SPEAR-Hypersonic Rocket Team

05/02/2021

Initial results- hypersonic speed achieved of Mach 5.03 and inertial distance of 84 km! That is well into a near vacuum of the area transitioning between the mesosphere and thermosphere. The Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Air Force, and NASA, define space as an altitude of 80 km (50 miles) and awards astronaut wings to astronauts who fly above an altitude of 50 miles, or approximately 80 kilometers. Amazing!!! Congrats to the team from West Point Civil & Mechanical Engineering, West Point Physics and Nuclear Engineering, and Chemistry & Life Sciences. Well done!

05/01/2021

We completed the test and validated the second stage ignition design and igniter material made by cadets! Congrats SPEART-HRT! West Point Civil & Mechanical Engineering... more info to come!

05/01/2021

Just found the second stage 2 hours away! Doing data reduction tonight!!!

05/01/2021

Let’s go shutdown a large chunk of New Mexico’s airspace from 0ft to space! IT IS TEST DAY! Watch the CME SPEAR-HRT capstone rocket launch attempt live on 1MAY (0800-1400 est): https://fb.me/e/JVdjxCSW

Hoping for reliable ignition of the second stage to prove our West Point Civil & Mechanical Engineering novel second stage ignition design and use of the ignition material (14g of Boron Potassium Nitrate) made by West Point Physics and Nuclear Engineering and Dept. of Chemistry and Life Sciences. Then to the Karman line (100km up) and the definition of space!

04/30/2021

Good day to do the USMA rocket! Boom ah! We appreciate your support ma’am.

As I was walking on campus this week, I passed a dress rehearsal for a rocket launch! The project is a Civil and Mechanical Engineering senior Mechanical Engineering capstone called the SPEAR-HRT for Space Engineering and Applied Research – Hypersonic Rocket Team. The rocket is 80lbs, 12feet tall, on a 16ft launch rail that will go >Mach 5 and attempt to reach 100km altitude, the Karman line and international definition of space. Cadets are CDT Brandon Cea, ME'21, Chase Lewis, ME'21, Nick McDonald, ME'21, Connor McQueen, ME’21 and Easton Bolin, ME’22. Advisor is MAJ Jeremy Paquin and co-advisors are Maj. Galliand and MAJ Humbert. The launch attempt is set for 1 MAY at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Good luck to the SPEAR-HRT!

We have many incredible academic projects, such as this one, to look forward to learning about next week on Projects Day (April 29). Join us!

Projects Day Website: www.westpoint.edu/projectsday
Web App: https://eventmobi.com/projectsday2021/
Mobile App: search “Projects Day”

United States Military Academy West Point Parents West Point Civil & Mechanical Engineering

04/30/2021

🙌on our way to Spaceport America ✈️ to test fly🤞😓this rig!!🚀

Excellent inter-departmental work between the Departments of Physical and Nuclear Engineering, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, and Chemistry and Life Science! Great work by Cadets Connor McQueen, Brandon Cea, Chase Lewis, and Nicholas McDonald and their advisors MAJ Paquin, MAJ Dietz, and MAJ Humbert.

The multi-disciplinary Space Engineering and Applied Research-Hypersonic Rocket Team (SPEAR-HRT) capstone team is developing a two-stage sub-orbital sounding rocket capable of passing the Kármán line at over 100km altitude, defined as the boundary of space. The team is focused on solving the difficult problem of designing a second stage solid-rocket motor ignition system that uses electric igniters to trigger a small amount of Boron-Potassium Nitrate to ignite Ammonium Perchlorate solid rocket propellent after the first stage boost to 30,000 feet altitude (at 3 psia ambient pressure) while traveling over Mach 3, as well as converging-diverging supersonic nozzle design. Upon ignition, the second stage 'sustainer' rocket travels the remaining 90km and reaches hypersonic speeds > Mach 5.

Join us at Projects Day to learn about all the wonderful cadet projects: https://eventmobi.com/projectsday2021/.

04/28/2021

04/27/2021

Check out the lead-up trailer video below for the live stream event of the SPEAR rocket launch attempt on 1 MAY 2021👷‍♂️👨‍🚀🚀. Link to live stream for the 1 May, 0800-1400 Eastern Standard Time, primary attempt window is here: https://fb.me/e/JVdjxCSW. SPEAR-HRT is a West Point Civil & Mechanical Engineering senior capstone project.