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Amateur Rocket Reaches Space
PatMouser writes "An amateur rocket carrying a ham radio avionics package reached the edge of space May 17. Launched from Nevada's Black Rock Desert, the 21-foot Civilian Space Xploration Team (CSXT) GoFast rocket quickly attained the 100 km altitude to make Amateur Radio and amateur rocketry history. Two earlier CSXT attempts to reach space--the last almost two years ago--were unsuccessful. A jubilant Avionics Team Leader Eric Knight, KB1EHE, called the successful launch 'a phenomenal experience.' The full ARRL article can be read here. There's nothing on CSXT's site yet..." (See this pre-launch story for more details.)
These guys had multiple GPS units broadcasting back the position of their payload.
Knight said several West Coast hams who learned about the rocket launch from ARRL news accounts showed up to assist in locating the vehicle, which was estimated to have returned to Earth some 26 to 30 miles downrange from the launch site. It came down.
Sig is on vacation
Apparently one of the main people working on the craft is from Minnesota, a talk radio station was interviewing him tonight. They have located the beacon on the craft, and are at the moment trying to get to it, but the weather is bad, and it's in a desert location. It's kind of a Wright brothers moment.
The emperor is naked.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
It's professional when you get paid to do it.
Two Roommates and a Boyfriend, updates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
"Eh, might someone wake me up when they actually reach space?"
It's kind of arbitrary. 100km or 60mi is the cut-off, so if they made it past that -- which they apparently did -- they "reached space."
amateur. n. "A person who engages in an art, science, study, or athletic activity as a pastime rather than as a profession."
profession. n. "An occupation or career."
(American Heritage Dictionary)
Karma: Segmentation fault (tried to dereference a null post)
Arguably, making orbit or Earth escape trajectory is a much less arbitrary definition than simply going up to where the atmosphere is really thin. After all, "space" is a nebulous concept. We're always in space. It just so happens that this little planet has air for us to breath. Achieving orbit means that the craft is actually a craft capable of flight outside the influence of our gravity. (sort of)
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
According to The Previous Slashdot story:
"The suborbital vehicle will attain an altitude of 100 km or 62 statute miles--high enough to be considered 'space'--linger there for a couple of minutes then arc back to Earth some 26 miles down range."
So, they didn't actually launch an Amateur Satellite into orbit (darn!).
But it looks like these guys are trying just that.
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
Rocket Carrying Ham Radio Payload Reaches Space!
NEWINGTON, CT, May 17, 2004--An amateur rocket carrying a ham radio avionics package reached the edge of space May 17. Launched from Nevada's Black Rock Desert, the 21-foot Civilian Space Xploration Team (CSXT) GoFast rocket quickly attained the 100 km altitude to make Amateur Radio and amateur rocketry history. Two earlier CSXT attempts to reach space--the last almost two years ago--were unsuccessful. A jubilant Avionics Team Leader Eric Knight, KB1EHE, called the successful launch "a phenomenal experience."
"It just roared off the pad and flew into space," said Knight, who lives in Unionville, Connecticut. "Everything went like clockwork this morning, and it was an awesome experience. We're all kind of on an adrenaline high right now."
The GoFast vehicle--named for one of the project's commercial sponsors--lifted off from the desert floor at approximately 11:20 AM PDT. The CSXT team, plus observers from the Federal Aviation Administration, were up and at the launch site several hours beforehand, however, and Knight said the rocket crew--which includes several radio amateurs--did a "dress rehearsal" prior to the actual countdown and launch.
Knight said several West Coast hams who learned about the rocket launch from ARRL news accounts showed up to assist in locating the vehicle, which was estimated to have returned to Earth some 26 to 30 miles downrange from the launch site. Knight said Monday evening that the rocket had not yet been recovered, but the ham radio telemetry package was continuing to transmit.
"We have a telemetry beacon telling us where it is--that it's alive and waiting to be found," Knight said. The rocket transmitted telemetry on the 33-cm amateur band and color Amateur TV pictures on 2.4 GHz. An HF special event station, K7R (for "rocket") didn't get much airtime, Knight said, "because we've been really focused on the mission."
"Everything came together very well," Knight said. His avionics crew includes eight Amateur Radio licensees, most of whom also were involved in the 2002 launch attempt. Former Hollywood stunt man--Ky Michaelson of Minnesota, directs the 18-person CSXT team.
We do it 3-4 times a year have been for 15 years or so. We arrange ahead of time and then we call into ATC before we light up the waiver and again when we're done. We regularly get waivers to 100k ft ASL (20 miles up) well above the 30k ft commercial planes fly at. Though we seldom fly that high.
Getting a waiver above 100k ft is much much harder - the normal FAA ATC doesn't have juristiction above there - you have to apply to a different part of the govt. who worry about things like stuff landing on other countries etc etc
Want to come to a launch? - you're welcome - check out www.aeropac.org
and then turn 90 degrees sideways and go fast enough that you fall back at the same rate the earth is falling away from you.
And have a magical engine (and inertial dampening system) that can accelerate to orbital speed fast enough and without tearing the ship apart. Actually orbital craft angle backwards as they accelerate through the atmosphere instead of going straight up.
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Thats not even close to being correct. Centrifugal force is a myth. Nothing is pushing the orbiting body outwards. If gravity was to suddenly be turned off, the orbiting body would depart tangentially, not radially as you imply with your "centrifugal" force. A body in orbit is essentially falling continuously to Earth, its horizontal velocity component means that it just keeps missing.
In the U.S., "space" is anything above 80km (about 50 mi). Evidently the equivalent marker is at 100km in Europe. Of course, none of this matters, since there is no sharp boundary.
If you launch them from a ship in international waters, sure. Otherwise you've got to deal with the government of whatever country from which you launch and their version of the FAA.
Send lawyers, guns, and money!
Where did that 19 mile mark come from? Right there in the summary it clearly says that
the 21-foot Civilian Space Xploration Team (CSXT) GoFast rocket quickly attained the 100 km altitude
(you also said that later on...)
Sure, provided that you obtain the requisite license from the Department of Transportation if launching from US territory (or if you are an American operating in international territory). You can find some of the US code that governs this here.
Essentially you have to prove you won't kill anyone on the ground, damage property, or act in a manner that is detrimental to national security or foreign policy interests to get a license.
Under international law, the United States government is ultimately responsible for damage from vehicles launched from US territory (even non-government launches by private individuals or companies), and it looks like it will pay out up to $1.5 billion (it's in section 70113 of the above link).
Worst...sig...ever!
Actually, according to The Professional Photographers Association of America the rule is that you've made more than 50% of your annual gross income in one tax year from the activity in question.
I believe that is a pretty common definition, but it's been a long time since I worked for a member of PPA too. :)
Orbital craft are launched straight up because it is inefficient to try to accelerate tangential to the Earth's surface at low altitudes, due to the air density. They fly more or less straight up to about 30km before really pitching over to start the tangential acceleration into a periodic orbit (as opposed to a once-through orbit like the one you enter when you jump off the ground). Low earth orbit basically begins around 130km, where the atmosphere has thinned out enough that you can remain in orbit. I think the ISS is in the 230km-300km range.
I'm going to plug a great simulator for you all, and that is Orbiter. You'll learn a ton about astrophysics just by starting the program up and trying to get into orbit your first time, and it won't quit from there.
In case you are wondering, as I was, how you get the acronym "ARRL" out of "National Association for Amateur Radio" but don't want to search the site... one of their pages explains that it stands for American Radio Relay League, founded in 1914.
The air density above the earht isn't consistant. For example the air pressure at 60,000 ft at the equator is about the same as at 20,000 ft at the poles.
Centrifugal force is highly real, as you will no doubt feel if you place yourself on a merry-go-round. It's just a matter of having an accelerated frame of reference. If you and your friend were orbiting the earth, and gravity were turned off for him, the centrifugal force would indeed make him depart radially from you, though the Coriolis force would eventually bend his path.
There's a good explanation at http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/corf.ht ml
This signature is not in the public domain.
Depending on the country the permission to actually fly the thing may be the least of your worries.
The environmental impact analysis of the rocket engines and fuel and the explosives regulations are far more likely to be restrictions.
For example in the Netherlands rockets may only be fired by the military.
Amateur rocketeers have to report to the military where arrangements are made for the rocket to be launched from a shooting range (normally used for artillery practice).
The military will inspect the vehicle for proper installation of the engine and fuel and perform the actual launch.
Except they had a valid launch license. :)
Oh, and the fact that there were FAA personal *on site* monitoring the launch (and giving final approval).
Never argue with a fool. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
-Xenith
Even then, you would probabally need to get permission from the nation who is the official registrar of that ship you are floating in. Almost all ships in the ocean, and all commercial vessels, are registered to a specific country, mainly to deal with maritime law and other subtle legal issues such as what country a child belongs to when they are born aboard ship, if a crime happens what country has juristiction, and should that ship be allowed to trade in a given port or not.
Ships registered to the U.S.A. are given protection of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, and an attack against an American flag ship is considered an act of war against the U.S.A., with all of the consequences that follow from that.
There are nations that do a "flag of convience" like Liberia, who only charge a modest licensing fee and do practically no inspections. (An inspection consisiting of "Yeah, the ship is there" is probabally a little bit too much for Liberia) Of course, the Liberian Navy isn't exactly going to go out of their way to help you out either.
The point here is that if you launch from a ship, even in international waters, you need to get permission from the government who you have the ship registered to. That is why I've suggested in the past that the Liberian Space Agency might end up with the largest fleet of space going craft, but even so you have to deal with at least some sort of government.
Who knows, maybe this can be a source of revenue for Nauru to suppliment their income from domain sales.
"amature" is not a word. if anything, it would mean "not-mature," which i doubt is the meaning you're going for.
"I DARE you to make less sense!"
That's not even close to being correct. The Greek heathen Eratosthenes has shown via ingenious deduction that the Earth is a sphere with a circumference of 250,000 stades.
Passing through a countries air space is not a problem. It's a matter of altitude, thats why NASA shoots over the Atlantic. By the time a vehicle crosses land, it's too high to do anything about.
You can claim anything, what you can defend or enforce is what is paid attention too.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
If you can get all the paperwork approved, then, yes, you (a private individual) could launch a rocket.
It's simpler than that. You are a professional when the activity in question is your profession.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
And on a side note, how well does GPS work at that alt?
To prevent people from cheaply building their own missile guidance systems, commercial GPS receivers are limited to a maximum altitude of 60,000 feet and a maximum speed of 1000mph. Link here.
These are legal restrictions though, not technical ones. I have no idea what the "real" limits are.
It's only software!