Tag: Anissa Kneese

Rockets 2017-Sunday’s Report-End of Fredericksburg Launches

Sunday is usually a light day at rockets, but not this year. Although we only had 5 schools, there were 16 rockets to launch. Out of those 15 made it to the air. The last one was still in stage 3  with some issues to be fixed, when nature decided we were done for the weekend and a storm rolled in with lightning and rain. Luckily many areas had been packing  things they no longer needed so at least it wasn’t all left to do in the down pour. We all pretty much got soaked anyway, but hey that is Rockets, the weather is always a factor.

We had a total of 81 rockets launched for the weekend and found all but 14 according to recovery captain, Braxton Roemer, seen here quizzing kids and adults on late 80’s rock and pop music during a break in the action.

This gives the recovery group about a 92% recovery rate for the weekend. It could be 93 because Steve found one late yesterday afternoon but was unable to recover it due to severe lightning, but he knows where it is, so either someone will eventually go back for it, the land owner will find it and bring it in, or it will be Team Burow’s first find next year.

Yesterday, I let Steve go solo on recovery, and I joined my daughter, Chelsea, at the pad. I was able to watch first hand all that goes on to get these vehicles in the air. The pad crew makes it look easy, but it’s a little more complicated than what you might think. The original crew of Chelsea Burow, Anissa Kneese,

Josh Hampton, Bryan Heffner,  and Cade Ottmers has had years of practice to get things right. This year they were even training some new recruits in the program, freshman, Troy Kneese, and senior, Jesse Cedillo.. Jesse will be attending Angelo State University in the fall for computer science.

It is a coordinated effort as rockets come to the pad, and they do pictures of the students with the rocket “set” on the rail. Afterwards, the students return to Mission Control so the pad crew can load the rocket properly and safely.

Crew members then attach the match and seat the motor onto the stem assembly, which is a two-part tube fit tightly together, which delivers Nitruos into the tank, and allows Gox to flow over the fuel grain to help with ignition. The stem is fed through the fuel grain and the bell of the motor into the tank of the rocket. This can be difficult as it has to go through very small opens inside the motor and has to be done totally by feel and knowledge of the different motors used in the vehicles,  and the vehicle has to be level while doing this.  It is no small task, but this group makes it look easy, most of  the time. The consensus on the pad is the “L” motors are the worst to seat.  There were quite a few L motors yesterday, but they managed them all. Jesse is seating a rocket in his photo above.

After this is achieved they do systems checks and then raise the rail, ready for launches. This is referred to as “going vertical”.

Pad members work in small groups throughout the pad attempting to load all 6 rails if enough vehicles are available. Occasionally it takes the whole crew at once to raise the rails on some of the larger or more complicated rockets.

When launching begins and a vehicle is “Armed” (this is basically the altimeter is turned on and verified to be working) then all must clear the pad except the two members working to launch a particular rocket. Next they go for fill, after which the launch count down sequence is initiated. At this point the they run for cover in the bunkers.

After the rocket has cleared the pad everyone watches skyward and hopes for a good flight and successful deployment of  the recovery system. Once the vehicle is confirmed down or determined to be too far away and has no chance of coming down near the pad, then the  crew is back out to work the next one.

If a rocket fails to leave the rail, then the pad crew determines if it is something they can fix on the rail or if it has to be unloaded and returned to Stage 3. At which point the students and technicians will re-evaluate and determine if they can fix the vehicle for another attempt at launch, or abort.

The crew members are all past students of the program and know quite well what to look for if a rocket fails to launch. Most of the time it is minor things that can be fixed on the spot, but not always. Another factor that will cause a delay on the pad is empty fuel tanks.  At that point they move to another rail while tanks are replaced.

This is just a small synopsis of what they do and not nearly all of their skills. They are an accomplished group and I really enjoyed my time there on Sunday.  I helped where I could with several rockets, took pictures of students and their rockets, and the launches, and assisted in tearing down the 1 lb/1 ml rails and other aspects of the pad that were no longer needed as we were awaiting the  arrival of the final Transonic launches.

Since most of you know that I am in Recovery out at rockets each year, I will let you know I didn’t shirk my duties completely. I recovered a nose cone, a rocket bottom ring, and two body tube shrapnel pieces from two different launches while working at the pad.

This marks the end of another great year of rockets for the smaller level vehicles. Rockets 2017 has only the Goddard level launches left which are coming up in late June. There is a fairly strong date, but I won’t be posting that until closer to time since they can still be subject to change at the Army’s need. I will keep everyone posted on that as information is available. Good luck to all those schools and safe travels when you go there. For more information as usual check their website at www.systemsgo.org .

I will be posting a final update on how the Fredericksburg STEM Academy’s junior class rocket did this past Thursday at Willow City. They are evaluating their data and then we will have more details.

The following is a link to the album of pictures from Sunday’s launch. Have a look, you and your school rocket just might be in there.

https://www.facebook.com/ginger.burow/media_set?set=a.1479975588690234.1073741892.100000334203350&type=3&pnref=story

Event details will be available here each day of any launch event. Daily reports featuring schedules, school names, results, pictures and some editorial content will also be posted.

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.

#SystemsGo #Rockets2017 #FredericksburgSTEMAcademy #Launcher01 #SystemsGoNewMexico

What’s All This About Rockets: Success Stories-Anissa Kneese

Welcome back to Rocket Success stories. This is the second installment of this series of Interview style articles, in which we meet individuals that studied under the SystemsGo STEM program and have gone on to build their futures on the skills it teaches. Last month we met, Robert Deaver, a 1996 graduate of the program.  This month we are looking at a young lady that is a more recent graduate also from Fredericksburg High School in 2014, miss Anissa Kneese.

Anissa is currently a college student at Texas A&M, which allows us to talk with her now and to check back with her and see exactly where her education and career choices have taken her in the future. This is in a way, the middle of her path, but the drive she has to complete her engineering goals are a direct correlation of her experience in the program.

“Before taking the rocket program classes in high school, I had no idea I was interested in engineering, I learned about the many different engineering paths. and I fell in love with problem solving. I am now working toward my degree in Mechanical Engineering thanks to SystemsGo.”

Anissa joined the STEM program out of curiosity her freshman year, because of all she had heard about it from friends and family. She quickly realized that this class would shape her future.

“After completing the first class freshman year, I was considering majoring in engineering in college. Sophomore year pushed me even more in that direction, and after junior year there was no doubt what so ever this was my future career path. Senior year was the icing on the cake!”

As she studied in the program, her reasons changed from curiosity to excitement and the class became a priority for her.

“By junior year I was so eager to go to class every day. I knew I would learn something new or something really eventful and exciting would happen. Like running a successful student designed test that caused a nearby resident to call the fire department!” Engine and fuel burn  tests can be loud and though most  folks have become accustomed to these tests, this one was particularly loud, and caused a stir, something she recalls with guarded humor.

Anissa participated on two teams. The first was the Mechanical team for static hybrid propulsion testing, and then the injector team for the Redbird #15 Rocket, as long as helping with electronics, payload and engine installation.  Her specific jobs on these projects included, “For propulsion and testing I prepped fuel grains by ensuring their size was exact, installing them in the test cell, and preparing the test cell by sealing the cell to prevent oxidizer leakage. After each test I would clean the test cell and prep the next fuel grain. I also set up oxidizer tanks and plumbing from the tanks to the test cell. During tests, I would make sure all solid and liquid weights were recorded to be used in calculations in the days to follow.”

The Redbird #15 is the rocket that her group designed to launch at White Sands Missile Range. This is where she really had to put her education to work and it presented her with her hardest problem to solve.

“The toughest problem I came across was “trouble shooting” an injector design that had mysteriously failed  in a Redbird rocket from the year before. My teammates and I designed several tests to attempt to understand the previous failure, and this proved to be quite difficult. After a redesign with new materials, the injector worked flawlessly in our Redbird rocket.”

Even with this struggle accomplished with perfect results, she considers another success the greatest her and her team accomplished during their time in the program.

“I would consider my (and my team’s) best success being the first high school team to complete a full round of three 40 second hybrid test burns. This had been attempted by several classes before us (and even ourselves the year before), so coming back the next year and being successful was a great feeling.”

The SystemsGo program teaches individual accountability as well as team coherence. Anissa found this to be one of the most important things she learned in the program.

“This program taught me countless lessons and technical approaches to problems, but the most important thing I learned was the importance of communication. It is impossible to accomplish any great task without full communication and understanding from every team member involved.”

Many of the students who have participated in this program, not only go on to higher education and careers in STEM fields, they enjoy giving back to the program where ever possible. Anissa is no exception to this, she returns each year to help as launch pad lead at the Willow City launches.  If possible she plans to continue helping and being involved with the program however possible.

“I would enjoy mentoring and helping students in the future with the design process or understanding the set up and procedures of building the static propulsion testing. I would also enjoy having a job with SystemsGo in the future. I think having experience in industry would be valuable to gain first, but I would enjoy coming back and teaching at some point.

Her current advice for students considering or currently in the program is, “work as hard as you can every day. Don’t be afraid to get sweaty and leave class with your hands dirty. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, you will learn so much if you are eager to get involved!”

Along with the fantastic education the SystemsGo STEM program provides in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields, it also helps build confidence and character. It teaches each student to reach into themselves and take pride in what they are accomplishing and can accomplish. For many students, it is a learning boost they may never have known they needed until they discovered it in themselves during the program. Anissa sums up that experience.

“I learned that I am capable of accomplishing anything I have my heart in and I’m willing to work hard to achieve.”

I would like to thank Anissa Kneese for participating in this article series.  These are written in hopes that all may understand the impact that STEM can have on your students and future employees. Having a program available at the high school level to teach, encourage and support this type of learning is instrumental to getting these students into great career futures.  Encourage your students to get involved in STEM and the SystemsGo program if it is available at your child’s school. If it is not available, look into how you can bring it to your area. This program will greatly benefit your school and children.

If you know or have a student that went through the program that would like to share their story here, please contact me in the comment section on this blog or if you follow it on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn contact me there, and I will send you information to participate.

http://www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.