My rocket buddy Erik, launched a night rocket to the highest altitude I have ever seen – 12k feet. Generally, the idea is to keep a visual on the blinking lights.
His scratch-built black carbon fiber rocket was equipped with an Animal Motor Works L1300 Blue Baboon motor, an extreme thrust to weight ratio.
As the photographer, I am the person closest to the pad. From my vantage point, it shot straight up, like a burst into hyperspace, and disappeared out of sight into the pointillist star field… evoking a Star Wars flashback for me.
It just disappeared into the Milky Way. And then silence.
Hmm… Should we duck and cover?
Absolute silence.
At daybreak, one of the early risers went to take a pee behind the camp. And thenwe hear him exclaim:
“Erik, there’s your rocket!”
It was just behind our RV. With no separation of the airframe or parachute deployment. All together, just as it launched, and thus, as we would assume it should return, nose down and ballistic, a lawn dart in the playa… But no, it lay there horizontally, completely unharmed.
Must be aliens.
(best viewed large)
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