We welcomed 2019 with the machining of our injector faceplate and ox post. Unfortunately, the UAH shop manager Steve Collins retired, which made January the last month for student machining until someone new is hired. 

February was heavy on planning as we evaluated how the closing of the UAH Prototyping Facility would affect our timeline to hotfire, as well as our overall progress on many tasks. While it's not the most exciting progress, making sure everything is squared away from a programmatic standpoint helps all future progress advance more smoothly. 

Whatever excitement February lacked was made up in March. Two landmark milestones were surpassed, with the heat treatment of the propellant tanks and the injector cold flow testing! Shout-out to ATC-CES in Chattanooga, TN for donating their time and services, and for introducing our team (and interested SHC members) to metallurgy during a tour of the facility. 

Next stop: Hydrostatic testing of the tanks to 1.5x their working pressure, finishing the valve actuation, and finishing the assembly of the ground support equipment

In early April, team members attended the AIAA Region II Student Conference to present on their preliminary work with ablative materials for the second generation engine, as well as attend other university presentations. The plan for hydrostatic testing of the propellant tanks was devised and the procurement process was started. The valve actuation team made a handful of revisions to improve the fit of the servo fixture, and the team completed a massive audit and inventory of all fittings.  

May kicks off the season of internships, summer classes, and a little more time to work on the project. The valve team started zeroing in on the final envelope and is moving on to finalizing the armature to transmit torque from the servo to the ball valve. 

Summer is in full swing, and so is the team. With many personnel out of state, lots of documentation and procurement is worked on. That said, there's still time to assemble hardware, like this mocked up GSE propellant management fluid system. 

Parts orders, sent. Operating Procedures, written. Schematics, updated. This month we continued working on GSE subsystems while overhauling many system documents to capture design changes. We're entering the Fall semester ready to get big things done. 

The team is back in Alabama, and ready to make big steps towards our first static fire campaign, NOE-1W. Final parts orders were submitted, propellants were ordered, and final assembly began. 

September was a very busy month! We presented our Critical Design Review to a panel of industry professionals for a final round of feedback on the hardware before NOE-1W. Additionally, we hosted "Paint the Stand Day" for new Space Hardware Club members to work hands on with our hardware and learn more about the project. As the second half of the semester begins, it's becoming more and more obvious NOE-1W is right around the corner. 

This month showed the benefits of moving forward cautiously. We hydrostatically proof pressure tested the propellant tanks. The objective was to reach and hold a 2x Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP), but a weld on the tank ruptured at 0.7x MAWP. With the rupture of the main run tanks, the team procured a set of smaller double ended sample cylinders for the test stand. While losing hardware is never fun, it's better to lose it in a controlled test with inert substances. The team is now taking the lessons learned during the life cycle of the failed tanks and applying them future tank designs. 

Rebounding from the loss of the tanks, the team welcomed it's newest members in the best way possible: major hardware assembly. The new, single piece injector was machined, fluid lines were installed, and the interim vehicle panel was assembled. 

What a year for the team! We've heat treated tanks, proof pressure tested those same tanks, cold flowed the injector, welcomed over 10 new team members, and assembled the static fire test stand. 2020 holds big things for the team, so stay tuned!