Slashdot Mirror
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.
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."
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.
-
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.
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!
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. :)
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.