91社区 Rocket Team has launched!
In June 2023, the 91社区 Rocket Team set out for Las Cruces, New Mexico to compete in the 4th Annual Spaceport America Cup. Twelve students drove down, ten flew and the rest of the core team sat on the edge of their seats at home in Montreal, prepared to watch the live-streamed launch of their rocket, Porthos.
It鈥檚 not easy to launch a rocket, and in Canada there are few launch sites. That means that each time the team competes, they are launching months of work and preparation for the first time. In the 2022 Spaceport competition, the team鈥檚 first effort following the pandemic, a new motor meant that a system didn鈥檛 work at the last minute. That year, propulsion teammates Taj Sobral and Alexandre Fahmy immediately discussed how they would make things better in 2023. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just technology that makes a better rocket,鈥� says Sobral. 鈥淐ommunicating with each other and managing the unexpected come into play.鈥� During the summer, Sobral works in the Fluids lab, where he studies hydrodynamics as part of an NSERC partnership with General Fusion in Vancouver.
Team captain until this past fall, Mohammad Ghali, of the Alternative Fuels Lab (AFL) describes the 91社区 Rocket Team as a talent incubator. 鈥淯ndergraduate students, thesis students, alumni, students who have worked in labs, all come together and share information. Team members get hired quickly for summer internships and that experience comes back to the team and takes us even further.鈥� Once students join the team 鈥� the core team comprises about 50 鈥� they often stay in school for an extra two semesters, allowing time on the rocket project and time to learn more about applying what they鈥檝e learned in summer internships.
Alexandre Fahmy, who is co-captain of the team this year with Amanda Kronish, is working on his Honours thesis in the Alternative Fuels Lab. He says spending time on the rocket project is a solid trade-off. 鈥淲e get interesting research opportunities, and the labs get researchers with practical experience.鈥� Fahmy was previously a member of the propulsion sub-team.
Julien Besson started a summer internship at Airbus in May. He says he is already learning a lot about the connection and integration of the sub-teams. : Aerostructures, Recovery, Avionics, Payload and Propulsion. Airbus has many more. Movement between the sub-teams is encouraged. The teams knows that you get out of the experience what you put in, that the more you learn, the better equipped you鈥檒l be at graduation.
Anthony Cot茅 points out that as well as sought-after skills in sustainability and leadership, propulsion design teaches transferrable skills in plumbing, safety systems and combustion. In his lab work in AFL, 鈥渨e need to develop timelines and project budgets. We also need to learn specific information, like the life cycle of metal fuels in Canada.鈥�
Ghali points out that in competition they are assessed not only on the launch but on the reports from the subteams and their process documentation. So even though the team didn鈥檛 launch in 2022, they came in 2nd for their student-made hybrid engine. A comment from one of the judges was that the 鈥渆ngineering was pristine.鈥�
At 2023鈥檚 Spaceport America Cup, just as the team was getting ready to launch, a dust devil 鈥� which is a small tornado that lifts structures up into the air 鈥� lifted the rocket and destroyed it. Another team videotaped the sudden gust of wind that suddenly whirled across the field, violently bringing down both the launch rail and the rocket. (See videos attached to this article.) A dust devil cannot be predicted. Watching the rocket topple over is like witnessing the hopes of a dream come undone. The team took heart in the fact that no one was physically harmed.
And then they moved into action. They posted a GoFundMe to help pay for repairs, so they鈥檇 be ready for the second edition of .
The first launch day of the competition was August 28, 2023. As a hybrid engine rocket, Porthos was in the Advanced category. The Porthos team was ready to launch around noon. A Basic category rocket had already experienced a 鈥渟crub,鈥� which meant something had gone wrong and their launch was aborted.
New team co-captain, Amanda Kronish was nervous. 鈥淯sually, solid rockets in the Basic category have a much easier time getting in the air fast, but we鈥檇 had many intensive rehearsals and we鈥檇 streamlined our operating procedures, so even with a hybrid engine, Porthos was the first rocket up in the air that day.鈥� Porthos had a successful flight, their first since 2019, and ended up second place in the Advanced category.
The team has proven their resilience. They鈥檝e rebuilt the rocket, and the knowledge base that was eroded during Covid. Already, the 91社区 Rocket Team is back on track.
鈥淲e may not know where we鈥檙e going when we join the Rocket Team, but we know that leaders, influencers and ground-breaking research are generated here,鈥� says Ghali. 鈥淲e all learned important lessons over the year and especially in Las Cruces, and we were all on board in August.鈥�
The 91社区 Rocket Team is partially funded by a聽Student Initiative Fund (SIF), which falls under the Faculty鈥檚聽Empower聽initiative.聽Empower focuses on supporting, promoting and creating learning activities that take place outside of class, with the goal of聽cultivating globally-minded engineers.
Photo: 91社区 Rocket Team at
For videos of the dust devil and the successful launch, see Attachment section below.
L鈥櫭﹒uipe Fus茅e de 91社区 a 茅t茅 lanc茅e!
En juin dernier, l鈥櫭﹒uipe Fus茅e de 91社区 (91社区 Rocket Team) s鈥檈st rendue 脿 Las Cruces, au Nouveau-Mexique, en vue de participer 脿 la 4猫尘别 茅dition de la Spaceport America Cup. Douze 茅tudiants s鈥檡 sont rendus en voiture, et dix autres ont pris l鈥檃vion. Le reste de l鈥櫭﹒uipe est demeur茅e en haleine 脿 Montr茅al, pr锚te 脿 assister au lancement en direct de leur fus茅e, nomm茅e Porthos.
Le lancement d鈥檜ne fus茅e n鈥檈st pas chose ais茅e, et les sites de lancement sont rares au Canada. Ceci signifie que lorsque l鈥櫭﹒uipe participe 脿 une comp茅tition, elle proc猫de pour la premi猫re fois au lancement d鈥檜n engin qui a n茅cessit茅 des mois de travail et de pr茅paration. Lors de la comp茅tition Spaceport en 2022, le premier effort de l鈥櫭﹒uipe au sortir de la pand茅mie, un nouveau moteur a entrain茅 le mauvais fonctionnement d鈥檜n des syst猫尘别s 脿 la derni猫re minute. D猫s lors, les co茅quipiers responsables de la propulsion, Taj Sobral et Alexandre Fahmy, se sont demand茅 comment am茅liorer les choses pour 2023. 芦 Il n鈥檡 a pas que la technologie qui rend une fus茅e meilleure 禄, explique Taj Sobral. 芦 La communication et la gestion de l鈥檌mpr茅vu sont aussi des facteurs d茅terminants. 禄 En 茅t茅, Taj travaille au Laboratoire de dynamique des fluides, o霉 il 茅tudie l鈥檋ydrodynamique dans le cadre d鈥檜n partenariat du CRSNG avec General Fusion, 脿 Vancouver.
Pour Mohammad Ghali, de l鈥橝lternative Fuel Lab et capitaine de l鈥櫭﹒uipe jusqu鈥櫭� l鈥檃utomne dernier, l鈥櫭﹒uipe Fus茅e de 91社区 est une v茅ritable p茅pini猫re de talents. 芦 Les 茅tudiants de premier cycle, ceux qui pr茅parent une th猫se, les dipl么m茅s, ceux ayant travaill茅 dans des laboratoires, tous convergent et partagent leur savoir. Les membres de l鈥櫭﹒uipe sont embauch茅s rapidement pour des stages d鈥櫭﹖茅. Leur exp茅rience profite 脿 toute l鈥櫭﹒uipe et nous fait avancer plus loin 禄. Lorsqu鈥檌ls rejoignent l鈥櫭﹒uipe principale, qui compte environ 50 personnes, les 茅tudiants prolongent souvent leur programme de deux semestres pour pouvoir allouer du temps au projet de fus茅e et pour mieux mettre en pratique ce qu鈥檌ls ont appris durant leurs stages d鈥櫭﹖茅.
Alexandre Fahmy, le co-capitaine de l鈥櫭﹒uipe cette ann茅e avec Amanda Kronish, pr茅pare son m茅moire de fin d鈥櫭﹖udes 脿 l鈥橝lternative Fuels Lab. Consacrer du temps au projet de fus茅e a 茅t茅 pour lui un sage investissement. 芦 Les possibilit茅s de recherche sont attrayantes et les laboratoires b茅n茅ficient de l鈥檈xp茅rience concr猫te des chercheurs 禄. Alexandre faisait pr茅c茅demment partie de l鈥櫭﹒uipe secondaire de propulsion.
Julien Besson, pour sa part, a entam茅 en mai dernier un stage d鈥櫭﹖茅 chez Airbus, o霉 il a beaucoup appris sur la relation et l鈥檌nt茅gration des 茅quipes secondaires. : a茅rostructures, r茅cup茅ration, avionique, charge utile et propulsion. Airbus en compte bien davantage. Le mouvement entre 茅quipes secondaires est encourag茅, car plus on en apprend, mieux on sera outill茅 au moment de graduer. Les 茅quipes savent bien que l鈥檈xp茅rience rapporte en fonction de l鈥檈ffort qu鈥檕n y met.
Pour Anthony Cot茅, la conception de la propulsion permet d鈥檃cqu茅rir non seulement des comp茅tences recherch茅es en mati猫re de durabilit茅 et de leadership, mais aussi des connaissances transf茅rables en plomberie, en syst猫尘别s de s茅curit茅 et en combustion. Dans son travail de laboratoire 脿 l鈥橝FL, 芦 il nous faut 茅laborer des calendriers et des budgets de projet. Nous apprenons aussi des notions sp茅cialis茅es, comme le cycle de vie des carburants m茅talliques au Canada 禄.
Mohammed Ghali souligne que lors des comp茅titions, les participants sont 茅valu茅s pas seulement en fonction du lancement de la fus茅e, mais aussi des rapports des 茅quipes secondaires et de la documentation du processus. Ainsi, m锚me si l鈥櫭﹒uipe n鈥檃 r茅alis茅 aucun lancement en 2022, son moteur hybride de conception 茅tudiante lui a valu une 2猫尘别 place. L鈥檜n des juges a en outre d茅crit l鈥檌ng茅nierie comme 茅tant 芦 impeccable 禄.
Cette ann茅e, alors que l鈥櫭﹒uipe s鈥檃ppr锚tait 脿 d茅coller 脿 la Spaceport America Cup, un tourbillon de poussi猫re 鈥� une petite tornade qui balaie les structures sur son passage 鈥� a soulev茅 la fus茅e et l鈥檃 d茅truite. La rafale, qui a surgi soudainement sur le site et a renvers茅 violemment le rail de lancement et la fus茅e, a 茅t茅 capt茅e par une 茅quipe concurrente (voir les vid茅os jointes 脿 cet article). Les tourbillons de poussi猫re sont des ph茅nom猫nes impr茅visibles. Regarder leur fus茅e tomber 茅quivalait 脿 锚tre t茅moin d鈥檜n r锚ve bris茅. L鈥櫭﹒uipe s鈥檈st consol茅e du fait qu鈥檃ucune blessure physique n鈥檃 茅t茅 subie.
Puis, elle s鈥檈st tout de suite remise en action. Un site GoFundMe a 茅t茅 publi茅 dans le but de financer les r茅parations et d鈥櫭猼re fin pr锚t pour la deuxi猫尘别 茅dition de .
La premi猫re journ茅e de lancement de la comp茅tition a eu lieu le 28 ao没t 2023. En tant que fus茅e 脿 moteur hybride, Porthos 茅tait dans la cat茅gorie avanc茅e. Vers midi, l鈥櫭﹒uipe 茅tait pr锚te au d茅collage. Une fus茅e de la cat茅gorie de base avait d茅j脿 subi un 芦 scrub 禄, signifiant que quelque chose avait mal tourn茅 et que leur lancement avait 茅t茅 annul茅.
Nouvellement co-capitaine de l鈥櫭﹒uipe, Amanda Kronish 茅tait nerveuse. 芦 D鈥檋abitude, les fus茅es de la cat茅gorie de base ont de la facilit茅 脿 s鈥檈nvoler rapidement. Nous avions r茅p茅t茅 de fa莽on intensive et optimis茅 nos protocoles op茅rationnels, si bien que m锚me avec un moteur hybride, Porthos a 茅t茅 la premi猫re 脿 s鈥檈nvoler ce jour-l脿. 禄 La fus茅e Porthos a accompli son premier vol depuis 2019 avec succ猫s, remportant la 2猫尘别 place dans la cat茅gorie avanc茅e.
La r茅silience de l鈥櫭﹒uipe a d茅sormais fait ses preuves. Celle-ci a reconstruit la fus茅e et a 茅galement renforc茅 la banque de connaissances qui s鈥櫭﹖ait 茅rod茅e durant la pand茅mie. L鈥櫭﹒uipe Fus茅e de 91社区 est ainsi de nouveau sur les rails.
芦 On ne sait 脿 quoi s鈥檃ttendre quand on se joint 脿 l鈥櫭﹒uipe Fus茅e, mais on sait qu鈥檈lle g茅n猫re des leaders, des influenceurs et de la recherche novatrice 禄, dit Mohammed Ghali. 芦 Nous avons tir茅 de pr茅cieux enseignements tout au long de l鈥檃nn茅e, surtout 脿 Las Cruces, et nous 茅tions tous de la partie au mois d鈥檃o没t. 禄
L鈥櫭﹒uipe Fus茅e de 91社区 est financ茅e en partie par un fonds d鈥檌nitiative 茅tudiante, dans le cadre de la d茅marche Empower de la Facult茅. L鈥檌nitiative Empower soutient, promeut et d茅veloppe des activit茅s d鈥檃pprentissage extrascolaires afin de former des ing茅nieurs 脿 l鈥檈sprit plan茅taire.
Photo聽: L鈥櫭﹒uipe Fus茅e de 91社区 participant 脿 l鈥櫭ヾition聽
Pour voir les vid茅os du tourbillon de poussi猫re et du lancement r茅ussi, consultez la section 芦聽pi猫ces jointes聽禄 ci-dessous.
