Auto Landing Rocket
This project required a couple subprojects. The intent was to demonstrate the viability of using HTML5, WebGL, and JavaScript
to visualize complicated sets of data. The first step was to create a simulation to generate the data, allowing for changes
in parameters to change the results of the outcome. The second step was to output this data to a file. The third step
was to visualize this data as a set of graphs. The fourth, and final step was to visualize the data as an animation.
The first 3 steps are done in simulation, the fourth is done separately as a viewer.
Total time was less than 3 months from ideation to completion of all the projects
The Simulation
|
The simulation was written in GNU Octave.
It should also function in Matlab but has not been tested there.
The program simulates a simple rocket launch using several data structures
and Eulerian integration.
The desire is to create a rocket that can take-off and land - gently, underline
its own control, i.e. the landing is automated with no human involvement.
|
The version of the program captured here will perform an initial burn for a specified time.
Once the rocket begins to descend from that burn a landing controller will be activated.
The landing controller will attempt to achieve a 0 velocity at a specified height.
If all goes well the rocket will hover at that height until fuel is gone.
This can simulate a landing if a height of near 0 is specified.
The simulation will end when the rocket's height is zero.
The velocity at that time should indicate a successful landing or not.
This zip file contains all the .m files necessary to run the simulation.
It requires you to install GNU Octave.
To run this: Open the launcher.m file using the Octave GUI.
While looking at the file, in the editor tab, press F5 to "save and run."
A few seconds might pass and then a window will pop up showing the graphs for
Acceleration, Thrust, Velocity, Height, Fuel.
Running the simulation will also generate 5 text files:
LH_combo*, LH_fuel*, LH_height*, LH_meta*, LH_thrust*
The one of most interest is the LH_combo*.txt
You may want to rename it with the extension .csv.
Reference files:
