Documenting Rocket Science:

Cardinal Heavy Design Overview

Cassandra Gearhart
Iowa State University—Ames, Iowa 50011
Cyclone Student Launch Initiative
April 17, 2017
Cardinal Heavy Design Overview Cassandra Gearhart

Contents

Contents ........................................................................................................................................... i
Figures............................................................................................................................................. ii
Tables .............................................................................................................................................. ii
Table of Acronyms ......................................................................................................................... ii
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1
2 NASA’s Centennial Challenge Requirements ............................................................................. 1
3 Cardinal Heavy’s Design ............................................................................................................. 2
3.1 Basic Material Overview ...................................................................................................... 2
3.2 Rocket Overview .................................................................................................................. 2
3.3 Nose Cone Overview ............................................................................................................ 3
3.4 Camera Bay Overview .......................................................................................................... 3
3.5 Parachute Bay Overview....................................................................................................... 3
3.5.1 Parachute Bay 1 ............................................................................................................. 4
3.5.2 Parachute Bay 2 ............................................................................................................. 4
3.6 Recovery Overview .............................................................................................................. 4
3.7 Flight Computer Bay Overview ............................................................................................ 5
3.8 Roll Control System Overview ............................................................................................. 5
3.9 Air Brake Overview .............................................................................................................. 6
3.10 Motor Mount Overview ...................................................................................................... 6
3.11 Split Fin Overview .............................................................................................................. 7
4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 7
References ............................................................................................................................... 7
Appendix A .................................................................................................................................... A
Table of Technical Terms .......................................................................................................... A
Appendix B ..................................................................................................................................... B
Technical Document Style Sheet ................................................................................................ B
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. D

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Figures
Figure 1: M:2:I Program Logo ........................................................................................................ 1
Figure 2: OpenRocket Diagram of Cardinal Heavy’s Seven Main Body Sections ........................ 2
Figure 3: SolidWorks Rendering of Nose Cone ............................................................................. 3
Figure 4: Recovery Configurations of First and Second Recovery Events .................................... 4
Figure 5: SolidWorks Rendering of Flight Computer Bay Components ........................................ 5
Figure 6: SolidWorks Rendering of Roll Control System .............................................................. 5
Figure 7: Diagram of Air Brake Set-up .......................................................................................... 6

Tables
Table of Acronyms………………………………………………………………………………. ii
Table of Technical Terms……………………………………………………………………….. A

Table of Acronyms
Above Ground Level AGL
Critical Design Review CDR
Cyclone Student Launch Initiative CySLI
Flight Readiness Review FRR
High-definition HD
Inertial Measurement Unit IMU
Launch Readiness Review LRR
Make-to-Innovate M:2:I
Mars Ascent Vehicle MAV
Preliminary Design Review PDR
Roll Control System RCS

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Abstract
Aerospace engineering, or rocket science, is just one of many engineering disciplines that
make use of collaboration with technical communicators to provide a comprehensive overview
of any engineering project, old or new. For my honors project, I explored multiple aspects of
being a technical communicator that collaborates with an all-engineer team to produce effective
technical communication. The Cyclone Student Launch Initiative (CySLI) gladly accepted my
offer to assist them with their NASA competition documents while I worked on my project. In
exchange, I gained the technical background required to produce three forms of technical
communication about rocket science at Iowa State: a brochure, a newsletter, and a technical
description. The brochure is designed to reach out to middle school students who may be
interested in model or high-powered rocketry. The newsletter is meant to inform CySLI team
sponsors and program coordinators of events that occurred during CySLI’s competition year.
Finally, the technical description (this report) provides a condensed design overview of the
2016–2017 rocket and provides information about NASA’s Student Launch challenge. Through
working with these engineers, I gained a better understanding of how collaborative processes
function in technical communication and had the experience of a lifetime building a true rocket.

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1 Introduction
Iowa State University’s Department of
Aerospace Engineering is a place where students
work with technology and each other to develop
skills needed in aerospace careers. One way in
which the department helps students develop their
abilities is through the Make-to-Innovate (M:2:I)
program (Figure 1), where they gain hands-on
experience in implementing classroom knowledge
by designing, building, and operating functional Figure 1: M:2:I Program Logo
aerospace systems. In M:2:I, there are 13
operational projects, out of which one deals with high-powered rocketry. The Cyclone Student
Launch Initiative (CySLI) is a team that designs and builds a rocket meant to compete in one of
NASA’s Centennial Challenges. For the 2016–2017 school year, CySLI has set out to fulfil the
design and experiment requirements in NASA’s Student Launch Handbook. CySLI will meet
these requirements by producing multiple design-related documents to be submitted to NASA
officials for review. This document briefly overviews the competition and rocket design for the
2016–2017 year. Appendices A and B hold supplemental materials about te chnical terms
and document design processes.

2 NASA’s Centennial Challenge Requirements

Every year, NASA’s Centennial Challenges partner with NASA’s Student Launch
Initiative to produce what is termed the NASA Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) Challenge. Teams
from universities across the United States participate in this challenge, which brings “a broad
audience of colleges and universities across the nation in an eight-month commitment to design,
build, and fly payloads or vehicle components that support [the] SLS” (May 2017). CySLI has
entered this competition—which takes place at NASA’s Huntsville—Alabama location,
for three consecutive years.
CySLI must meet a certain set of requirements that NASA’s Student Launch sets forth in
its annual handbook. A proposal is necessary to enter the competition, as it outlines a basic new
design and plans for implementing the rocket design. The other 2017 requirements include
successfully completing a “Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR),
Flight Readiness Review (FRR), [and] Launch Readiness Review (LRR)” (NASA SL Handbook
2017, 4). These documents must include basic vehicle and recovery system requirements that
present safety concerns if improperly implemented. Other requirement examples include
“deliver[ing] the science or engineering payload to an apogee altitude of 5,280 feet above ground
level (AGL)” (NASA SL Handbook 2016, 4) and “design[ing] [the vehicle] to be recoverable

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and reusable” (NASA SL Handbook 2016, 5). There are also requirements for a chosen
experiment, safety during construction and launch, and general regulations. Technical
requirements such as these allow NASA to weed out potentially unsafe rockets from the
competition, in addition to testing students’ ability to design a vehicle with certain restrictions.

3 Cardinal Heavy’s Design

CySLI’s rocket for the 2017 launch in Huntsville, Alabama, is designed with many
specifications in mind. Due to the unusually heavy approximated weight of the rocket, CySLI
has christened the 2017 rocket “Cardinal Heavy.” The information in this section is up-to-date as
presented to NASA through CySLI’s CDR, posted online on January 13, 2017.

3.1 Basic Material Overview

CySLI, having dealt with high-powered rockets before, has selected its materials to be of
the lighter weight and more durable quality to ensure maximum rocket performance upon launch.
The main airframe will be constructed of Blue Tube, a cylindrical tube that is more durable than
fiberglass or phenolic and is commonly used in high-powered rocketry. Fiberglass—G-10 sheet
and filament wound—will be used for the main fins and the nose cone as it is a lightweight and
durable material that is a better alternative to metal or plastic. Carbon fiber will comprise the roll
control system (RCS) and air brake fins. Any 3D printed components will consist of white ABS
plastic, which is amorphous and easily formed into various shapes by a 3D printer. It is also
durable in comparison to other available plastics for 3D printing. Internal structural components
such as bulkheads and bay sleds will be comprised of birch plywood cut and sanded to fit the
airframe. Threaded steel rods, washers, nuts, and U-bolts, will be used to hold together bay
components and rocket sections.

3.2 Rocket Overview

The basic design for the rocket body includes seven main body sections (Figure 2) held
together with securing rivets or shear pins and three Blue Tube couplers. Our seven main

Figure 2: OpenRocket Diagram of Cardinal Heavy’s Seven Main Body Sections

sections include the nose cone, camera bay, parachute bay one, altimeter bay, parachute bay two,

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flight computer bay, and motor mount. “The dimensions of the rocket body were determined by
the space needed to comfortably house all of the necessary components” (Kaiser 2017, 15). The
airframe will have a 6-inch diameter to accommodate the camera bay and air brake assemblies
and will be 132 inches long.

3.3 Nose Cone Overview

CySLI selected a 5:1 Ogive nose
cone for Cardinal Heavy, rather than a
4:1 Ogive like in years’ past. This
lengthens the rocket to improve the
stability margin to NASA’s 2.0
requirement. The nose cone is 30 inches
long, is 6 inches in diameter, and has a
6-inch shoulder for easy coupling with Figure 3: SolidWorks Rendering of Nose Cone
the rocket (Figure 3). The aluminum tip
is an added precaution against fracturing. The cone is constructed of filament wound fiberglass.
This fiberglass was selected as an alternative to regular fiberglass nose cones, primarily because
“fiberglass nose cones have cracked or fractured near the tip” (Kaiser 2017, 15) as a result of
typical force exerted on the rocket. Filament wound fiberglass prevents this
fracturing from occurring.

3.4 Camera Bay Overview

The camera bay consists of seven Mobius high-definition (HD) cameras mounted into an
ABS plastic, 3D-printed case. Two cameras are pointed out static portholes at 45-degree angle
mirrors “epoxied to the outside of the rocket” (Kaiser 2017, 17), which capture a view along the
rocket airframe and ensure the visibility of our RCS fins and air brake systems to prove
actuation. The other Mobius HD cameras lenses are arrayed so that their main body fits within
the 3D printed housing and a cable connects the lens back to the body. The lenses are pointed
through five equally spaced static portholes in order to capture a 360-degree view of the rocket
launch. The footage taken from these five cameras will be stitched together to form
panoramic video.

3.5 Parachute Bay Overview

One of the most important aspects of a successful launch is that of the recovery
system. The parachute bays house the materials that enable the rocket’s safe retur n to
the launch field after its flight.

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3.5.1 Parachute Bay 1 This bay is situated between the fore avionics bay coupler and the
aft flight computer bay. To accommodate the recovery system components, the bay is 8.5 inches
long and 6-inches in diameter. There are 12 yards of nylon shock cord attached to two U-bolts
and an 18-inch-diameter drogue parachute. The U-bolts are screwed into birch plywood
bulkheads, one attached to the avionics bay and the other to the flight computer bay, which
distributes the recovery forces evenly across the airframe.

3.5.2 Parachute Bay 2 Parachute bay 2 is located between the fore camera bay and the aft
avionics bay. The bay is 28.25 inches long and 6 inches in diameter to accommodate the larger
portion of Cardinal Heavy’s recovery system. This bay contains the main 120-inch-diameter
parachute as well as the 24-inch pilot parachute. A Nomex heat shield is fastened to 12 yards of
nylon shock cord, which protects the parachutes from the black powder ejection charges.

3.6 Recovery Overview

Cardinal Heavy’s recovery
system consists of multiple parts.
The avionics bay houses two
altimeters to ensure parachute
deployment. The altimeters are
wired to black powder charges on
the bulkheads on either side of the
coupler, which connects the two
parachute bays together using shear
pins. With the charges and bays
packed in place, the system has a
series of two events that allow for
the safe recovery of the rocket.
Figure 4: Recovery Configurations of First and Second Recovery Events
The first recovery event
(Configuration 1 in Figure 4) occurs when the rocket has achieved apogee. A 3.7-gram black
powder charge ejects the 18-inch drogue parachute from parachute bay 1, which unfolds and
slows the rocket’s descent to about 119 feet per second. Recovery event 2 (Configuration 2 in
Figure 4) occurs once the altimeters register 800 feet AGL. A 4.1-gram black powder ejection
charge blows the avionics bay coupler away from parachute bay 2, deploying the 24-inch pilot
parachute, which aids in the deployment of the 96-inch main parachute. “As to minimize the
potential interference between the two sections of the rocket, the shock cords connecting each
section of the rocket will be different” (Kaiser 2017, 41). Shock cord lengths of 200-inches
between the camera bay and avionics bay, and 110-inches between the avionics bay and flight
computer bay will minimize the interference between rocket sections while descent is occurring.
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Each tubing section of the recovery system is held together with four 2-56 shear pins,
which will break upon black powder charge ignition, allowing for in-flight separation
and parachute deployment.

3.7 Flight Computer Bay Overview

The flight computer bay is inside the coupler between the motor mount and parachute bay
1 on the aft end of the rocket. Figure 5 demonstrates “the individual components [that] consist of
the following items: two end cap plates to contain the bay within the coupler, three inner rings
for structural stability, one rectangular sled to hold the electronics, and two threaded rods to
secure the bay inside the coupler” (Kaiser 2017, 19). These components hold the wiring and
servo for the air brake, roll control, and flight computer assemblies. The main flight computer is
housed on a sled within the bay. The flight computer is a Nucleo STM32 and runs the Kalman
filtering program that cleans the data of noise created by the rocket. In the bay, there is an inertial
measurement unit (IMU) and
barometric pressure senor that feed
the flight computer data. The
Kalman filter, using a recursive
system, predicts the rocket’s
apogee using the current provided
data and the previous data point. If
the rocket is projected to go above
the target apogee programmed into
the rocket, the air brakes are
actuated to achieve exactly a mile. Figure 5: SolidWorks Rendering of Flight Computer Bay Components

3.8 Roll Control System Overview

The RCS is also housed within the flight computer bay with the air brake and flight
computer components. This system is designed to induce a controlled roll in the rocket. There

Figure 6: SolidWorks Rendering of Roll Control System

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are two, 3-inch by 1-inch by 2-inch carbon fiber fins attached to two aluminum dowel rods that
are inserted through the outer airframe of the rocket. Each axel is locked into an aluminum
cylinder within a ball-bearing housing that allows for the turning of the fin set-up by a servo
(Figure 6). The flight computer and IMU control the RCS fin deflection after motor burnout.
An accelerometer picks up a spike in action when the motor ignites and the rocket
launches. The RCS is designed to actuate after motor burnout. As a result, a preset timer within
the flight computer will use manufacturer’s information about the motor to determine when
burnout occurs and, after it has run out, will initiate the roll. The roll will occur twice, then the
fins will reverse actuate, stopping the roll and holding the remainder of the flight constant.

3.9 Air Brake Overview

The air brakes are the other subsystem managed by the flight computer. The assembly
runs from the flight computer bay into the motor mount. The motor mount houses four tubes,
which connect to four pulleys and the bottom servo in the flight computer bay, hold the cables
that run to the air brake assembly at the base of the rocket. The air brakes themselves are carbon
fiber and formed to the shape of the rocket airframe for aerodynamic purposes. Team members
dremeled holes into the motor mount in order to epoxy the hinges to a centering ring and create
room for the spring assembly that prevents the air brakes from remaining open. The hinges are
held onto the air brake with screws, washers, and nuts. The cables are attached to the exterior
housing of the rocket via
pulleys made
aerodynamic with 3D-
printed fins. The cables
are then strung from the
servo, through the tubes,
out the airframe, through
the fin pulleys, and into
the air brake fins (Figure
7). This assembly
controls apogee control
based off the flight
computer Kalman
filter system. Figure 7: Diagram of Air Brake Set-up

3.10 Motor Mount Overview

In addition to housing the air brake assembly, the motor mount is designed to hold the
rocket motor. Within the 6-inch Blue Tube airframe, there is a 75-millimeter Blue Tube airframe
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centered in outer airframe with 5 birch wood centering rings. An Aero Pack flanged retainer ring
screw into the rear centering ring, allowing a way to secure the motor in the rocket. The retainer
ring is attached to a force plate that screws into the rear centering ring to assist with transferring
forces from the rocket to the airframe.

3.11 Split Fin Overview

CySLI selected a split fin design for reasons that extend beyond aesthetics alone. The fins
are constructed of G-10 sheet fiberglass as it is strong and highly recommended for use as a
material for rocket fins. The split fins allow for different flutter velocities that exceed a single fin
design. This allows for a larger safety margin between the expected flutter velocity (587
feet/second) and the maximum for each fin (1,022 feet/second on the fore fins, 1,182 feet/second
on the aft fins).

4 Conclusion
CySLI has worked diligently over the course of the year to refine this design and ensure
its readiness to present to NASA in multiple reviews. This design has passed each NASA review
with minimal changes between presentation dates. The information in this document is subject to
change due to NASA recommendations and other minor issues that typically arise between test
and competition launches. As always, CySLI is excited to compete in Alabama. It is the
high point of the year when the team member’s hard work comes together at NASA’s
Student Launch event.

References
Kaiser, Austin. “NASA Student Launch Initiative Critical Design Review 2016–2017.” CySLI
Website [Online PDF]. Ames, IA.: Iowa State University’s M:2:I Program, 2017 [Cited
April 16, 2017]. URL: http://M:2:I.aere.iastate.edu/cysli/files/2016/10/Iowa_State_2016-
2017_NASA_SL_CDR_Final.compressed.pdf. [Pages 15–41].
May, Sandra and Brian Dunbar. “About Student Launch.” NASA Student Launch Website
[HTML Page]. Huntsville, AL.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2017
[Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/studentlaunch/
about/index.html
“NASA Student Launch College and University Handbook.” NASA Student Launch Website
[Online PDF]. Huntsville, AL.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2016
[Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/
nsl_un_2017_web.pdf. [Pages 4–5].

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Appendix A
Table of Technical Terms
Aft In back, in this case referring to the part(s) placement in relation to
one another and between the front tip and back end of the rocket.
Airframe The outer housing/main rocket body that houses internal
components. Generally referring to the Blue Tube shell or nose cone.
Apogee The highest point, in this case, the highest point of the rocket’s flight
arc.
Fore In front, in this case referring to the part(s) placement in relation to
one another and between the front tip and back end of the rocket.
Kalman Filter Program that removes the noise of the rocket motor from data so it
is easier to read for the computer.
Ogive Common nose or tail cone shape. Rather than flat sides like a true
cone, sides are rounded to give it a certain shape.
Stability Margin The measure in caliber of a rocket’s ability to move in a straight line
from the direction it is pointed at launch
Note: The term definitions in this table were developed based off my personal rocketry
experience and two dictionary-type resources, which are cited below.
Table References
The Gage Canadian Dictionary. Revised and Expanded. Toronto: Gage Educational
Publishing Company, 1997.
“Rocketry Glossary.” EMRR Rocket Reviews [Online Glossary]. Essence’s Model Rocketry
Reviews, 2017 [Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://www.rocketreviews.com/
glossary.html

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Appendix B
This document, in addition to demonstrating CySLI’s 2016–2017 rocket design, was also created
with the intention of demonstrating technical writing and document design processes. In this
Appendix, I present the compiled document style sheet that lists the dictionary, style guide, and
other editorial references and decisions that were used in this document’s production.

Technical Document Style Sheet

Style Guide: The Canadian Style
The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing. Revised and Expanded. Toronto: Dundurn
Press Limited in co-operation with Public Works and Government Services Canada
Translation Bureau, 1997.
Dictionary: Gage Canadian Dictionary
The Gage Canadian Dictionary. Revised and Expanded. Toronto: Gage Educational
Publishing Company, 1997.

Numbers
Rule 5.01 in Canadian Style: “Numerals are preferred to spelled-out forms in technical writing.
Except in certain adjectival expressions (see 5.05) and in technical writing, write out one-digit
numbers and use numerals for the rest. Ordinals should be treated in the same way as cardinal
numbers, e.g. seven and seventh, 101and 101st.”

Except: When used in conjunction with units of measurement or ratios e.g. 6-inch, 6 inches long,
or 5:1

Captions
Rule 4.30 in Canadian Style: “(a) Capitalize references to specific parts of a document. These
include certain common nouns in the singular when they are used in text references with
numbers or letters indicating place, position or major division in a sequence. Capitalize a letter
following such a term: Act II or Figure 7.”

Caption Text (Set ulc)

Note: Captions should be a noun phrase of some sort.

Terms
Cardinal Heavy (set roman, ulc)
Rocket components or parts e.g. parachute bay or carbon fiber (set lc)
Ogive (set ulc)
Blue Tube (set open, ulc)
U-bolt (set hyphenated, ulc)
Mobius (set ulc)
Air brakes (set open)
Airframe (set closed)
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Spell out unit measurements (inch, millimeter, etc.)

3D (Set numeral, capital D)
Set-up (set hyphenated)
Burnout (set closed)
Aero Pack (Set open, ulc)

Other Editorial References:

Kostelnick, Charles and David D. Roberts. Designing Visual Language: Strategies for
Professional Communicators. 2nd Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.
Rude, Carolyn D. and Angela Eaton. Technical Editing. 5th Edition. Boston: Pearson Education,
Inc., 2011.
Van Buren, Robert and Mary Fran Buehler. “The Levels of Edit.” NASA Technical Reports
Server (NTRS) [Online Database]. Pasadena, CA.: Jet Propulsion Laboratory California
Institute of Technology, 1976 [Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/
nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19760015018.pdf. [Page 16].

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Bibliography
Kaiser, Austin. “NASA Student Launch Initiative Critical Design Review 2016–2017.” CySLI
Website [Online PDF]. Ames, IA.: Iowa State University’s M:2:I Program, 2017 [Cited
April 16, 2017]. URL: http://M:2:I.aere.iastate.edu/cysli/files/2016/10/Iowa_State_2016-
2017_NASA_SL_CDR_Final.compressed.pdf. [Pages 15–41].
Kostelnick, Charles and David D. Roberts. Designing Visual Language: Strategies for
Professional Communicators. 2nd Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.
May, Sandra and Brian Dunbar. “About Student Launch.” NASA Student Launch Website
[HTML Page]. Huntsville, AL.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2017
[Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/studentlaunch/
about/index.html.
“NASA Student Launch College and University Handbook.” NASA Student Launch Website
[Online PDF]. Huntsville, AL.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2016
[Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/
nsl_un_2017_web.pdf. [Pages 4–5].
“Rocketry Glossary.” EMRR Rocket Reviews [Online Glossary]. Essence’s Model Rocketry
Reviews, 2017 [Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://www.rocketreviews.com/
glossary.html.
Rude, Carolyn D. and Angela Eaton. Technical Editing. 5th Edition. Boston: Pearson Education,
Inc., 2011.
The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing. Revised and Expanded. Toronto: Dundurn
Press Limited in co-operation with Public Works and Government Services Canada
Translation Bureau, 1997.
The Gage Canadian Dictionary. Revised and Expanded. Toronto: Gage Educational
Publishing Company, 1997.
Van Buren, Robert and Mary Fran Buehler. “The Levels of Edit.” NASA Technical Reports
Server (NTRS) [Online Database]. Pasadena, CA.: Jet Propulsion Laboratory California
Institute of Technology, 1976 [Cited April 16, 2017]. URL: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/
nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19760015018.pdf. [Page 16].

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