Member Resources
The below certification guide is a great place to learn the basics of rocketry. Students are encouraged to follow this guide as they enter the club.
Certification Guide
If you’re new to high power rocketry and are wondering how to get started, you’ve found yourself in the right place!
To start off, high-power rocketry is regulated by two nonprofit organizations, National Association of Rocketry (NAR) and Tripoli (TRA), which establish the regulations and guidelines that are abided by at all high power launch events. You must be a member of one of of these groups in order to fly and earn certifications.
We mostly fly out of Tripoli fields and only Tripoli allows flights of research motors, so we register with Tripoli instead of NAR. You can register as a Tripoli student member at this link ($20/year).
For those new to rocketry, we highly recommend building a kit design as your first high-powered rocket.
Kraft paper kits are the cheapest options available, and are more than sufficient for flying L1 motors. Some L1 kits, such as the LOC-IV, can even be configured to fly electronics, making them great options for completing your L1 and L2 certifications on the same rocket. If you’re willing to invest more, fiberglass kits are very robust and will give you experience in working with composite materials.
Recommended L1 Kits
| Kit | Material | Motor Mount | Dual Deploy | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOC-IV | Kraft paper | 38mm | Yes | $107.65 | https://locprecision.com/products/loc-iv |
| Punisher 3 | Fiberglass | 54mm | Yes | $193.99 (+$89) | https://wildmanrocketry.com/collections/3-fiberglass/products/punisher-3-inch |
Motor selection is typically dependent on vendor availability at the time you place your order, using motor adapters, your rocket can fly any motor with a diameter smaller than its motor mount. We highly recommend coordinating your motor purchase with a club member, as we can do bulk orders to minimize hazard shipping costs, or arrange for in-person delivery at flight events.
Recommended L1 Motors
| Motor | Motor Diameter | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| H135W-14A | 29mm | $46.99 |
| H169WS-13A | 29mm | $46.99 |
| H182R-14A | 29mm | $46.99 |
| H100W-14A | 38mm | $54.99 |
Once you have your kit, a good step for learning the components of your rocket is recreating your vehicle in OpenRocket, an open source flight simulation software. This step is required to find the center of pressure for your rocket, and will also tell you your stability, altitude, and velocity based on the motor you choose to fly.
Here is a good tutorial on OpenRocket basics, but feel free to reach out and ask for an in-person showcase.
As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to make sure your rocket’s stability margin is greater than 1 caliber with your chosen motor loaded. If your rocket is under-stable, you can try simulating with a smaller motor or adding ballast weight to the nose (don’t forget to add the ballast to your actual rocket if you do!).
Assembly of your rocket kit should be fairly straightforward, for Kraft paper kits, all you will need is 5 minute epoxy, sandpaper, and potentially a screwdriver or drill. Follow the instructions provided by your kit, and feel free to reach out to team members if you have any questions!