CHAPTER 4

Results & Analysis

18Results(1)・Model Rocket Competition
27th August
Passed all the qualifications.
28th August
Launched the rocket!
The rocket departed from the launcher successfully, but crashed into the groundwithout deploying the main parachute.
Though one Can-Sat was released, its parachute was separated from the sat.
The second Can-Sat unit was thrown out by the shock when the rocket smashedinto the ground.
We succeeded in withdrawing some data and are analyzing them.

Results(2)microSD cards installed in the rocket.
Valid data couldn’t be obtained.

Fins

Wreckage of the rocket

Wires

Electric parts.

Did the parachute door open in flight?

How Servo Horn looks when theparachute door is open

How Servo Horn looks when theparachute door is closed

Servo motor for opening
the parachute door wasretrieved after the crash
A special fringe above the door

By checking the retrieved Servo Motor, it is revealed that
Servo Horn was operated till an angle to open theparachute door in flight. The possible causes the door
didn’t open are as follows;①Because the parachute rope and Servo Horn circled in
red on the left photos came too close, the parachute door
opening mechanism was disturbed.
②Because of the incompletely closed parachute door andthe fringe above it –we were recommended to attach
this…–, air might not invade into the door enough to open
it in flight.

Just before releasing

Desperate presentation(Our many thanks to Jerome)

CANSAT in the air

We are Great Winner!!!

CANSAT result

310

523.5
541.5
559.5
577.5
595.5
613.5
631.5
649.5
667.5
685.5
703.5
721.5
739.5
757.5
775.5
793.5
811.5
829.5
847.5
865.5
883.5
901.5919.5
937.5
955.5
973.5
991.5
1009.51027.51045.51063.51081.51099.51117.51135.51153.51171.51189.51207.51225.51243.51261.51279.51297.51315.51333.51351.51369.51387.51405.51423.51441.51459.51477.51495.51513.51531.51549.51567.51585.5330

Switch ON

320

20315

15

IR[mW/cm2]

UV[mW/cm2]

335

UV and IR
35

LandingRelease Point

325

Recovery

TIME[s]30

25

Flight Point

10305
5300
0

Problems(Cansats)
Our programming for the Lux sensor was insufficient and we couldn’t work on time.
The latter was especially because of our lack of experience.
We regret most that we were not able to have a test with a finished CanSat
beforehand in Japan.
• What we gained from this CanSat project
We understood how important to draw up a plan as well to build a CanSat itself.
We felt keenly how important to communicate in English especially because ouropportunities to talk with foreign engineers through the OIT man-made satellite
project will be increasing in future.
This was our first experience outside Japan! We do hope that it would be a good prior
exercise for our future!!

Thank you, C’Space!

Improvement for the next project• Rocket••••••Sub-battery was not so effective to improve the reliability of the power supply system, because if
the power is confirmed to work normally, it will hardly go down through the launching sequence.
Mechanical structure, including parachute ejection and CanSat ejection etc. should have beenenough certified before assembling the system. For this purpose, enough experience of themechanisms using small rockets, and 3D computer–aided-design system should be utilized indesigning the mechanisms.
The electric system was split into too many small subsystems. It increased the difficulty of thedeveloping and assembling the whole system. There were too many wires and too muchcomplexity of the communication between the subsystems.
The ideal way to split the system is to have a basic mission domain (parachute release and flightprofile) and an expansion mission domain. In developing the basic mission, the same basic design
must be basically kept, but it must be gradually sophisticated at the same time. Therefore we haveto find our own basic design through many small experiences. Only after sophisticating the basic
mission enough, we can challenge the new and difficult missions as the expansion missions without
much risk.
The frame structure made the space for the parachute too small and made it difficult to design theparachute ejection mechanism. That is, three frame structure was not required in all the part of therocket. It was enough to install the frame structure in order to specify the mechanical interface
between the rocket and the expansion missions, and to make it easy to assemble the rocket. We
have to reconsider how to install the frame structure in future.
We will reconsider the size of a rocket on designing the rocket of the constitution with the basic
mission and expansion mission.

• CanSat
information sharing and the management of the scheduleSponsors