ORBiT at SU

Welcome back everyone, we hope you had an great winter break. We're planning on having a busy semester, so stay tuned and if you haven't already, like our page!

ORBiT at SU is excited to be working with the Museum of Science & Technology - MOST to repair and fly their X'treme X'plorer later next semester. Thanks to #NASAspacegrant for the funding to make this happen!

Welcome back, everyone! Our first GBM is this Friday! All current members and interested students are invited. Gabriel Smolnycki (ORBiT alumni) will join us as a guest speaker.

thanks for the post! almost done with full assembly

Test setup design completed-- now onto fabrication!

Update on our progress-

Following improvements to our feed system, we saw much improved mixing and a corresponding increase in efficiency. This led to high temperatures that melted and burned our steel nozzle at around T+20s. As a result, we will be replacing the nozzle with a more heat-resistant material. By far our most successful test yet!

Today marked our third and final test using paraffin wax and compressed air as propellants. We are now focusing on making the transition to HTPB and N2O, which will still be used with this engine as a test bed. We were able to achieve a much cleaner burn at higher pressures and temperatures. Unfortunately for our nozzle insert, these temperatures exceeded its melting point!

A third hydrostatic test has been completed on our engine. This allows us to confidently test our engine for the third time this coming Sunday, where we are aiming to meet our residence time of combustion mark (i.e. how long the gasses are in the chamber for ideal combustion).

This past weekend, we completed our 2nd ground test with a ramped-up ox mass flow. This led to a much quicker burn, but we are still focusing on a more complete burn of the propellants.

Interested in joining the team? Join our group message account on Slack! Remember to use your @syr.edu email! http://orbit.syr.edu/recruitment/

This circuit, designed by senior ORBiT member Gabriel Smolnycki, manages all on-board electrical power for our rocket. Much like a laptop, it allows the rocket to run on battery power or from a charger. As an added bonus, it provides protection against battery fires, ensuring that our rocket won't be the next Samsung disaster. Stay tuned for more updates!