The Final Frontier: Achievable in high school?

[tibieuh]

Hello everyone!

 

Several days ago, I was flipping through pages in physics and chemistry for no particular reason and I stumbled upon a hypothesis: Is it possible for a high school student to create his own rocket and launch a satellite to space with it? Before we all start blowing our heads off, I am no astrophysicist or a prodigy in aerodynamics. And after seeing the Dragon from SpaceX, I realize that I can no where near accomplish that size and magnitude with the limited resources that I have: time, money, knowledge. But hypothetically speaking, is it possible to send a "ghetto" satellite into space and actually accomplish tasks with it, whether that be for photography, communications, etc.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

 

 

[Klaynos]

Launch a rocket, yes, get it into space, yes, although this would probably be a little challenging. To get into orbit you need to go up and then sideways. This sideways velocity is probably what would stop you. And that's before we talk about payloads adding weight and making sure they don't fail.

[Spyman]

Depending on ambition, balloons seems to be a cheap option.

 

Out of this world! Student takes stunning snaps of space using only a £30 second- hand camera and a balloon

• Device costing £200 launched by Worcestershire teenager Adam Cudworth
• Spent 40 hours working on box with GPS tracker, radio & microprocessor
• Located device after fall back to earth having reached speeds of 150mph

Spectacular: The images look like they could be the latest taken from a multi-million pound NASA satellite

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2200559/Adam-Cudworth-Student-takes-stunning-snaps-space-using-30-second-hand-camera-balloon.html

[Klaynos]

I was going to mention balloons. I think they're the best option tbh.

[CaptainPanic]

Just to clarify, the OP specifically mentioned the following keywords: Satellite, Dragon from SpaceX. Therefore, I assume the OP means to get something into orbit, at orbital velocity.

 

Yes, I believe you can do that with highschool knowledge.

 

Raw power

The simplest technology is a solid rocket booster, which is just the same as any fireworks rocket. It has a (shaped) core of fuel, which burns at a certain velocity, producing a certain amount of thrust. That core of fuel must have the right shape so that it burns in the right way. But this is nothing that you cannot solve by trial and error. It would be a really (really) expensive trial, but we are talking "Theoreically" here, so it is possible.

Also, you would have to lay your hands on some better fuel than ordinary gunpowder used in fireworks. But again, theoretically the diploma you hold is no limiting factor here.

 

Attitude control

So, how do you steer that rocket? Luckily, you can do that while that big rocket is just burning away. You can either use "thrust vector control", which is a fancy name for turning the nozzle of the rocket. Or you could use smaller thrusters on the side of the rocket (e.g. Vernier thrusters). No rocket science there.

 

Getting into the right orbit

To me, the most difficult would be to calculate where you need to be at what time. If you can calculate the exact trajectory that you want to follow, then you can use ordinary GPS to see where you are going, and make corrections. I actually don't know how to do any calculations... but I wonder how far you could get with highschool maths.

 

In the past, finding out where you are was a major challenge. But since GPS satellites are at very high orbits, you can use them to get into low orbits without problems, thus removing one of the major hurdles.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

But since GPS satellites are at very high orbits, you can use them to get into low orbits without problems, thus removing one of the major hurdles.

A GPS receiver capable of functioning above 11 miles altitude and 1000 knots velocity is classified as a munition by the US Government and requires all sorts of paperwork to export or use. You have to find a GPS unit from another country without export restrictions.

 

As for getting something into orbit -- a more modest option would be to create a CubeSat which piggybacks on another satellite launch. Many universities and amateur groups have built CubeSats.

[BearOfNH]

The Philippines are basically at sea level while there are several observatories at 5000+ meters in the Chilean mountains ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_astronomical_observatories ). Does it make sense to launch from such a higher altitude?

[CaptainPanic]

The Philippines are basically at sea level while there are several observatories at 5000+ meters in the Chilean mountains ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_astronomical_observatories ). Does it make sense to launch from such a higher altitude?

 

To get into orbit, in a simplified way, you need to use fuel to gain two types of energy: kinetic energy and potential (gravitational) energy.

 

If you calculate it, you will find that the need for kinetic energy is far greater than the potential energy.

In addition, your mountain of 5000+ meter is just a fraction of the altitude required.

 

So, in a nutshell, you're trying to save a fraction of a fraction... and the resulting savings in fuel just isn't worth the trouble of building a launchpad at an impractical location.

[BearOfNH]

Thanks, Cap'n.

 

I looked into the possibility of a balloon-assisted launch, where you piggyback a rocket on a balloon and when the balloon reaches max altitude (either by popping, or balancing with atmospheric pressure) then you launch the rocket.

 

Long story short, it looks like the most optimistic altitude you can reach is 30km. While that's a lot higher than the 5km from the Chilean mountains, it doesn't seem to be enough, based upon reply #8.

 

The CubeSat is starting to look like the most promising approach.