From thunder.sbay.org!zygot!lunacity.com!erps-list_owner Mon May 24 12:51:02 1999 >From ikluft Mon May 24 12:51:03 1999 Return-Path: Received: from thunder.sbay.org by zot.kluft.com with smtp (Linux Smail3.2 #2) id m10m0kX-00080SC; Mon, 24 May 1999 12:51:01 -0700 (PDT) Received: from zygot by thunder.sbay.org with uucp (Linux Smail3.2.0.92 #1) id m10m0cd-0008X4C; Mon, 24 May 1999 12:42:51 -0700 (PDT) Received: from equine.announcetech.com by zygot.announcetech.com with smtp (Smail3.1.29.1 #1) id m10m0Wk-0001nzC; Mon, 24 May 99 12:36 PDT Received: from pallas.wallis.com ([206.79.202.17] ident=root) by equine.announcetech.com with esmtp (Exim 1.90 #1) for ikluft@thunder.sbay.org id 10m0Wi-0007jx-00; Mon, 24 May 1999 12:36:45 -0700 Received: from Plato.LunaCity.com (Plato.lunacity.com [198.144.202.130]) by pallas.wallis.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id MAA25642; Mon, 24 May 1999 12:30:07 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: From: ikluft@thunder.sbay.org (Ian Kluft) Subject: JPA sets altitude record To: erps-list@plato.lunacity.com (ERPS list) Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 12:27:03 -0700 (PDT) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL23] Content-Type: text X-UIDL: c5567b2cb20d56f20b1e7589b055e561 Sender: erps-list_owner@LunaCity.com Reply-To: erps-list@LunaCity.com Status: RO (After being gone all weekend and seeing what the list has been up to while I was out, sorry about bringing up a relatively down-to-Earth subject like building and launching rockets. ;-) This message will cover what was accomplished by JP Aerospace this weekend at Black Rock. I'll make a "trip report" with my experiences in a separate message. JP Aerospace made another attempt at the first amateur launch to space this past weekend. They succeeded in setting a new altitude record for amateur rocketry but did not reach the originally-intended altitude. The previous altitude record holder, Ky "RocketMan" Michaelson, was present to confirm in front of CNN's camera that JPA had beaten his record, and sounded happy (excited) about their accomplishment. Saturday's launch attempt was scrubbed. The balloons were filled but then the wind picked up and started banging them together and popping too many to proceed with the launch. JPA had reserved the airspace for a second attempt on Sunday, and had additional Helium and balloons for it. Sunday's attempt led to a successful launch of the balloon assembly with the rocket in the launch box. Amateur Radio links provided video and GPS telemetry from the box. The rocket had to be launched early as winds aloft took the package to the boundary of the FAA launch permit area, nearly half way to California. The launch altitude was 27,000 feet. The rocket launch was confirmed by video transmitted from the launch box, and visual sighting from the ground. The rocket re-acquired GPS satellites in flight, which some "experts" had told JPA members was not possible because it had never been done before. Telemetry was spotty but they think it's enough to reconstruct the flight path to estimate apogee. The highest GPS altitude received was 72,000 feet, and still climbing at 800 feet per second. Ky Michaelson conceded his altitude record to them on the spot. (His previous "seventy-something" record was an estimate so he was willing to concede to a measured altitude.) JPA will post the apogee estimate on their web site after they have more time to crunch and review the numbers. They'll claim 72,000 as the record and state their computed apogee estimate as unofficial. JPA's recovery teams retrieved the nose cone (with payload) from the Smoke Creek Desert, a muddy lakebed 25 miles away. It was found 1/4 mile from the projected impact point based on in-flight data. (It took hours in 4x4s to find it.) The wreckage of the launch box was also recovered. The tail section of the rocket (which would have contained the full data for the flight) is believed to have buried itself on impact in the same lakebed where the nose cone was found. They believe the parachute did deploy but the timers, which had been set for a launch from 100,000 ft, let it go after the rocket was too low and going too fast, tearing the parachute and breaking the rocket into two pieces. ERPS members who participated in the launch and recovery efforts with JPA's teams were Dave Lautenschlager (from Colorado) and me. I'd like to thank the friendly folks at JP Aerospace and its members for letting us participate as a part of the team. -- Ian Kluft KO6YQ PP-ASEL http://www.kluft.com/~ikluft/ sbay.org coordinator ikluft@thunder.sbay.org (home) ikluft@cisco.com (work) San Jose, CA "California Carpool": a caravan of single-occupant vehicles