HART: Pushing the limit.

Get On Board.

HART welcomes students of all abilities and skill levels, regardless of academic stage. 

We invite students to join any of our sub-teams:

• Propulsion

• Structures/Aerodynamics

• Recovery/Avionics

OSU HART meets weekly on Zoom.

For more information, please contact Luke Franz at franzlu@oregonstate.edu

Propulsion

• The Propulsion sub-team mixes, cures, and characterizes the two unique solid rocket motors:

• The lower stage (Booster) uses a high-thrust, fast-burn propellant mix, “Liquid Sand”, to maximize lift off the ground.

• The upper stage (Sustainer) uses “Black Flame”, a propellant mix with a slower, longer burn to cruise in more ideal conditions at higher altitudes.

• The sub-team performs sub-scale and full-scale static fires at the Corvallis Airport and analyzes the test data.

Structures/Aerodynamics

• The Structures/Aerodynamics sub-team designs and manufactures the airframe, fins, couplers, and the nose cone, mainly using composites such as fiberglass and carbon fiber.

• The testing and simulations include Instron testing, impact testing,  FEA, and FVA. In between manufacturing, our Structures team assists the Recovery team with ejection.

Recovery/Avionics

• The Recovery/Avionics sub-team plans in-flight events (drogue deployment, main chute deployment, separation, ignition) based on simulations of our rocket's expected performance parameters. 

• The sub-team has a uniquely difficult task, as 75% of rocket launch failures happen in the recovery phase. 

• The sub-team designs and manufactures the avionics bays and ejection charge canisters for both stages.

• The sub-team designs the recovery system, including parachute placement, connection methods, and flight computer programming.

• The Recovery/Avionics sub-team works closely with the ECE sub-team.

2021-2022 HART ECE Team

The ECE team designed and built a launch box system for our rocket, consisting of a “Pad Box” and “Launch Box”, as well as 3 antennas for precise tracking. The launch box incorporates the required NAR and Tripoli  safety measures to be used at launches, in addition to giving the user live telemetry, loud auditory notifications and warnings, and a sturdy, reliable design to be used for years to come.

Legacy

• 2016-2017 | In 2017, HART launched OSU's first student-developed two-stage rocket reaching 80,000 feet AGL in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. The Booster and Sustainer ignition were successful and the rocket was fully recovered intact, although the chutes did tangle during descent.

• 2021-2022 | In October 2021, HART became the first rocket team at OSU to successfully launch and recover a 2-stage rocket with our sub-scale “Frankencow 1.0” to roughly 7500ft.

• 2021-2022 | In January 2022, HART successfully launched and recovered the 2nd successful 2-stage rocket to roughly 7000ft AGL with our "Frankencow 2.0".

• 2021-2022 | In March 2022, HART successfully launched and recovered a single stage rocket to 28,100ft using our student researched and developed “Liquid Sand” rocket motor.