Advisor: Dr. Finaish

Summary:

The NASA University Student Launch Initiative, or USLI, is a competition that challenges university-level students to design, build and fly a reusable rocket with scientific payload to one mile in altitude. The project engages students in scientific research and real-world engineering processes with NASA engineers. Students propose to participate in USLI during the fall. Once selected, teams design their rocket and payload throughout the school year. USLI requires a NASA review of the teams’ preliminary and critical designs. The project also requires flight readiness and safety reviews before the rockets and payloads are approved for launch. After launch, teams complete a final report to include conclusions from their science experiment and the overall flight performance. The Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, and Flight Readiness Review are conducted by panels of scientists and engineers from NASA and from NASA contractors and external partners. (Source: NASA)

AAVG's mission is to design, construct, and test a reusable launch vehicle capable of carrying a scientific payload to an altitude of 5280 feet above ground level. This rocket will carry a scientific payload that will measure temperature, pressure, acceleration in three directions, and location. Another goal of this project is to give college students experience with high power rocketry.