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MiniSShot: Miniature Sugar Shot
Small with a lot of punch, MiniSShot is a 30 % (approximate) scale version of the
eXSShot vehicle. The MiniSShot vehicle will be used to further the SS2S Team’s
experience in sugar-based propellant, dual-burn motor design, avionics testing and all
phases of launch operations.
The MiniSShot vehicle serves three primary purposes. The
first is to validate vehicle sub-system integration and avionics operation. This will give
the SS2S Team a real measure of the integrated design. The second is to test dual-burn
sugar-based motor design under actual flight conditions to include, but not limited to,
mass reduction using lightweight composites, resolution of heat transfer issues, enhanced
nozzle design, and new manufacturing and assembly procedures. Finally, the Team must
put to the test launch, safety, transportation, and vehicle recovery and on-site propellant
manufacturing procedures and capabilities. In addition, initial data is to be obtained in
the scaling of sugar-based propellant motors.
Thus, to ensure proper motor operation and
optimized burn separation timing, and to gain experience with the additional design
refinements over the LW-BEM motor, at least one static test firing of the MiniSShot
motor prior to giving the motor a flight ready designation will be required. MiniSShot
will be the first high-altitude capable vehicle with an integrated payload and is meant to
be recovered and potentially reused. Postflight analysis is expected to aid in revealing
any challenges that may need to be addressed in the DoubleSShot and eXSShot vehicles.
Objectives:
Primary
· Verify motor operation and performance in a flight mission
· Perform in-flight tailoring of the vehicle flight profile by tailoring the delay
between motor burns via on-board computer control
· Integration of external sensors to the avionics systems
· Integration of the payload with RF systems
· Incorporate aerodynamic improvements to vehicle
· Ensure security of all participants and general public and minimize environmental
impact during all phases of the project
Secondary
· Obtain in-flight, real-time data on vehicle stresses and fin aerodynamics
· Successfully recover the MiniSShot vehicle after flight testing
· Establish vehicle launch and in-flight operational procedures
· Verify payload and vehicle recovery operations
Tertiary
· Take measure of refurbishment and reflight readiness procedure by a turnaround
time of less than 14 days
 Pictures and video of actual work on the MiniSShot project
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