Design, Analysis, Fabrication, Ground-Test, and Flight of a Two-Stage Hybrid and Solid Rocket

Students in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University participated in a hybrid rocket design project with the aim of designing, building, testing and flying a hybrid rocket, closely following an industrial design cycle. The PEMDAS rocket – a two-stage rocket with a hybrid first stage, (paraffin/polyethylene fuel and nitrous oxide oxidizer), and solid second stage (Aerotech M650 motor) was built and flown as part of this project. In June 2013, the PEMDAS rocket achieved an apogee of nearly 10,000 feet above ground level (AGL), hence setting an altitude record for hybrid rockets designed at Stanford University. In this paper, the process from designing to launching the PEMDAS rocket will be presented. A full scale ground test was conducted prior to flight. Measurements obtained from the ground test and a comparison of predictions with actual flight results will be discussed.