project to design, build and test launch a bi-propellant Lox/Kero rocket
- system. The Ausroc II regeneratively cooled, rocket motor was constructed
- and static test fired at the Ravenhall Test Facility in Deer Park,
- Melbourne, on three separate occasions during 1991-92. These trials were
- performed to validate the system performance and familiarise the launch
- crew with operating and safety procedures associated with liquid fuel
- rocketry.
-
- The launch trial, conducted during October 1992 at the Woomera Rocket Range
- in S.A., resulted in the destruction of the vehicle on its' launcher. The
- failure was caused by the liquid oxygen supply valve failing to operate
- successfully. Ausroc II was the largest liquid fuelled rocket designed and
- manufactured in Australia and was one of the worlds' largest amateur rocket
- systems. A second improved vehicle, Ausroc II-2, is currently under
- construction for launch in 1994.
-
- 4. AUSROC III CONCEPT DEFINITION
-
- The interest and support shown for Ausroc II and the enthusiasm of those
- involved, led the Ausroc team to prepare a plan for the future of the
- Ausroc launch vehicle series. In late 1990 it was decided that the ultimate
- goal of the Ausroc projects group would be to develop a satellite launch
- vehicle capable of placing a microsatellite into a low earth orbit. This
- goal encompasses many technical aspects which have not yet been addressed
- in the previous 2 rocket programs. Therefore, it was decided to develop an
- intermediate launch vehicle system that could be used as a technology
- demonstrator for the satellite launcher. This intermediate launch vehicle
- concept forms the basis of the Ausroc III program. The primary objective of
- this third generation Ausroc system is:
-
- S To carry a useful scientific payload of 100 kg mass to an altitude of 500
- km on a predetermined and controlled, suborbital trajectory and recover it
- intact.
-
- Ausroc III, would, if completed, be the largest amateur rocket ever built
- and would be a useful instrument for performing research in fields such as;
- atmospheric physics, microgravity materials processing, high altitude
- observations, hypersonics research and evaluation of satellite launch
- vehicle hardware.
-
- This new project represents a challenge that encompasses a diverse range of
- science and engineering disciplines. The Ausroc III system has been
- sub-divided into a number of sub-systems that are described in more detail
- below. Each of these sub-systems represent a project that can be undertaken
- by groups of science and engineering students at Universities and
- Institutes around Australia or by groups of amateurs, outside the tertiary
- education system, who would like to see the fruition of the Ausroc launch
- vehicle program and its associated benefits. The Ausroc III program is
- broken down into the following work areas:
-
- Propulsion
- Structures
- Navigation, Guidance & Control
- Flight Electronics
- Ground Infrastructure
- Payload
-
- 5. AUSROC III PROPULSION SYSTEM
-
- In meeting our primary objective of lofting a 100 kg payload to 500 km, we
- started by determining the type of rocket propulsion that would be used as
- this would, undoubtedly, determine the size of the vehicle and the required
- subsystems. Our preliminary calculations, using a trajectory simulation
- program (ref.1) indicated that approximately 1200 kg of propellant,
- assuming an average specific impulse of 250 sec, will be required to meet
- the objective. Solid, liquid and hybrid rocket propulsion systems were
- considered for use on Ausroc III.
-
- Australia does not yet have the capacity to cast the required 1200kg of
- solid propellant from one mix and the mixing, storing and transportation of
- solid propellant is a hazardous operation that requires strict process
- control and safety supervision.
-
- A hybrid rocket has a solid fuel grain and a liquid oxidiser. The fuel is,
- generally, no more dangerous than a block of rubber and the oxidiser can be
- loaded at the launch site. With this system there are no storage or
- transportation problems and in the case of a malfunction there is no
- opportunity for the 2 propellants to intimately mix and explode. Hybrids,
- however, have not had the same extensive development history as solid and
- liquid rockets and for this reason there is only a limited amount of
- published data available on hybrid rocket propulsion.
-
- Liquid fuelled rockets offer a safety advantage over solid propellant
- rockets in that the propellants are only loaded into the vehicle at the
- launch site. This way, the rocket is safe and easy to store and transport.
- The Ausroc team has chosen to develop a bi-propellant liquid propulsion
- system, utilising liquid oxygen and kerosene for use in Ausroc III for the
- following reasons:
-
- a. High Specific Impulse
- b. Lowest Propellant Cost
- c. Large technical data base exists
- d. Motors are controllable and reusable
- e. Vehicle is inert and safe until fuelled on launcher
-
- 5.1 Motor Design
-
- Due to the complexities involved with turbo-pump propellant delivery
- systems, Ausroc III will utilise a pressure feed system to deliver the
- propellants to the combustion chamber. Thus the propellant tanks must
- operate at pressures in excess of the chamber pressure. A combustion
- pressure of 2 MPa was chosen as a good compromise between overall tank
- weight and specific impulse.
-
- The propulsion system will be operational for the first 80 seconds of
- flight in a pressure environment that extends from 1 atm at launch to a
- near vacuum at shut-down. The Ausroc III motor nozzle will be designed to
- expand the 2 MPa combustion gases to 0.55 x ambient pressure at sea-level
- to avoid nozzle flow separation. This corresponds to a nozzle expansion
- ratio of 6. Given these values, the optimal propellant mixture ratio
- (Mox/Mf) of 2.4 was determined using the Nasa/Lewis thermodynamics code
- (ref.2). The continual decrease in ambient pressure, as the rocket gains
- altitude, causes a proportional increase in motor thrust. This increase in
- thrust corresponds to an increase in specific impulse (Isp) and the thrust
- coefficient (Cf).
-
- In order to avoid any possible interaction between the rocket and the
- launcher stand at lift-off, a net launch acceleration of approximately 1g
- was specified. This implies a lift-off thrust of 35 kN. With this
- information the motor geometry can be determined using a set of standard
- motor equations as can be found in refs.3-4. Table I summarises the key
- motor parameters and dimensions.
-
- Four cooling techniques were considered for the Ausroc III motor. These
- were regenerative, ablative, radiation and film. Regenerative cooling
- involves the circulation of one of the propellants through passages along
- the motor wall to absorb the heat transfered from the chamber. Ablative
- motors are one shot devices used, primarily, in short burn liquid motors or
- solid propellant motors. They use endothermic materials which decompose and
- absorb large quantities of heat in the process. Radiation cooling relies on
- the motor wall reaching thermal equilibrium with its surroundings.This
- requires the use of rare and expensive high temperature refractory metals
- and ceramics. Film cooling can be incorporated into any of the previous 3
- types of motors and involves injecting a coolant fluid along the motor wall
- to generate a 'cool' gas boundary layer to slow the rate of heat transfer.
-
- TABLE I: AUSROC III Motor Specifications
-
- Fuel: Kerosene
- Oxidiser: Liquid Oxygen
- Burn Duration: 80 sec.
- Combustion Pressure: 2 MPa
- Mixture Ratio (Ox/F): 2.4
- Thrust Correction Factor: 0.94
- Thrust Coefficient: 1.394 s.l. - 1.698 vac.
- Specific Impulse (corrected): 241 sec (s.l.) - 293 sec. (vac.)
- Thrust (N): 35 kN (s.l.) - 42.6 kN (vac.)
- Nozzle Throat Diameter: 130 mm
- Nozzle Expansion Ratio: 6
- Nozzle Exit Diameter: 320 mm
- Expansion Cone Half Angle: 15 degrees
- Chamber Contraction Ratio: 3
- Chamber Diameter: 230 mm
- Characteristic Length (L*): 1.0 m
- Chamber Length: 340 mm
- Contraction Cone Half Angle: 30 degrees
- Throat Radius: 65 mm
- Contraction. Rad: 65 mm
-
- The Ausroc III program will require numerous static firings to fine tune
- the motor performance and control system before a launch can be approved.
- Ablative motor construction was eliminated on the grounds that multiple
- firings would require multiple motors to be manufactured and this would
- increase the costs of development. To meet the multiple firing criterion
- for the motor, a regenerative cooling system has been selected. Of the 2
- propellants onboard Ausroc III, the kerosene fuel was selected as being the
- more suitable regenerative coolant.
-
- A program of work is currently being undertaken to develop a 'Tube Wall'
- rocket motor for Ausroc III. This motor is fabricated by brazing together
- and reinforcing a bundle of pre-contoured nickel alloy coolant tubes and
- attaching inlet and outlet manifolds. The tubes form the geometric wall of
- the motor. Once the tooling has been established to fabricate the first
- motor, it would be a relatively straightforward process to produce
- subsequent motors for further development or future vehicles.
-
- The propellant requirements and tank volumes can be calculated with a
- knowledge of the specific impulse, thrust level, mixture ratio, ullage
- requirements and burn time. The propellant requirements are as follows:
-
- Propellant Mass Flow = F / Isp g = 14.8 kg/s
- Mass of Propellant = 80 x 14.8 = 1184 kg
-
- Mass Lox = 836 kg Mass Kerosene = 348 kg
- Density of Lox = 1142 kg/m3 Density of Kerosene = 800 kg/m3
- Volume of Lox = 732 lt Volume of Kerosene = 435 lt
- Lox Tank Volume = 800 lt Kerosene Tank Volume = 500 lt
-
- The rocket, as mentioned previously, is to be pressure fed. There are 2
- gases that have been identified as being applicable to this application;
- nitrogen and helium. Nitrogen was eliminated as the flight pressurant gas
- on the grounds of its 7 fold increase in weight over helium and also
- because of the close proximity of its boiling point to that of the lox
- which causes density and solubility problems. Nitrogen, however, is very
- cheap and readily available in large quantities. For the static firings and
- ground tests, nitrogen can be used as the pressurant since weight and
- storage volume is not of concern in these instances.
-
- The flight pressurant tank will store the helium gas at high pressure
- (30MPa). This high pressure gas will then be regulated down to the liquid
- oxygen and kerosene tank pressures of 3 and 4MPa respectively. Thus, a
- pressure tank volume of 200 lt, which includes an extra 20 lt for the cold
- gas roll control thrusters, is required.
-
- 5.2 Injector Design
-
- The injector attaches to the forward end of the motor and its purpose is to
- introduce and meter the propellants into the combustion chamber. It also
- atomises and mixes the propellants to enhance combustion efficiency. The
- Ausroc III injector design is being modelled on the Ausroc II injector
- configuration. A set of 200 triplet injectors are to be used whereby 2 15
- degree half angle fuel injection streams impinge with each axial oxidiser
- stream. The injector elements are to be 2.1mm diameter for the liquid
- oxygen and 1.05mm diameter for the kerosene (ref. 6).
-
- To assist in chamber wall cooling, it is planned to bias the mixture ratio
- of the injectors which are closest to the wall in favour of the fuel. This
- generates a cooler fuel rich zone along the inside wall of the motor. The
- injector configuration also has a substantial effect on combustion
- stability and this issue will receive further attention in the near future.
- The injector will be manufactured from aluminium alloy due to its
- machinability and high heat transfer coefficient.
-
- 5.3 Propellant Utilisation System
-
- The propellant utilisation system consists of the following items; ball
- valves, valve actuators, flow meters, tank level sensors and fill/drain
- facilities.This system controls the flow of propellant during startup, burn
- and shutdown and also has provision for interfacing to the launcher
- fuelling equipment. For the majority of the burn time the propellant
- utilisation system will ensure that the mixture ratio of the propellants is
- maintained at 2.4. Towards the end of burn, the system will continually
- sense the tank levels and adjust the mixture ratio to ensure that both
- propellants are exhausted simultaneously. Failure to do this can lead to
- considerable performance losses.
-
- 6. AUSROC III STRUCTURE
-
- The performance of a rocket structure is usually determined by its mass
- ratio. The mass ratio is the ratio of propellant weight to total weight
- excluding payload. The Ausroc team has set a target mass ratio of 0.85 for
- the Ausroc III system. This means that for a propellant mass of 1200 kg,
- the total dry weight of all non-payload items will be approximately 220 kg.
- This target mass ratio is quite high for a pressure-fed liquid fuelled
- rocket and extensive use of strong, lightweight materials will be essential
- to achieve it. For this reason it was decided to develop the system around
- the use of high strength and lightweight filament wound tanks and composite
- layup fairings. Where possible, 7075 aluminium alloy will be used for
- machined components.
-
- 6.1 Structure Components
-
- It was determined (ref.5) that the optimal length to diameter (L/D) ratio
- of the launch vehicle, to minimise drag, was approximately 12. Given this
- value and the tank and payload volume requirements, the body dimensions
- were set at:
-
- Nominal Body Diameter: 0.7 m
- Total Body Length: 8.4 m (includes payload)
-
- Ausroc III consists of 12 major structural items which are listed in Table
- II and shown in figure 1. The 3 pressure vessel tanks are to be
- manufactured by filament winding epoxy resin impregnated carbon fibre
- rovings over thin walled stainless steel or aluminium mandrels. The
- mandrels also serve as impervious tank liners. The performance rating of
- pressure vessels is usually given in units of meters and determined by the
- following relationship:
-
- Performance Rating = Pressure x Volume / Mass x g
-
- Modern high performance aerospace pressure vessels have been fabricated,
- via filament winding techniques, with performance values exceeding 25000m.
- The minimum performance for the Ausroc III filament wound tanks has been
- specified as 12000m since no tanks of this type have been manufactured in
- Australia to date and much has to be learnt regarding the processes
- involved.
-
- In March 1993 a filament winding machine, of sufficient size to manufacture
- the Ausroc III tanks and being surplus to DSTO requirements, was transfered
- on permanent loan to the Mechanical Engineering Dept. of the University of
- Adelaide. This machine is currently being commissioned by the department
- for student projects.
-
- TABLE II: Ausroc III Major Structural Items
-
- Item Structure Fabrication Method
-
- 1 Nose Cone Composite Lay-up
- 2 Payload Fairing Composite Lay-up
- 3 Payload Support Structure Machined 7075 Al.
- 4 Helium Tank (30 MPa) Filament Winding
- 5 Upper Intertank Fairing Composite Lay-up
- 6 He/Lox Tank Interface Machined 7075 Al.
- 7 Lox Tank (3 MPa) Filament Winding
- 8 Lower Intertank Fairing Composite Lay-up
- 9 Lox/Kero Tank Interface Machined 7075 Al.
- 10 Kerosene Tank (3.5 MPa) Filament Winding
- 11 Boattail Fairing Composite Lay-up
- 12 Thrust Mount / Gimbal Unit Machined 7075 Al.
-
- The fairings are to be manufactured as single piece units using composite
- lay-up construction techniques which use pre-preg carbon fibre mat
- materials and autoclave curing processes. Honeycomb sandwich cores will be
- used where enhanced strength and stiffness properties are required. The all
- composite fairings will bolt directly to aluminium mounting rings which are
- filament wound into each end of the 3 flight tanks.
-
- Each fairing will contain 2 flush mounting hatches, 250 x 250mm square, for
- access and assembly purposes. All the cylindrical fairings are to be
- manufactured with common tooling and both intertank fairings are to be
- identical items. The junction between the base of the payload fairing and
- the helium tank will contain a separation device that will be initiated
- immediately after engine cut-off. This device will disconnect the payload
- module and provide a positive separation force.
-
- The nose cone is a tangent-ogive with an L/D of 2.14 and will incorporate
- ablative materials to protect it from the high aerodynamic temperatures
- experienced during the flight. A number of air pressure ports will be
- incorporated into the nose cone to provide air speed and angle of attack
- data to the flight computer.
-
- The boattail fairing has a 6 degree taper to reduce the base area of the
- rocket by approximately 50%. This significantly reduces the base drag of
- the vehicle.
-
- The thrust mount / gimbal assembly, to be manufactured from 7075-T6
- aluminium stock, is a multi-purpose item which transfers the vectored
- thrust load of the motor into the vehicle structure. It also provides
- interfacing and mounting provisions for the following:
-
- -Propellant utilisation system components
- -Hydraulic system components
- -Launcher release system
-
- 6.2 Structure Analysis
-
- The Ausroc III vehicle will be exposed to a multitude of loads including
- ground winds, wind shear, motor thrust, aerodynamic drag and lift,
- propellant slosh and TVC. The structure is being designed to withstand a
- flight angle of attack of 5 degrees at maximum dynamic pressure (69kPa).
- The calculated normal force distribution imposed on the vehicle during
- these conditions is shown in figure 2.
-
- Wind tunnel testing of a scale model will be undertaken to verify the
- calculated aerodynamic coefficients A theoretical analysis of the static
- and dynamic characteristics of individual structural components and the
- integrated assembly will be undertaken using finite element analysis
- techniques to ensure that the structure will maintain its integrity for the
- entire flight profile.
-
- It is essential to ensure that the natural frequency of the vehicle does
- not coincide with the control system frequency of 10 Hz. Therefore a target
- first natural frequency for the structure has been set at 30 Hz. This
- analysis is to be followed up by a test and evaluation program utilising
- flight hardware.
-
-
- Figure 2: Ausroc III Normal Force Distribution
-
-
- 7. AUSROC III GUIDANCE, NAVIGATION & CONTROL (GN&C)
-
- Information in this section was obtained from ref 8.
-
- 7.1 Navigation
-
- Navigation involves the determination of the position, velocity and
- attitude of the vehicle with respect to a convenient reference frame. The
- inertial measurement unit (IMU) consists of sensors that are attached to
- the vehicle body. Gyroscopes sense the angular velocity of the vehicle and
- accelerometers sense the specific force. Navigation will be done by a
- dedicated computer which will communicate with the IMU, GPS and the
- computer responsible for guidance and control.
-
- 7.2 Guidance
-
- Guidance involves using navigation data and guidance algorithms to generate
- commands for the control system in order to achieve the desired trajectory.
- The commands consist of attitude or attitude rate commands. The current
- trajectory profile consists of:
-
- 1. Vertical Ascent to 200m.
- 2. Pitch over, decreasing the flight angle from 90 to 88 degrees.
- 3. Gravity turn, to minimise aerodynamic loads.
- 4. Coast, until initial recovery system deployment.
- 5. Final recovery system deployment using steerable parachute.
-
- Wind loads during the period of high dynamic pressure will be reduced by
- 'steering into the wind'. This is done by using the lateral acceleration
- measurements to null side forces. When the dynamic pressure becomes low
- enough, a closed loop guidance algorithm can be used to reduce the effects
- of disturbances such as wind and non-ideal vehicle behaviour. The guidance
- algorithms will be implemented as part of the software of the flight
- management computer.
-
- 7.3 Control
-
- Control refers to the control of the vehicle, implemented as a closed loop
- control system. This accepts attitude or attitude rate commands and
- generates commands for the thrust vector control system (TVC). It uses IMU
- data to provide feedback for its control loops. The control algorithms will
- also be implemented as part of the software of the flight management
- computer. Given the nature of the Ausroc III system, it was decided to
- implement an electro-hydraulic, gimballed motor TVC system to provide
- control in the pitch and yaw planes and a cold gas thruster system for roll
- control.
-
-
- 8. AUSROC III ELECTRONICS
-
- For Ausroc III to achieve its stated program objectives, a comprehensive
- flight management system is required. This system will consist of the
- following major items:
-
- 1. Flight management controller (FMC)
- 2. Inertial Navigation Unit (INU)
- 3. Attitude Control System (ACS)
- 4. Power Supply and Control (PSC)
- 5. Data Acquisition and Telemetry
- 6. Electro / Hydraulic / Pyrotechnic Drivers
- 7. Flight Termination System (FTS)
- 8. Radar Transponder
-
- Figure 3 and reference 7 provide the general arrangement of the electronics
- systems. It is proposed to use commercial 32 bit 80386 motherboards for the
- FMC, ACS and INU due to low cost and easy access to peripherals,
- documentation and software development tools. The 'C' programming language
- has been selected as the basis for all flight software development. The
- communications interface bus between all the system units has not yet been
- determined but the current options include RS-422, Ethernet and Mil-1553B.
-
- The complete data acquisition and telemetry system will consists of up to
- 128 sensors, 16 data formatters, a multiplexer and a transmitter. The
- telemetry transmitter is to have a bandwidth of 500 kHz, a minimum power
- output of 5W and operate on either L-band or S-band. A similar video
- transmitter is to be included to relay optical data from the flight and
- payload cameras.
-
- Two C-band radar transponders will be incorporated into the vehicle to
- assist the Woomera range radars in providing accurate range safety
- tracking. A Flight Termination System (FTS) utilising 2 WREBUS receivers
- will provide command destruct capability. WREBUS was the system used
- extensively at Woomera in the past. It is planned to develop an
- omnidirectional strip antenna unit for each of the flight transmitters and
- receivers to provide complete coverage irrespective of vehicle attitude.
-
-
- 9. AUSROC III GROUND SUPPORT
-
- Ground support includes such things as: transportation, assembly,
- test, fuelling, launcher stand, launch control centre, tracking, flight
- termination, film and video systems and vehicle recovery. Woomera is the
- intended launch site for Ausroc III and, in particular, we are focussing on
- the use of Site 5 which is the old abandoned Black Knight launch site and
- is located approximately 5 km SW of the range instrumentation building. The
- block house still exists at site 5 and the exhaust deflection pit can be
- refurbished. As currently designed the launcher stand and access tower also
- doubles as the transport cradle and assembly jig.
-
- The range instrumentation building is more than adequate for use as the
- launch control centre. Pre-flight assembly and test will be performed in
- Test shop 1 as was done during the Ausroc II trial. There are currently 2
- operational Adour radar units at the range, and with the use of
- transponders on the rocket, they would be capable of tracking the vehicle
- for its full 500km apogee trajectory. A high power flight termination
- system transmitter will need to be installed on the range and tested. Real
- time display and analysis of critical flight parameters will be available
- via an electrical umbilical prior to launch and by RF link after liftoff. A
- dedicated launch sequence controller will be developed to perform the
- critical preflight system checks, the launch sequence and abort routines.
-
- 10. CONCLUSION
-
- The Ausroc III program has now been in existence for 3 years and in that
- time approximately 50 students from 9 Universities around the country have
- undertaken engineering design exercises from the broad range of launch
- vehicle disciplines making up the Ausroc III system. The program represents
- a learning experience for all those involved since no launch vehicle of
- this type has ever been developed in Australia.
-
- Projects will continue to be forwarded to the Universities around the
- country in future years, culminating with the construction and test flight
- of the prototype vehicle. It is the belief of the ASRI directors and the
- Ausroc coordination team that the "hands-on" approach to launch vehicle
- education, as is currently being provided, will enhance the national
- technology base and provide a small stream of enthusiastic engineers and
- scientists capable of participating in future national or international
- programs.
-
- 11. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
-
- As previously discussed, the Ausroc III program is dispersed throughout
- Australia. There are currently no fewer than 30 students and qualified
- engineers and technicians involved in the program. The author wishes to
- thank the lecturers and students from the following universities for their
- involvement in the Ausroc III Program:
-
- University of Adelaide
- University of South Australia
- Monash University
- RMIT
- University of NSW
- University of Sydney
- University of Queensland
- Queensland University of Technology
- University of Southern Queensland
-
- The author would also like to thank the many Ausroc core group members and
- industrial sponsors who have given much in the way of personal time and
- resources to the Ausroc activities over the past years. Their enthusiasm
- and commitment to an Australian Space Program is what has kept this program
- alive.
-
- REFERENCES
-
- No. Author Title
-
- 1. Cheers A. "A Spherical Earth Model Particle
- Trajectory Simulator Utilising a 4th Order
- Runge-Kutta Method" Computer Program (c)
- Ardebil 1991
-
- 2. Gordon S. and "Computer Program for Calculation of
- McBride B. Complex Chemical Equilibrium Compositions,
- Rocket Performance, Incident and Reflected
- Shocks and Chapman-Jouguet Detonations"
- NASA SP-273 1967
-
- 3. Huang D. and "Design of Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines"
- Huzel D. NASA SP-125 1971
-
- 4. Sutton G. "Rocket Propulsion Elements"
- John Wiley & Sons 1986
-
- 5. Clayton A. " Pressure Vessel and Fairing Design for the
- Heiland T. AUSROC III Amateur Rocket System"
- Reddon G. University of Adelaide, Project Thesis 1991
-
- 6. Williams W. "Propellant Injector Design Notes for Ausroc III
- Liquid Fuelled Rocket" Ausroc Conference 1991
-
- 7. Simmonds S. "Ausroc III - Flight Management System"
- Technical Note 1993
-
- 8. Cheers A. "Ausroc III - G N & C" Technical Note 1993
-
-
- Previous AUSROC updates can be obtained by anonymous ftp to
- audrey.levels.unisa.edu.au in directory space/AUSROC
-
- --
- Steven S. Pietrobon, Australian Space Centre for Signal Processing
- Signal Processing Research Institute, University of South Australia
- The Levels, SA 5095, Australia. steven@spri.levels.unisa.edu.au
-