CanSat

CanSat Competition 2023-2024 - UVA CavSat - Structures

Essential Design

Aerobrake Deployment

  • Deploys at 725 meters

  • Deployed using lower servomotor

  • Telescoping rods push aerobrake out

  • Reduces speed to between 10 and 30 meters per second

Some of the major physical features that each team’s CanSat must have include:

  • Aerobrake

  • Heat Shield

  • Parachute

  • Payload (egg) Containment Bay

My focus within the structures subteam was on decent control design.

Stabilization

  • Flaps will be deployed using lower servomotor to prevent rotation during descent

  • Not an active control surface

Parachute Deployment

  • Deploys at 100 meters

  • Parachute is held in the CanSat by a latch door​

  • Latch door opened by smaller servomotor​

  • Small air channels will pass through egg containment bay, pushing the parachute out of the bay once the latch door is opened

  • Reduces speed to under 5 meters per second

Where are we now?

Currently, we’re wrapping up our designs in SolidWorks, and are going to be moving on to 3D printing components in the coming weeks. I have the most experience with 3D printing, so I’ll be taking the lead on that front. We’ve completed and presented our preliminary and critical design reviews, and following printing and testing, we will be presenting our final design review to CanSat judges. Like the airbrake, I’ve learned a lot about modeling on SolidWorks for this project, and I’m excited to see the culmination of these new skills during testing.