Competition Guide

Mars Lander

Design a rocket and payload to be deployed at peak altitude of at least 1000 feet. The payload shall be the Mars Lander. After the Mars Lander is deployed, it shall descend with a descent rate of no more than 25 feet/sec. At 200 feet, the Mars Lander shall reduce the descent rate to less than 10 feet/sec. Once landed, the Mars Lander shall wait for the judges and the team to arrive at the landing site. When commanded, the Mars Lander shall place an instrument from it onto the ground using a robotic arm. The Mars Lander shall take a picture of the instrument after the instrument has been placed on the ground and the robotic arm is returned to its initial position. The picture shall be sent to the ground station.

Deployable Sensor Payload Event

Design a payload and rocket to launch, using a commercial G rocket engine, to at least 700 feet and no more than 1200 feet and have the payload deploy from the rocket at peak altitude. The payload shall descend using a passive aerobraking recovery. No helicopter recovery, streamers or parachute or parasail allowed. The payload shall also be the rocket nose cone. At 200 feet, the payload shall release a parachute to slow its descent rate to less than 10 feet/second.
The ground station shall capture the data transmitted from the payload and display the sensor data in real time. The ground station shall calculate the descent rate based on the telemetry received.

Target Altitude Event

Design and build a rocket to reach 1100 feet using a commercial F motor. The vehicle must carry a commercial altimeter. The length of the rocket shall be less than the diameter of the rocket including the fins. The length of the rocket is from the tip of the nose cone to the bottom of the airframe not counting the motor retainer for fins if they protrude past the back of the rocket. The diameter is calculated by: (2 x fin_height) + airframe_diameter.
The vehicle must safely recover and be in condition to be flown again. The team must perform two successful flights of the same rocket meeting all the requirements out of three attempts. At least two attempts must meet the requirements or be disqualified. The team with the closest altitude to 1100 feet wins.
The rocket must be test flown before any qualification attempts. 3D printing is allowed.