Brighthawk Blastoff

With on-board computer to ignite the outboard boosters after the main motor burns out.

I’ll post a series of frame grabs below from the rocket’s downward-pointing videocam. I launched her at the Saturday LUNAR event.

P.S. Today is a good day as the rocketry hobbyist organizations won their law suit against the ATF, with the argument that rocket motors do not fall in their jurisdiction… and reminding them that one bureau can’t regulate all the fun!

7 responses to “Brighthawk Blastoff”

jurvetson

Mar 17, 2009 at 12:43 am

More frame grabs from the rocket video

^ First-stage burnout
^ Second-stage ignition ^ Three Crayon shaped chaser rockets shooting up
^ view back over the flight line

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PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

Mar 17, 2009 at 1:39 am

Haha. More fun is always good !!!
Will the next win be against NASA ‘s Planetary Protection Office =P

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nels1

Mar 17, 2009 at 1:39 am

brilliant! loved the video:)

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jurvetson

Mar 17, 2009 at 3:40 am

thanks.
PQ: next win is for SpaceX. Stay tuned.

I just got this email from NAR:

We have completely and unambiguously won.

The BATFE regulation of APCP was found by Judge Walton to be "arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law." and has been ordered by the Court to be "vacated" or canceled… Justice has been served and an arrogant and capricious federal agency has been defeated by two small all-volunteer organizations with sound "rocket science" on our side. We know that APCP is not a threat to national security, nor are we, and the court has agreed with us.

P.S. I just noticed that the amount of rocket in frame is a good measure of the acceleration of the moment (since I have some foam padding tilting the camera slightly away from the airframe, and it compresses with airstream forces).

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ideastoday

Mar 17, 2009 at 10:34 pm

Great news re: the ATF suit.

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ugordan

Mar 18, 2009 at 12:17 pm

Great launch and video! What’s next – strapon booster jettison and stage separation? 😉

P.S. Are you referring to the SpaceX Falcon 1 Flight 5 launch? I hope it goes perfectly just as Flight 4 did, would be a great confidence booster (pun indended) for the F9 maiden flight. Might also secure more customers for F1(e)…

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red health

Mar 21, 2009 at 8:03 pm

jurvetson – great news from NAR!

I shoot off C6-3 rockets and frankly I do so in a way that guarantees safety for all. The ATF needs to worry about gangsters, illegal aliens and terrorists 1,000,000 times more than model rocketeers!

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Brighthawk Blastoff

7 responses to “Brighthawk Blastoff”

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