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This year is my Capstone project and I'm committing now to posting progress updates here on 𝕏. Here's the idea:
My school's Rocket Development Lab (student club) has a long-term aspiration to reach space with a completely undergraduate designed and built liquid fueled rocket, but many operational and technical challenges stand in the way, so building a simpler, cost-effective, repeatable platform to identify and solve those challenges is prudent.
Enter: Verso L'Alto (Upward in Italian), a solid-propelled rocket which will be the RDL's first foray into space. Many posts with details, pictures, and design choices to come.
And yes, we're looking for money. Dm me if you're willing to help out.
Well now they have to make a line of Cybercabs inspired by the Iron Man suits. Mk2 and Mk21 covered already
The propellant mix finished very well. We moved fast once we added the curative so the prop was still very pourable by the time we casted it into a motor shape. 3 more motors (75mm diameter) to cast on Wednesday, hopefully firing them next weekend. If that goes well, onto larger motors (>100mm diameter).
Solid spaceshot progress update
Mixing propellant for a new 54mm diameter test motor this morning. We're doing this to characterize our new formula, Vespa V³, which we added oxamide to as a burn suppressant.
Lower burn rate = longer burn time in flight = more delta-V delivered at higher in the atmosphere than previous iterations = less energy wasted fighting the thick air at lower altitude = less propellant needed overall = cheaper and lighter rocket.
This does mean a lower takeoff thrust though, which means we need a slightly longer launch tower (not a significant difference really, but worth considering).
Pictured: posing for the camera, the propellant bowl under a vacuum and on a vibration table (removing ammonia offgas from the tepanol), measuring the 400 micron AP (1 component of the oxidizer) to add to the mix
ALT propellant bowl on vibration table
Got my level 1 high power rocketry certification this past weekend in Aguila, AZ. I figure I should gain what experience I can with solid rockets with literally 1000x the impulse.
A fillet between one of the fins and the body cracked on landing of the 1st flight, so pictured is the 2nd flight which actually earned me the cert.
L2 next
Autonomy is a Trojan horse to get more people to drive/ride electric. The way to make all transportation electric is to make it better/cheaper/more ubiquitous than the alternative and autonomy is just another means to that end
Verso L'Alto (VA) will need a launch tower to keep it vertical until it's moving fast enough that the fins provide enough stability themselves. Many amateur high-power rockets use rail or rod style towers, where a small protrusion from the rocket body attaches to the tower and slides up along it, but since VA needs to make it all the way to space, reducing drag (especially off-axis) is paramount, so protrusions won't do. Instead VA will be 'hugged' by the tower.
A lot of money to be made in translating this into English I think
We officially release smlibpy open source. A python API for the smlib nurbs kernel (inspired by cad-query, build123d & classcad). A wasm compile for javascript/ts (1.8mb dl/brotli total). And a MCP for agents.
→ smlibpy.classcad.ch
→ github.com/awv-informatik/sm…
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I've taken 5 rides in the Cybercab now.
Some takeaways:
- Every time I get out of the car and it drives away I can't bring myself to believe it was real.
- Controlling the car (seats, etc.) from my phone is super snappy
- Sound system is really good. Holds up to what I've come to expect from Tesla.
- Mobile app/hailing is fantastic. Love seeing where my cab is before pickup so I know what direction to expect it from
- Much like the first point: Seeing "Welcome Ari" on the screen is just surreal. What a dream come true.
Constructive criticism/feature requests:
- Allow sun visor to be swung to block the window
- Reduce the amount of time I need to hold down the window control to slide it down fully (10s currently)
- Let me set a preferred lightbar + cabin color at pickup to be honored unless there are more Cybercabs present than distinct colors available
- Let me book a ride in advance (e.g. tell grok in the app "pick me up at 10"
- A live lyrics screen available from the 'now playing' screen
- Auto-open doors without needing a UWB-capable phone
- Edit destination from the car's screen
- Native apps instead of web apps (sign-in on Twitch was particularly clunky)
More rides tomorrow, perhaps more feedback to come
@EricETesla @robotaxi
Waymo will start selling ground truth to companies building world models. Google Street View combined with LiDAR scans is something only they have at scale. That's their only advantage I can think of once their Robotaxi business is eaten by Cybercab.
Nachdem ich mir nun dutzende Cybercab First Rides angesehen hab ,glaub ich das Waymo seine Existenzberechtigung so gut wie verloren hat.
Das wird eine brutale und schnelle Entwicklung sein.
Ich geb Waymo noch 12 Monate und keiner wird sich mehr an Googles Robotaxi Versuche erinnern. 😬
Da muss jetzt ganz schnell ne Nische her ,die Tesla NICHT bedienen wird.
This (and ~all other logo updates) get too much hate. What, they're supposed to wait to change it until you all start complaining that it looks antiquated? Become enlightened and accept that all things must change. The enlightened (non-complainers) being the minority, all changes will feel too early to the majority. Much like the (Y/N)IMBY debate I think.
↓ A very good trick for making deep connections fast as long as the other party is willing. I have met several of the closest people in my life by 1) asking them to tell their life story in 1 minute and asking followup questions or 2) telling them the story of how I got testicular torsion as a starter fun fact
