Precision Guided Return of High-Altitude Payloads

Grants and Contracts Details

Description

Many aerospace missions, small and large scale, consist of payload descent to the Earth's surface, usually completed by use of a parachute or parafoil. One example of this in small scale research is a high altitude balloon mission where the payload is taken to a high altitude by use of a weather balloon, and the payload then descends by parachute after the balloon bursts. Many of these balloon missions have been completed by University of Kentucky's Space Systems Laboratory (SSL), all of which the parachute descent was uncontrolled and the parachute descended freely. We propose a project of developing a mechanical system to control the parachute descent with the ability to choose a landing destination within a certain range. This mechanical system will change the parachute's direction by shortening the parachute strings according to the intended change of direction. By developing and testing this system on familiar parachutes, it is anticipated that this system could eventually be translated to be used with parafoils, inducing a larger range to choose a landing destination. During the funded year, we plan to test the placement of the control box on the parachute to mitigate twisting of the parachute strings, test directional changes by completing drop tests with shortened strings of different lengths, and finally test the control box by performing a series of maneuvers on a balloon flight. We have previously completed drop tests which verified that shortening the parachute strings does induce direction change. Many other applications of this research exist in addition to high altitude balloon missions, including space craft reentry and military precision delivery. This project is to be completed by Mary Fralick, a member of the SSL working toward her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, as undergraduate research advised by Dr. Samir Rawashdeh and Dr. Sean Bailey.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/1/1412/31/14

Funding

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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