About 15 years ago, the USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory was established with the aim of sending the first student designed and built rocket to space. This means sending a rocket beyond what’s internationally recognized as the Kάrmάn line: the line where Earth’s atmosphere meets outer space, about 100 km or 330,000 feet from the surface of Earth. It wasn’t until last year that this was achieved by the team at the USC Rocket Propulsion Lab, and on today’s podcast, media lead Michael O’Neill and avionics lead Laura Potterat share everything they’ve experienced and learned as a part of the team.  On today’s episode, you’ll learn:

• How the work being done at USC Rocket Propulsion Lab could lead to a cheaper and simpler way of obtaining atmospheric data
• How space rockets are designed and function
• The challenge and importance of mitigating a high thrust profile at low altitudes, and increasing thrust profile at high altitudes

Visit uscrpl.com to learn more.

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