Measuring accelerations and vibrations of a sounding rocket provides both information for engineers on the launcher vehicle performance as well as environment description for future payload designers. Typically, information on the level of vibration and eigenfrequencies are required to properly design a payload. This paper presents a design of a novel mechanical filter and amplifier for mechanical vibrations. Its key feature is...

A novel method for measuring heat flux on a surface is presented. It is an extensive upgrade of currently known heat flux sensors used mostly in civil engineering. As the thermal environment of launchers, especially sounding rocket can have an enormous negative effect on payload, careful considerations have to be taken in the process of preparing insulation. Usually, thermal data provided by the launch vehicle manufacturer is limited...

An Inverse Heat Transfer Problem is solved for a sounding rocket module given its geometry and measured temperature profile. The solution is obtained via moving window optimization, a technique for solving inverse dynamics. An analysis is performed to modify the method to avoid oscillatory behavior of the resulting heat flux profile. The method parameters are tuned in relation to characteristic phases of the flight. Results are...

As access to space conditions becomes more available, both technically and economically, scientists' interest in launching finer and more sophisticated experiments grows. This applies now more than ever to fragile by nature biological and chemical experiments. To be qualified for launch, such experiments need to be carefully tested prior to the event. The tests should represent actual launch conditions as closely and in as detailed...

During flight, a sounding rocket is subject to a unique environment - severe vibrations and substantial heat flux. In order to design payloads, precise measurement of these conditions is required. This paper presents preliminary results from HEDGEHOG REXUS Project, whose scientific goal was to characterise the thermal and dynamic environment of REXUS sounding rockets. For this purpose, two new sensors have been designed - mechanical...