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02/05/09 - Airframe Construction Underway
The long awaited parts have come in and construction of the Vertical Cruise Missle (VCM) airframe has begun. The forward and aft section of the rocket are constructed of epoxy carbon fiber and fiber glass composites, respectively. These composites were chosen based on their proven strength and stability, while keeping the total mass of the structure at a minimum. The selection of fiber glass rather than carbon fiber composite for the forward section is to allow for FM signal transmissions from the rocket to portable computers. These transmissions will consist of in-flight data, and thus it is crucial for interuptions of the signal to be as near absent as possible.
USLI team members, Ali Moradi, Chelsea Dickkut, AJ Colangelo, Chris Gay, and Carlos Ballesteros, prepare to make the forward section of the rocket in the labspace. (Left) USLI team members rolling the fiber glass. (Center) Cured forward and aft sections of the rocket. (Right)
With the sections of VCM now built, they must now go through a more precise process of measuring the tubes to the exact determined lengths and finishing them as a final product. Once the sections are completely finished, minor modifications via machining will be made to the tubes, as mentioned in our design reviews.
~ Matt Summers; USLI Team Lead