UVic Rocketry

UVR will be attending rainhouse's annual engineering showcase. Here we will be showcasing all our innovations during the pandemic.

At the event we will be showcasing air brakes, JAM jar, and other exciting projects. This is a great time to meet a couple of the admins and learn more about the projects we've been creating.

The event is on the 24th of September from 12pm to 5pm at the roundhouse carshop, 253 Esquimalt Rd. You can get your FREE tickets at rainhouse.com/events/engineering-showcase-2021/

**Proof of one vaccination required**

Happy start-of-term, UVic students!

If you've been considering joining Rocketry, now's a great time to check us out. Send us a message for details about attending our start-of-term info session at the end of the month!

An update about what remote-work Rocketry is like:

While we are continuing project work despite campus being closed, working remotely has had an impact on our club culture that has traditionally been very social. Whereas new members could previously immerse themselves in the Rocketry hustle-and-bustle in our club room or our favourite engineering computer lab on campus, building connections between members now relies on virtual meeting attendance and our team's communication channels through Slack and Discord.

Our design work is largely unchanged, and involves technical activities like 3D modelling, PCB design, and programming. Our Business, Outreach, and Media support subsystems are also staying busy with non-technical rocketry activities. Members occasionally hold social group work sessions over Zoom, especially to help introduce new members to projects. We also try to arrange a few virtual social activities each term as a break from Rocketry and course work.

We have lots of things to do in preparation for two (!) summer competitions. New members are always welcome regardless of skill level or experience - the only prerequisite to joining is interest in what we do!

Testing when campus is closed means our team members have to get creative with making cheap at-home testing equipment. This is our recovery subsystem's "Blast-o-Bowl 550", a DIY vacuum chamber made with a mixing bowl, silicone baking sheet for sealing, and some simple tubes and fittings! It can hold a maximum vacuum pressure of about -10 psi.

This year we want to characterize the pressure output of our system used to puncture our drogue ejection CO2 canisters at apogee to ensure that our system will still work at 30,000 ft. This vacuum chamber allows us to simulate the 4.4 psi pressure conditions at apogee, and is cheap enough that we feel comfortable with detonating tiny explosions under it without incurring major financial losses if it gets damaged during testing.