Technical and educational improvements of the student rocket program at NAROM and Andoya Rocket Range

Paper number

IAC-06-E1.1.04

Author

Mr. Amund Nylund, Narom/Andoya Rocket Range, Norway

Year

2006

Abstract

NAROM (Norwegian Centre of Space-Related Education) is co-located with Andøya Rocket Range (ARR) and was established in 2000 as a field station for space-related education. The main goals of NAROM are to ensure recruitment, promote appreciation for the benefits of space activities, and to stimulate the interest for science in general. NAROM and ARR have since 1997 developed and launched more than 30 student rockets. Hundreds of national and international students have had theoretical introductory and hands-on work preparing for the launch of a student rocket at ARR. The main goal of the Student Rocket Program (SRP) is to give the students a comprehensive introduction to an ordinary scientific rocket launch. The SRP also involves lectures in space technology and hands-on laboratory exercises, as well as participating in the preparation and launch of the student rocket. 

Since summer 2005 the SRP has been significantly improved. This improvement has been accomplished with two major modifications of the student rocket, a new improved rocket motor, and the use of S-band telemetry. The new rocket motor is of type CRV7-14C. The motor introduces an improvement in acceleration and spin from the earlier motor, and takes the rocket to an altitude of 8-9 km. These improvements makes the students face new challenges for design and mounting the on board instrumentation. The change from P-band to S-band telemetry brings a whole new dimension to the student participation on the telemetry subject. From earlier operating a laptop for receiving data, students now can participate in the Main Telemetry Station and they can view real-time instrumentation data in the Experimenters Room at ARR. This means that students get a better understanding of space communication systems and data acquisition from space vehicles. Additional improvements of the SRP involve a larger number sensors, more reliable sensors and pedagogical improvements.

Preparations of the student rocket payload involve construction of different sensors, integration with payload encoder, mounting instrumentation to payload deck and testing of the payload. The students also actively participate in different stations during the countdown and launch, supervised by the ARR and NAROM staff. All theoretically and hands-on activities in the SRP have been pedagogical adapted to several levels of education. Students from upper secondary school, colleges, universities and even teachers have participated in the program. The SRP gives the participants space-related experience at the world’s northernmost permanent launch facility for sounding rockets and scientific balloons.

Abstract document

IAC-06-E1.1.04.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-E1.1.04.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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