Team Members & Role:

• Liam Coffey
• Maxwell Flerra
• Daniel Xue
• Aaron Wong
• Waymond Szeto

Abstract:
The UMass Rocket Team competes in the annual NASA Student Launch Initiative (SLI) competition with the goal of building a rocket and deploying a payload which then completes a NASA specified task. This year, the team has commissioned the capstone group to create the Auto Leveling Payload Retention and Deployment System (ALPRDS). The system performs three key motions to meet the final goal of deployment and orientation. The first motion is linear extrusion, which uses a lead screw to move the payload and its retainer out of the airframe of the rocket. The second motion is the roll, which orients the payload facing upwards and away from the ground. The third motion is the pitch, which levels the payload parallel to the ground. All three motions are fully customizable due to allowance for motor controllers.

The system was also designed with modularity, reliability and reusability in mind so it can be re-used to deploy a large variety of payloads in the years to come. The completion of the ALPRDS will allow the Rocket Team to spend time on the payload and its mission that otherwise would have been split with designing the deployment system.