1. Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering Institute of Aerospace Engineering
Chair for Space Systems
Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Postal address (Letters)
TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden
Germany
Postal address (Bulk etc.)
TU Dresden
Marschnerstraße 32
01307 Dresden
Visitor’s address
Secretary:
Marschnerstraße 32,
01307 Dresden
Germany
Room 116
Tax number
(National)
203/149/02549
VAT-Id-Nr.
(International)
DE 188 369 991
Bank details
Commerzbank AG,
Filiale Dresden
Konto 800 400 400
BLZ 850 400 00
Internet
http://tu-dresden.de/ilr/rfs
Fellowship supervisor review
Dear Sir or Madam,
Lorenzo Vallini, student of the Università di Pisa, conducted his master thesis at the
Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) within the SMART Rockets project at
the Institute of Aerospace Engineering. He worked at this institution from 25.10.2015 to
06.04.2015. His task was to analyse and simulate the stability and flight of a sounding
rocket, which is beeing developed within the mentioned project.
The first part of the work was to get acquainted with the topic of the aerodynamic
stability in particular applied to the current SMART rocket design. Then the response
of the latter to analytically modelled external perturbations has been studied and a
procedure for the design of a new rocket aerodynamics has been developed. The new
response to the previous perturbations for a possible new aerodynamics of the vehicle
has been analysed. Finally the rocket trajectory has been studied both for the original
and updated fins configuration by means of the ASTOS software. Both the unperturbed
and perturbed flight conditions were considered.
Embedded within the STERN programme by the German Space Administration (DLR),
the SMART Rockets project is an education programme to promote young scientists for
rocketry and the European Ariane programme. Therefore the TU Dresden develops a
student sounding rocket, i.e. that the project can be compared to a regular space
industry research and development (R&E) project, though it’s carried out by students. It
is in the nature of the project that strong communications and collaboration between
the students is mandatory. This applies particularly for tasks which comprise
experimental verification and or interfaces between various subsystems.
Prof. Dr.
Martin Tajmar
Director
Author: Dipl.-Ing. Christian Bach
Phone: +49 (351) 463-38097
Fax: +49 (351) 463-38126
E-Mail: christian.bach1@tu-dresden.de
Direzione Ricerca e Internazionalizzazione
Settore Internazionalizzazione
Unità Cooperazione Internazionale
“Domanda contributo Tesi Estero”
Lungarno Pacinotti 44
56126 PISA
Dresden, 31. März 2015

2. 2
The TU Dresden is one of eleven German universities that were identified as an
“excellence university”. TUD has about 37.000 students, 4.400 publicly funded staff
members – among them over 500 professors – and approximately 3.500 externally
funded staff members, and, thus, is the largest university in Saxony, today. Having
been committed to sciences and the engineering before the reunification of Germany,
TU Dresden now is a multi-discipline university, also offering humanities and social
sciences as well as medicine.
The research within the Chair for Space Systems focuses on new and innovative
propulsion systems (e.g. miniaturised ion thrusters, plug nozzles), energy-systems and
miniaturised gas sensors. We also work together with industry on terrestrial Spin-Offs
of our space technologies. Basic research on revolutionary concepts („Breakthrough
Propulsion Physics“) towards the spaceship of the future is also part of our activities.
The focus of the working group “Space Propulsion and Advanced Concepts” is highly
innovative space propulsion systems and the development of our own sounding rocket
as a platform for chemical rocket engines. Our research topics include miniaturized
electric thrusters (ion thrusters, field emission electric propulsion FEEP) for high
precision attitute- and orbit control (e.g. used in formation flying) as well as plug
nozzles for the sounding rocket to automatically adapt to ambient pressures. We are
also looking at the boundaries of present knowledge to explore new concepts and
ideas for future revolutionary concepts („Breakthrough Propulsion Physics“).
Best regards,
Dipl.-Ing. Christian Bach Dipl.-Ing. Jan Sieder
Research Assistant Research Assistent
Space Propulsion and Space Propulsion and
Advanced Concepts, TUD/ILR Advanced Concepts, TUD/ILR