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Therion-III-Post-Flight-Analysis (1).docx
Project Summary for ESRA (June 3, 2016):
Vehicles:
Four vehicles were constructed for Project Therion. They were numbered sequentially from I-IV.
Therion I
Therion I was a Phenolic-Fiberglass hybrid vehicle, originally intended for a drop test. Many of its components were uprated to allow for a non-parafoil flight test. This vehicle was destroyed when the launch pad became unsecured from the ground and tipped over just prior to flight. Many components shattered. The fin can and avionics structure were salvaged to fly on Therion II and IV.
Therion II
Therion II was the first all custom composite vehicle built by Rocket Team. The fin can was reused from Therion I to put the team ahead of schedule on fabricating Therion III. The avionics were also recycled from Therion I. Therion II was the first vehicle to fly with the parafoil section integrated. Utilizing pyrotechnic rope cutters (PRCs) the hatch was held shut by 550 Paracord. This system failed as the vehicle broke the speed of sound. The backup recovery system also failed to function nominally. A stray piece of nomex reefed the drogue parachute, while a wire harness simultaneously entangled the main parachute's webbing. This lead to insufficient force to pull the main parachute out of the vehicle.
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Therion III
Therion III was the competition flight vehicle.
Therion IV
Therion IV was intended to fly on the Saturday after competition ended to demonstrate our parafoil system. It also served as a reserve of spare parts during IREC. Due to the failure of Therion III it was decided to forgo launching Therion IV.