[AR] Re: Funding for projects
- From: Dave Klingler <davek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2013 16:07:06 -0600
On Oct 9, 2013, at 2:33 PM, Ben Brockert wrote:
> UCSD SEDS started a $6800 project earlier this year to build a 3D
> printed rocket engine and run it on their own stand, and succeeded in
> funding it and testing it. http://seds.ucsd.edu/projects.html You
> might contact them to find out how.
Hey, cool! I designed that version of the SEDS logo on a rainy afternoon over
twenty years ago. It made me smile to see it in the video.
At SEDS-UNM, we actually got comparatively little cash but hundreds of
thousands of dollars in material donations. We'd contact companies that made
the things we wanted and ask nicely. For off-the-shelf items, we'd ask about
used or demo items or functional prototypes. In some cases we were able to
pick up top-secret items that were declassified because they were part of a
losing bid, even though the winning bids stayed classified. Interesting
revelation, that.
For machining, I'd go around to defense contractors or local shops, depending
on what we wanted. They were often willing to donate hours, sometimes on
company time, sometimes off the clock.
Because UNM is a state school, I was able to go to federal government auction
previews, choose equipment before the public saw it and have the property
transferred to us directly. Strictly speaking, I'm not sure a college club
should have had that kind of status, but I quietly filled out the forms and it
all worked the way I wanted it to work. I began to consider myself something
of a "stainless steel rat", a la Harry Harrison. For large transfers, I went
and took the university's defensive driving course and gained the ability to
check out big flatbeds. We brought our 16' dish that way, and a few weeks
later we were able to freeload a few hours of crane rental to have the dish put
on our building's roof.
Even if you're not affiliated with a university or some other type of
non-profit, you can still do everything but federal and state property
transfers. The real message here is that you can have amazing results if
you're resourceful. Just be VERY careful to work hard with whatever you get so
that nobody's ever sorry they invested in you.
Dave Klingler
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