our rocket engine
We are a group of astronautical Engineering Students with a passion for rocketry and making it sustainable for all! We have set a target to raise £340 to help manufacture a hybrid rocket engine, Putting a sustainable twist into rocketry! Our engine will be compatible with advanced sensor techniques such as Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) and high speed imagery to measure and analyse the thruster's performance and provide insight for future improvements that could help with enhancing performance.
our Story
Rocket propulsion comes in all shapes and sizes. Hybrid engines are a mix of both solid and liquid/gas propellants. Across another year of study, we will have researched the current standings of hybrid propulsion as well as its future endeavours. Hybrid rocket thrusters are a great option for taking the best advantages from both liquid and solid engines.
Most solid fuel grains produce clouds of harmful exhausts. We want to find an alternative fuel that will not produce any of these dangerous by-products. wax based fuel grain have had success in the past including the commonly used paraffin wax. using these successes as a performance target to aim for, we are attempting to use Beeswax as a safe and sustainable alternative without sacrificing the systems capabilities.Beeswax has very similar properties to paraffin wax making it a perfect contender for a hybrid thruster fuel grain, and it is all natural.
Beeswax is used in: candles, furniture polish, lotions and soaps, crayons, food wrappings and now powering our rocket engines.
If you like our ideas and think that bees could be an answer to sustainable space travel, then please consider supporting us and donating to our project. Every penny counts!
our Where will the Money go?
All of the money raised will go towards the costs of all of our supplies, materials and all important beeswax fuel!Below is a breakdown of our basic materials.
Bulkhead Aluminium: £222
Injector plate Aluminium: £47.67
Threaded rod: £7.37/meter
Nuts: £19.00 per bag
3D printed beeswax fuel grain "skeleton": £35.75/kg
Washers: £8.06 per bag
The rest of the money will be used on miscellaneous smaller items such as an ignitor and provide leeway for any price changes or emergency purchases.
Rewards
Everyone who donates will be thanked with one of our fantastic rewards!£1+ = no reward (for those who just want to donate)
£5 = A personalized thank you card signed by the whole team
£10 = Team Logo Sticker
£15 = handmade "bee-frog" mascot keyring
£30 = embroidered project mission patch
£50 = mini 3D printed model of the Anura-apidae engine
Everyone who donates will also be given the option for a shout out on our social media to say thank you for your support!
How else to help?
Everyone who donates will also be given the option for a shout out on our social media to say thank you for your support! We understand that not everyone can donate. However, there are more ways that you can help! follow us on facebook and instagram and simply share out project page far and wide, not forgetting to tell you family and friends. Together we can reach our goal and make rocketry more sustainable!
