Project Management

Status: On Schedule

Link to Full Gantt Chart In Google Sheets

Project Management Update

The project is shaping up to have a prototype to be completed on time. Currently, the team is working on finishing the construction of the rocket. The mixing of propellant and the testing of it are in progress as well and by the end of next week, a mixture will be settled upon for the rocket launch on April 29th. After the launch, the data from the flight computer and accelerometer need to me analyzed to generate the thrust curve. As for class deliverables, the project team has been on top of the assignments for the class including the project specification, design review and environmental and economic analysis. The project team is working smoothly together and has had no issue completing the assigned deliverables. The next assignment to be completed is the project poster which the team will be starting shortly.

Through the progression of the project, the team has experienced a few delays in the project. First, the delay in the stability calculations was a result in the need for the engineering drawings and the corresponding CAD files to be completed to allow for the calculation to be done using Autodesk Inventor to find the center of gravity of the whole assembled rocket. The delay then pushed back the construction of the rocket and the delay was accounted for by allowing for a large two-month window in the construction of the rocket as shown on the Gantt chart. The project team foresaw the large undertaking of building the rocket and tried to schedule it accordingly.

Another delay was the arrival of the load cell to gain experimental data from the test firing of the propellant. The delay was due to the rejection of the purchasing order by the company and no notification by the company to Students for the Exploration and Discovery of Space (SEDS), the club working with the project team. The load cell has finally arrived and some data to be collected, but there still are some issues with data collection. The delay has been a small setback as the same with the building of the rocket has been done. The mixing and testing of the propellant is spanning a two-month period to account for this and the team has been working hard to try and get as many tests in with the delays in order to get the best idea as the best propellant mixture for the final mixture and prototype test launch.

Weather has been an issue in test firing the propellant as the electronics do not work in the wet weather that we have been experiencing. Therefore, the project team has assured any nice day with no rain there will be a test fire to allow for adequate data to make the decision of the final propellant mixture. In addition, there has been a large amount of time set aside for the test firing of the motors to allow for ample data collection. However, the time for the rocket launch is approaching and the team is working hard to ensure the deadline is met.