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The Water Bearer

One small step for Tardigrade, one giant leap for Odysseus.
current updates

Project Overview

This years Spaceport America Contest has the team geared towards a new goal, 30,000 feet. Our competition rocket is upgrading to be taller, faster, and better in order to achieve our apogee aspirations and leave the contest victorious.

Meet the Team!

Anthony Roberto - 5th year Mechanical Engineer
Peter Sterio - 5th year Chemical Engineer
Bailey Reed - 5th year Mechanical Engineer 
Ben Richard - 4th year Mechanical Engineer 
Kevin Rinehart - 3rd year Mechanical Engineer 
Patrick Ekeren - 4th year Mechanical Engineer 
​

​Jon Schuitema - 5th year Mechanical Engineer
Jordan D'Alba - 3rd Year Mechanical Engineer 
Joseph Evan - 2nd Year Electrical/Microelectronic Engineer
Justin Napieralski - 5th year Mechanical Engineer 
Jim Heaney - 2nd year Industrial and Systems Engineer

Updates

April Status
The team has been hard at work with manufacturing the Waterbearer all semester to ensure a complete rocket for Imagine RIT. We've successfully completed a custom carbonfiber layup of the transition component which deviates from 6 inches to 5 inches and will house the cameras for a 360 degree viewpoint during flight. Our aluminum boattail was quite a menace to machine but the final product is a work of art thanks to Bailey and the machinists in the Brinkman Lab. Carbonfiber fillets have been 3D printed on the Markforged which snugly fit in the boattail slots and allow for easy fin installment/replacement. We have an upcoming nosecone ejection test to evaluate our single bay parachute deployment as well as a full launch test before Spaceport America Cup in June. The team is excited for the close of the semester and we're working aggressively to show off our final product at Imagine RIT next weekend! 
February Status
With the start of the spring semester, the team is hard at work compiling and ordering the components from the Bill of Materials for manufacturing of The Water Bearer. We are crossing T's and dotting I's in order to ensure successful completion of the rocket for a test launch on April 29th at the Rochester Institute of Technology's Imagine RIT festival. For the first time ever, we will be live streaming the launch from Potter, NY back to the RIT campus to showcase the club's work over the course of 8 months. While we wait for the major components to arrive, the team is fine tuning simulations and triple checking dimensions to accurately attack 30,000 feet at the Spaceport America Cup. Everyone is looking forward to getting their hands dirty and hopeful for smooth assembly of the rocket. Check back next month to see how our efforts are coming along! 
November Status
The team recently had our Preliminary Design Review earlier in the month to present our rocket to the rest of the club. A majority of the design issues lie in the single bay drouge/parachute deployment and with the boattail/fin can assembly. The team has roughly a month to finish computer aided designs, analysis/simulations, and comprehensive component compatibility  between the different sub-teams to make sure the rocket assembly matches up. Looking forward to the closing weeks of the semester, the team has the IREC application deadline approaching, submission of the New York Space Grant application, and finalization of concept so components can be ordered for assembly in the spring. 
Picture

Contact

launchinitiative@rit.edu
RIT Launch Initiative
The Construct, INS 73-4190
73 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623

Meetings & Events

Events Calendar

All Team Meeting:
Saturday - 11 a.m.
Institute Hall (INS) 73-1180

 
  • Home
  • About
  • Subteams
    • IREC
    • Avionics
    • Solid Propulsion
    • Space Race
    • L1 Program
  • Projects
    • Project Archive >
      • Water Bearer
      • Lazarus 1
      • Third Time's The Charm
      • Aethera
      • Space Force
      • XSpace
      • Dragonfly-44
      • Blackout
      • S.P.I.C.A.
    • VOID
    • Ground Station
    • Tuatara
  • References
    • Wiki
    • Publications
    • Trainings
  • Sponsors
    • JLCPCB