McCallie Propulsion Lab

Progress

A look at the build as it comes together in the shop.

Test Stand Build

Welded steel test stand frame in the shop
The test stand's steel base frame, welded and squared up on the shop floor.
Second frame section being built alongside the first
A second frame going up alongside it as the build scaled.
Freshly painted test stand drying with a wet paint sign
Freshly painted and drying, wet paint sign still taped on.
Student wiring the electronics enclosure onto the frame
Wiring the electronics enclosure onto the frame.
Plumbing manifold with P&ID diagram taped to the frame
The plumbing manifold taking shape, with our P&ID diagram taped up for reference.
Assembled and painted test stand with plumbing and instrumentation
The assembled test stand, painted and fitted with propellant plumbing, valves, and instrumentation.
Completed LabJack T7 DAQ mounted and wired in the electronics enclosure
The LabJack T7 data acquisition system, mounted and wired, right next to the completed valve manifold.
Fully wired test stand with propellant tank in place
Fully wired and loaded with the propellant tank, ready for static-fire testing.
Team member grinding steel for the test stand frame
Grinding steel for the frame.

Engine Hardware

Hyperion injector and nozzle assembly
Hyperion, our machined injector and nozzle assembly.
Machined injector face plates and pintle before assembly
Precision-machined injector face plates and pintle before final assembly.
CAD render of the custom thrust vector control actuator
CAD design of our custom thrust vector control (TVC) actuator.
Machined valve component from the SPARK engine series
A precision-machined valve component from our SPARK engine series.

CAD Designs

Full CAD render of the Hyperion injector and nozzle assembly
Full CAD model of Hyperion, our injector and nozzle assembly.
Cross-section CAD render of Hyperion showing internal flow paths
Cross-section of Hyperion, showing the internal propellant flow paths.
Cutaway CAD render of the custom TVC actuator showing the internal lead screw and gearing
Cutaway view of the custom TVC actuator, showing the internal lead screw and gearing.
CAD render of the SPARK V1 valve
CAD model of the SPARK V1 valve.
CAD render of the SPARK V2 valve
CAD model of the SPARK V2 valve, our next design iteration.

In the Shop

Team member machining hardware on a mill
Machining engine hardware in the shop.
Team member assembling and testing electronics
Assembling and testing electronics in the lab.

Onboarding New Members

Team gathered around the test stand explaining it to new members
Walking our newest members through the test stand for the first time.
Team member pointing out components on the test stand to new members
Breaking down how each component works, piece by piece.
Close-up of the team explaining the electronics enclosure to new members
A closer look at the electronics enclosure and wiring.