The NCSU team, which goes by Tacho Lycos - derived from the Greek words for "fast wolf" - is showing off the university's cross-disciplinary approach by blending knowledge from several fields, including structural, electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering and even textiles for the carbon cloth used for the airframe.
In the past two years, the team used relatively modest technology, such as the fiberglass cloth molded around a thick cardboard tube in the 2010 rocket.
This time, it's using aerospace-quality carbon fiber for the bulk of the construction. It's much more expensive, with nearly $1,000 in carbon cloth and epoxy resin, but is lighter, stronger and more durable.
"We wanted to be different and do something that was special this time," said Clark Moser, 22, a textile engineering major and the lead construction officer.
The team got some funding from grants. This time, though, Sean Maroni, a junior in mechanical engineering, suggested they also try Kickstarter, an online fundraising platform that connects people who have ideas for creative projects with donors from the general public.
The club had to receive at least $2,500 in pledges to earn the funding, and hit the goal early Friday morning, with 44 backers from as far away as Australia, England, Canada and the Netherlands.
