NUSTARS Completes Team-First Wind Tunnel Test
The NUSTARS Rocketry Team successfully conducted its first-ever wind tunnel testing campaign at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL! The team gathered invaluable data regarding the forces and stability of the launch vehicle and its extra special payload—the Active Drag System (ADS)— for the 2024-25 NASA Student Launch competition. Loading information will be used to tune a control system to actuate the ADS and achieve a precise flight apogee of 5,000 feet. After 16 hours of testing across two days (and no gator sightings, sadly), the team collected the most exhaustive set of flight data in NUSTARS history.
Members of the 2024-25 NUSTARS NASA Student Launch team that traveled to Daytona Beach for wind tunnel testing
Testing began at 7 am sharp on Monday, February 17 (brutal). The team installed the rocket into the tunnel, confirmed the rocket’s integrity with a static loading test, and first collected load data at the worst-case of full ADS actuation at 350 ft/s, or about Mach 0.31. After verifying that the launch vehicle could withstand the maximum expected forces, the team swept through the test matrix, collecting force and moment data for speeds of 50-350 ft/s, angles of attack from 0 to 6°, and 0 to 100% ADS actuation. The team also conducted a dynamic test, varying the actuation from none to full, and observed the dynamic response.
Overall, wind tunnel testing was a resounding success! The team executed the predefined test matrix with no major hiccups, collecting 6-axis force and moment data for the desired speed, angle, and actuation sweeps. Overall drag increased with ADS actuation by more than 40%, with minimal changes to the center of pressure and stability. Using the wind tunnel data, the team was able to validate the accuracy of previous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, with high correlation between the data sets for all states.
Although the testing campaign took place in February, extensive preparations were undertaken months in advance. None of the team members had prior experience with wind tunnel facilities, let alone designing the procedure or overseeing the operation of such equipment. To address this, the team embarked on a nationwide search and performed an in-depth review of relevant literature, all while acquiring essential skills in mechanical engineering design and analysis, manufacturing, data analysis, and technical communication. The team is overwhelmingly grateful for the guidance of Professor Candace Wark at Northwestern, as well as the Embry Riddle team of Dr. Zheng Zhang, Joel Mills, and Dr. Ebenezer Gnanamanickam for their invaluable support, expertise, and collaboration throughout this project. As the team looks forward to competing in this year’s competition, as well as the future ahead, they are eager to build on the deep technical knowledge accrued through the wind tunnel test campaign.
