Build Parties

Recent Build Party 4/2/25

Building Aether Mark X and XI V3.1

Our last build party of the regional series! After successfully getting our rocket back, the team ran a series of parachute tests to update and refine our parachute-deploying process to attain a more desirable duration time. In about 5 hours, the team was able to crank out 2 rockets, Aether Mark X and XI. These rockets will serve as backup and test rockets for our upcoming Holtville and Monday qualification launches. It was a great way to end our regional series, and team 0268 is holding out hope for both our Holtville and qualification launches!

Aether V3.1's Qualifying Launch

Build Party 3/28/25

Building Aether Mark IX V3.1

The day started with some parachute testing, which, safe to say, didn't go according to plan. In other words, our rocket got stuck up in a tree. However, with the helpful hands of our local firefighters, we were able to retrieve our valuable rocket. Anyway, in about 4 hours the team was able to successfully complete Aether Mark IX, one of the rockets in our lineup that will serve as both a testing rocket as well as potentially a qualification rocket. We have finalized our design so now it's all about refining the build process and building a few more rockets that will serve as backup, test, and qualification rockets.

Aether V3.1's Fourth Launch

Build Party 3/21/25

Building Aether Mark VIII V3.1

In the span of around 4 hours, the team was able to churn out one of our last experimental rockets for the upcoming Saturday launch. In our previous launch, the rocket overshot our desired altitude by around 50 feet. In order to counteract this, we placed ballast in strategic positions throughout the rocket. Not only will this help bring the weight of the rocket up and hence the altitude of the rocket down, but the placement of ballast will allow us to maintain our center of gravity, ensuring that our rocket does not sacrifice any stability for the sake of altitude. With the qualification deadline rapidly arriving, the team is putting all effort on these last few experimental rockets.

Aether V3.1's Third Launch

Build Party 3/15/25

Building Aether Mark VII V3.1

The team spent around 3 hours revising and finishing up Mark VII in preparation for tomorrow's launch. The build party mainly consisted of assembling the lower half of the rocket with components like the fin can, centering ring, and motor mount being epoxied on, as well as the rail buttons being screwed into place. The team also went through last minute preparations for the launch, weighing individual components and recording masses on report sheets as well as completing our pre-launch checklist. Serving as a pivotal rocket, TWS's hopes will rest on Mark VII's performance at launch.

Aether V3.1's Second Launch

Build Party 3/14/25

Building Aether Mark VII V3.1

Our team was hard at work for around 2 hours designing our final iteration of our Aether class rockets, V3.1. Only one rocket is being made for Sunday's launch, with another being developed before our next launch. The only modifications to this rocket are the rail guides. More specifically, after noticing large amounts of wiggle on the launch rod at launch, we decided to replace rail guides with more reliable rail buttons, that need to be screwed into the body tube rather than just super glued on. We hope this provides extra stability on the launch rod and less chance that the rail buttons will break. The team is hoping this minor improvement will serve great results when it comes time to launch.

Aether V3.1's Second Launch

Build Party 2/21/25

Building Aether Mark VI V3.1

Getting extremely close to qualification launches next month, the team implemented one key improvement for Mark VI that will help address several issues seen in prior launches. We have improved our centering ring design which now boasts four supports in addition to the four supports on our fin can, and designed a flush opening for our motor mount to fit into, solving the problems seen on the last iterations of the centering ring on other rockets. Along with this, we have cemented a method for cutting our body tubes completely straight, which if not cut straight, creates several problems for a rocket seen in our last launch. We now use hacksaws, guides, tape, and sandpaper to securely and straightly cut our body tubes. Given lots of practice, this build party was longer than others, coming in around at four hours.

Aether V3.1's Launch

Build Party 2/2/25

Building Aether Mark V and VI V3

Starting off our first build of the month with a new version of the Aether class of rockets, the team was hard at work building the rocket to spec so that it would fulfill all our launch requirements. In the span of two hours, we were able to crank out a fully completed rocket, as well as one partially completed one. Our partially completed rocket has all the components glued and fitted, except for our fin can and motor mount. Our motor mount was cut too short while developing the second rocket, and the fin could not ensure a snug fit with the motor mount. Hence, our fin can will get a smaller opening in time for the launch on February 8th, or this Saturday.

Aether V3's Launch

Build Party 1/17/25

Building Aether Mark IV V2

After a full week of updated design iterations for our motor mount, we finally got set on finishing our potentially last V2 rocket, Aether Mark IV, in a little under 2 hours. Almost identical to its twin Aether Mark III V2, there is one greatly improved aspect of Mark IV; its centering ring and fin can opening. While seeming minor with respect to the entire rocket, the opening in both the fin can and the centering ring is crucial as our motor mount, a cardboard roll where the motor is placed, must fit in these two openings effortlessly, or we won't have a place to fit our motor in. On Mark III, these openings were a bit too small, making fitting the motor mount arduous. On Mark IV, a new design made the opening a bit bigger, allowing the motor mount to slide in with ease. With both V2 rockets done, we're looking forward to our Fiesta Island launch in just two more days!

Aether V2's Launch

Build Party 1/6/25

Building Aether Mark IV V2

In quick succession, our team was hard at work for around an hour constructing the second rocket of our version 2 class of rockets: Mark IV V2. Nearly identical to its predecessor, Aether Mark IV shares the same updates across our V2 rockets. However, one unique change to Aether Mark IV is that it includes a different style of elastic shock cord. The reason? Our team wants to conduct tests using various implementations of the same components on our V2 rockets. How does this help us? By using different types of the same component, we can measure which one guarantees better performance for our rocket. This is a methodology common in technological and scientific competitions and sports, such as F1.

Aether V2's Launch

Build Party 1/5/25

Building Aether Mark III V2

Starting the year off with a strong build! Our builders were hard at work fabricating Aether Mark III, the first of our version 2 rockets. Our version two rockets improve upon the problems we saw with our version 1 Aether rockets. One of our improvements includes a refined nosecone for both aerodynamic purposes, as well as an improved slot for our altimeter to accurately record our flight. Our build went mostly smoothly with only one problem arising: the cardboard motor mount. The cardboard motor mount was the exact diameter of the opening in our fin can, which meant fitting the motor mount was a difficult task. Although completed in roughly 2 hours, we have taken note of several improvements in both our design and fabrication process.

Aether V2's Launch

Build Party 12/9/24

Building Aether Mark III V2 and Mark IV V2

Reviewing our latest launch data our team worked hard to build the newest designs with improved nosecone aerodynamics, and a better weight distribution. This rocket is designed to handle a higher-power motor capable of achieving our desired altitude. Our team worked hard to provide quality materials for this rocket using PET-G filament for the fins and PLA for the nosecone and transition. The nosecone received an update with a larger housing for the altimeter. This build party lasted over 2 hours preparing our rocket for the rigorous testing in the upcoming year.

Aether V2's Launch

Build Party 11/17/24

Building Aether Mark II

This time around, we were successfully able to finish our second rocket of the season, Aether Mark II. We were able to complete the rocket in less than 4 hours. The significant increase in time came with problems in cutting the body tube, that was eventually fixed with the help of makeshift guides, and refining Aether Mark I. Our process was essentially the same as our previous build, however we did use different 3D printed components that were fabricated with a different 3D printer. These parts proved to be well made and were attached easily onto Aether Mark II. Takeaways from this build party was an improved build party from an organization standpoint, however, could be refined with better body tube cutting practices to minimize time.

Aether's Launch

Build Party 11/10/24

Building Aether Mark I

Hard at work, our team successfully completed the construction of Aether Mark I, our first rocket for the 2024-2025 ARC season. Following a strict "instruction manual", our team completed the build in under 2 hours. We began by cutting body tubes to the required length as outlined by our design. Then, we split up the work. Aditya and Nidhi worked on the lower half of the body tube, attaching the parachutes and fixing the motor mount. Meanwhile, Raghav and Abheek worked on the upper body tube, securing the nose cone and fixing the eggs needed for the competition in their respective egg holders. The main takeaways from this build party were good instructions and a systematic process, however somewhat messy process.

Aether's Launch

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