Air Scoop

12 responses to “Air Scoop”

1. 

   The Rocketeer

   Dec 3, 2006 at 11:18 pm

   It looks like it’s atop a fluffy tower of cotton wadding or clouds.

   Reply
2. 

   jurvetson

   Dec 4, 2006 at 1:34 am

   nice. it’s backlit by the sun.

   I was stationed on the local hilltop (shooting into the sun with the long lens), and Tom was on the opposite hill, so we could get a good visual on where it came back down by parachute. A 400mm shot of the landing helped me find it later.

   We are still working on the post-mortem. Some strange sequence of events have me puzzled (e.g., the main charge detonated at 800 ft. as programed, so that makes it impossible for it to have detonated prematurely….)

   Reply
3. 

   Telstar Logistics

   Dec 4, 2006 at 2:55 am

   Indeed, the lighting on the smoke trail looks great. Good luck with the incident report!

   BTW, where was this? It looks like the greater Bay Area.

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4. 

   BenODen

   Dec 4, 2006 at 3:20 am

   YAY, non-fatal. Happy mystery hunting! You’re going to go from a K to an L? That might go to Mach 1 even with the nosecone off… Cool shot, pretty crispy looking morning. Livermore Labs doesn’t have any issues with 2 mile rocktets!? shocking. *grin* Livermore’s having a better time with security than Los Alamos, even so…

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5. 

   jurvetson

   Dec 4, 2006 at 4:07 am

   Oh, we go farther East for the high power launches. Snow Ranch is a private cow farm East of Stockton, near the foothills to Yosemite. No targets for miles. =)

   On further thought, I think I’ll try the Firestorm on a K700 (which will probably be the limit for that one). I am looking for a larger rocket for the L motors….

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6. 

   benjiman

   Dec 4, 2006 at 6:22 am

   love the contrast. great story too.

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7. 

   Victor1

   Dec 4, 2006 at 7:04 am

   When is the San Mateo > Redmond Launch? Wanna get a good shot of that re-entry in my backyard. 😉

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8. 

   Telstar Logistics

   Dec 6, 2006 at 4:13 pm

   Steve, please keep us posted on the status of the post mortem, as your public is eager for updates!

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9. 

   jurvetson

   Dec 7, 2006 at 5:24 am

   fantastic!

   update: It looks like a wiring mistake to the new flight computer. It has three event connectors and jumpers for various configurations. With the settings I see, it triggered the main parachute charge upon launch detection (normally that trigger is used for motor cluster ignition so you can ignite secondary motors only if the main has lit). I am still trying to track down a USB adapter to be able to download the flight log.

   Reply
10. 

    BenODen

    Dec 7, 2006 at 7:24 pm

    Hmm! So, it was just luck that you didn’t pop the main chute after all and rip it to shreds on the accent? Ooop! I’m glad it’s not just me that makes that class of oops.

    Reply
11. 

    jurvetson

    Dec 8, 2006 at 2:35 am

    yeah… and that could have introduced a sudden change of trajectory at takeoff…. yikes!

    Luckily, against the thrust, the main chute was pushed back into the top tube.

    I am really glad this bird had two parachutes under seprate control. The drogue charge deployed at apogee, as intended. The sudden yank of the small chute was enough to get the main chute to slide out of the top tube. So both chutes were unfurled allowing for a soft landing.

    And, remarkably, someone else found the nose cone… with most of the paint missing.

    Reply
12. 

    GooseGoddessS

    May 22, 2007 at 5:28 pm

    This is an awesome capture!
    The smoke trail is amazing!

    Reply