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Hello and thank you for visiting our GoFundMe page! We are the UMass Rocket Team, an engineering design team at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In previous years we have competed in the NASA Student Launch Competition and reached an altitude of 5,000 ft. This year, the team is excited to announce our acceptance to the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) with a goal apogee of 10,000 ft and the implementation of new technology such as live telemetry, airbrakes, and a shockwave sensor!
Crowdfunding is essential to our team's yearly operations, and this year more than ever we are looking for your support! Generous donations from friends, family, and the general public allow our team to afford the high-end materials and resources necessary for a successful and reusable rocket, and allow our team to grow and evolve as more students join the team and explore their passion in aerospace and engineering.
About the Team
This year's team consists of 38 graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Members are split across a range of engineering disciplines including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science.
Within the team, there are three subteams, each of which has a specific focus on the design of the rocket and payload.
- Structures + Flight Dynamics - design and construct the overall body of the rocket considering fluid flow and and airframe integrity. Structures members work on optimizing the material selection, aerodynamics, and engine motor of the vehicle.
- Recovery - monitor flight data and guarantee a safe descent and landing of the rocket, allowing it to be reusable for multiple flights. Recovery members work on tracking the rocket's flight, making adjustments along the flight path via airbrakes, and ensuring safe descent through vehicle separation and parachute deployment.
- Payload - create a specialized payload for the rocket to complete a unique set of challenges selected each year. Payload members work on designing the hardware, software, and integration systems needed for the payload to achieve its mission. This year, our rocket is projected to reach an altitude of 10,000 ft and the Payload subteam is working to program a live telemetry system to access data during flight.
As a dynamic group of undergraduate engineers, we are passionate about challenging the boundaries of aerospace design and exploration. The team is very close-knit with one another, not solely because of our shared passion, but our constant collaboration, and problem solving that allows us to face challenges and create solutions as engineering challenges arise. With a golden age of spaceflight and aerospace engineering on the horizon, the students of the UMass Rocket Team hopes to be part of the next generation of innovators who push what is possible and explore the unknown.
We are forever thankful for your support and encouragement as we would not be able to do any of this without you!
Organizer
