College of Engineering

Updated:  August 29, 2009

USLI contest Sponsor, ATK, awarded $5,000 in prize money to USU's Chimaera Rocket Team at Promontory, Utah prior to the scheduled Ares rocket test fire on Thursday, August 27.  Team members had VIP seating for the test fire, which was ultimately scrubbed due to technical concerns at the twenty second mark.  The reschedule date for the launch has not been definitively set, but may happen on Tuesday, September 1.  In addition to the cash prize, the team is invited to witness an upcoming space shuttle launch in Florida.  Details are forthcoming.  

Chimaera, USU's Rocket Team, traveled to the 2009 NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI) held in Huntsville, Alabama on April 18, 2009.  The College of Engineering's twenty-seven member team of graduate and undergraduate students, including faculty mentor Dr. Stephen Whitmore, and graduate-student instructor, Shannon Eilers, spent about 10,000 hours designing, building and testing their rocket, aka The Pike.  The rocket had both closed-loop altitude control and a sophisticated energy management system that let the rocket target a specific apogee altitude with a high degree of accuracy.  Panels of scientists and engineers from NASA as well as NASA contractors and external partners reviewed team designs throughout the year. 

The team designed and built the rocket while working closely with NASA scientists and engineers, giving them the opportunity for first-hand, real-world engineering experience.

For the competition, the rocket was required to fly to a payload of one mile in altitude.  The Pike is 5.6 inches in diameter (70 inches), 102 inches long, and flew to approximately 5330 ft AGL (50 ft above target due to sensor noise).  It is loaded with a Contrail L800 solid rocket motor.

In addition to the scientific research required for this complex engineering project, each team was also required to build a project website, do community outreach work, and submit several final reports.  Collectively, team members taught over 500 youth in Northern Utah about various math and science programs, including youth in MESA Clubs, Girl Scouts, Expand Your Horizons, and through visits with many elementary and high schools.   

Following the day of rocket launches by all competing teams, Chimaera members attended a banquet where they received two awards.  They won Best Vehicle Design, which is awarded for the most creative and innovative vehicle design.  The design worked with the intended payload while still maximizing safety and efficiency.  Team member Nick McKee, said "The team won this award for designing and building our rocket to have altitude and attitude control with air brakes and control surfaces (ailerons) that can essentially steer the rocket and slow it down to reach any given altitude. The airbrakes open and slow the rocket down periodically until it reaches a certain altitude (for USLI, 1mile) and the control surface acts to steer the rocket so it travels perfectly (or as close as possible) straight up."  The Pike had 4 perfect air brake deployments.  The second award was for Project Review, for the best combination of written reviews and oral presentations.

    Writer:  Jennifer M. Carroll, email
   Original Publish Date:  February 8, 2009