Inspiration – Page 17 – On the Wings of Angels

Babybird’s Successful Start Falls Just Short of Flight for Rockets 2017-Fredericksburg STEM Academy/Rocket Program-Spring Term Update #4

Hopes were that three successful tests on the new “junior test stand” nick named “Babybird” over the past weekend would result in the opportunity for the seniors in the Fredericksburg STEM Academy to fly a new Hybrid student developed rocket at Willow City. The purpose of this teststand, as highlighted in the last update, was to test a fuel grain system designed and developed by the seniors to interface with the hyportek injector and tank. Their hope was to have 3 successful tests on this past weekend.

Saturday evening, May 6, they conducted their first ever test of the Babybird. Unfortunately according to Mr. Matthes, “the containment system experienced thermal damage which tables Babybird for this year”

Babybird may not send a rocket out this year, but she is not at her end. According to Mr. Matthes, “we will continue with the testing of it…The Baby bird still is important research that can be utilized by SystemsGo to increase the rigor of the Oberth level of the program to include motor design.”

Mr. Matthes congratulates the class on their hard work and efforts, “Burn looks great though… well designed propulsion. Very curious to see the data which looked promising at a glance. Great job FHS Engineering Class of 2017!”

This article is the eighth in a series, new for this school year ’16/’17 of updates that will follow the Fredericksburg STEM Academy/Rocket program. This school is a participant of the SystemsGo STEM program. This series of articles is intended to support, encourage, and challenge students in the program as they share their working status and accomplishments throughout the year in the program. These publications will be available for tags and re-posting.

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org . Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.

#Rockets2017 #SystemsGo #FredericksburgSTEMAcademy #Launcher01

Saturday, Day 2 For Houston Rockets 2017-Recap and Sunday’s Schedule

Today, Saturday, the SystemsGo team had seven schools and twenty rockets to launch on this, their normal full day of launching at the Houston location. It was a productive day, albeit a long and tiring day for the team at the range. The action finally ended and the Livestream shut down about 9:15 this evening.

Weather at the site was sunny with only slight clouds and some wind. Reports from recovery members say it was a beautiful day for launching rockets.

Phil and Rebekah had a very special guest at Mission Control today. Norman Chaffee, retired Deputy Director of NASA Johnson Space Center, was there.He consults with some of the schools in the area on their rockets and STEM programs. In the interview today, he remembered coming to Fredericksburg in the early days of these launches to consult with Brett Williams, program founder, on safety and logistics. It was a genuinely interesting interview as he recounted all his work history through the years with the space program, all the way to where he is now retired and helping young high school students learn.

Later in the day, Phil took time to talk to Christy Bible Glass about her history and how she came to work for SystemsGo. Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear much of hers because my system crashed on my phone and computer about that time, which is why the quality of her picture is so bad, and she appears to have a monocle over one of her glasses. Sorry about that Christy, maybe you can say you were practicing for the upcoming Pirates movie. “Arrgh!”

What I was able to hear and see was a really nice and interesting interview.

In spite of issues on my part, the team still had a great day on the range. Here are a few of the better screen grabs I managed to get today.

The rest of today’s screen shots will be posted on Facebook at the following address for public sharing:

https://www.facebook.com/ginger.burow/media_set?set=a.1471968966157563&type=3

The link below is screen shots from yesterday’s action at the range. Chelsea Burow, pad operator, may add more to either of these albums later. I know she took some really nice pictures from the pad.

https://www.facebook.com/ginger.burow/media_set?set=a.1471692176185242.100000334203350&type=3&uploaded=36

Apparently students, teachers, parents and other humans were not the only spectators watching the rockets. This fellow was sent in by recovery team member, Steve Burrow.

The current launch schedule for Sunday is shown below and may also be downloaded from SystemsGo website at the following address: http://www.systemsgo.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Flight-Schedule-Rockets-2017-Houston-4-4-17-.2.pdf

Sunday, May 22, 2016
School Name	# 1st Level Tsiolkovsky	# 2nd Level Oberth
Booker T. Washington HS Dr. Nghia Le	1	1
Northstar High School Alan Stone	2	1

Schools Launching 2
Totals	3	2
May 22^nd Total Rockets	5

Public access is available at this new site this year. A map to the location as well as directions are available at the SystemsGo Events page found here:

http://www.systemsgo.org/events/

There will also be Livestream from there again this year so friends and family can watch the action online, provided by Phil Houseal and Zach Pooser .

http://livestream.com/systemsgo

Zach and Phil provide a great experience for both viewers at home and the students and team on site while helping to bolster the STEM program. Allowing the public to share in the actions and see what these students are accomplishing as they apply all they have learned and continue to learn from their launch results helps SystemsGo to grow interest in the future of the STEM program and the hands on approach to learning.

Please remember that since there is pubic access to this event this year, there are tickets for order and those may be found on the SystemsGo website as well at this link: https://www.greateventseats.com/events.php?lID=92

Event details will be available here each day of the event. Daily reports featuring schedules, school names, results, pictures if available, and some editorial content will also be posted.

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.

Friday, Day 1 For Houston Rockets 2017-Recap and Saturday’s Schedule

Today, Friday was the first day of Houston rocket launches. This is new for this year. Usually Friday is just a set up day, but do to more rocket volume to achieve launching, Friday afternoon was added. Eight schools tested a total of 12 rockets this afternoon.

According to reports from team members at the site, all 12 rockets left the rail. That does not mean each was a perfect launch, but then that is why they are considered test vehicles. All in all it was a good day with fabulous weather, and a great new location with good results. And they get to do it all over again Saturday.

These are screen shots of the action in Houston. Quality isn’t always perfect but at least you can see some of what went on today. I will add more to Facebook and post them at some point on Saturday. The link to my page is down below these photos.

I do have more photos I grabbed from the live feed as well as some from team members that I will be posting Saturday morning. https://www.facebook.com/ginger.burow

Here is the schedule for Saturday as listed on the SystemsGo website.

Saturday, May 13, 2017
School Name	# 1st Level Tsiolkovsky	# 2nd Level Oberth
Brazosport High School Bradley Nelson	1
Brazoswood High School Dale Hobbs	3	1
Channelview High School Alan Stone	3
Davis High School Hasan Johnson	2
Kingwood Park High School Jim Brown	2
Liberty High School Matthew Williams	2	1
SF Austin High School Richard Hubbard	5

7
Schools Launching
Totals	18	2
May 21^st Total Rockets	20

Livestream is available again this year so friends and family can watch the action online. The link for that is on SystemsGo‘s website or posted here: http://livestream.com/systemsgo

Here is Phil Houseal keeping the Livestream action going:

Event details will be available here each day of the event. Daily reports featuring schedules, school names, results, pictures if available, and some editorial content will also be posted.

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org .Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.

Fredericksburg’s STEM Academy/Rocket Program-Spring Term Update #3 (April 1-April 30)

May is here and time is running out for the Fredericksburg STEM Academy as launch dates approach for the junior and senior groups. Juniors have a May 18th test date at Rockets 2017 in Willow City. While the seniors are down to less than 3 weeks as Redbird 18 is scheduled for completion two weeks before school ends to allow for preliminary systems tests.Due to delays in manufacturing, testing will have to occur in the process of construction as components come in. Final testing will be the week of June 19th prior to their test at WSMR the following week. It is slated to launch at White Sands Missile Range on June 27th.

During April the seniors tested Low Density polyethylene (LDPE) three times on teststand. Data on all tests was consistent and exemplary. Currently the injector plate is being drilled again to increase the oxidizer flow rate to the correct value to provide for complete combustion. Due to this testing is on hold. Lately they have been experimenting with different ablative arrangements. The ablative has burned through slightly but not enough to damage the test cell.

Below is an actual video of an engine burn test. This one of the first video’s with HD video quality and audio. The regularly captured video does not have audio embedded. This is good for them too as they do these tests for NASA and this gives them something more to show of their work.

https://goo.gl/photos/78HwtXxx8rytjxSV7

Mr. Matthes had this to say about this particular burn, “It looks pretty good but we’re only getting about 1/3 of the oxidizer we should be getting so it is fuel rich. It will not be as orange when we get the oxidizer flow rate correct. The hope is that it is a really clean plume with mach diamonds in the plume.”

The senior’s “junior teststand” nick named “Baby Bird” is almost complete. They hope to conduct their first ever test on this new teststand possibly late this week. This teststand was created by the seniors starting last year during junior studies to test a fuel grain system designed and developed by them to interface with the hyportek injector and tank. They hope to have 3 successful tests on this teststand. If they achieve this, then they get to fly this new system at Willow City in last year’s rocket. At this point, they are getting fuel grains prepped. Pictured below, are nozzles created for Baby Bird.

Redbird 18 still currently does not resemble a rocket, but they are making steady progress. The nozzle has been manufactured, seen here

and the nose cone mold is also back, seen here.

Machining could only be created to within 8 inches of the tip, therefore they created the tip with 3D printing and epoxied it to the nose cone and are preparing it for fiberglass.

Other needed materials are in and have been sent out to Heartland Enterprises for machining. Currently, Mr. Matthes says that the biggest test coming up will be next week when they pressure test the oxidizer tank.

Juniors are under pressure as the deadline for 100% completion of their rocket is May 11. Meeting this deadline will allow them time to complete their Flight Readiness Reviews (FRR) and be able to high light problems or errors that still exist. Components are coming in and weights on some are different than originally reflected in RockSim. Due to this they are updating their design to accommodate. Currently they are still on the wire between breaking the speed of sound and exceeding the 13,000 feet maximum allowable altitude. Breaking Mach means they also exceed altitude. Staying under 13,000 feet means then they lose their shot at breaking Mach.

Here Chris Calzada is working on RockSim trying to resolve the altitude velocity conundrum.

Meanwhile the Sophomores have been entrusted to work at their own pace to finish their last chapters and projects. Time remaining after completion of these is for 3D printing and modeling. Their learned skills in isometric, creating section views, details and working drawing sets would now allow them to communicate effectively to a machine shop without the need for clarification.

Paul Kucherka, a FISD maintenance man and school function videographer developed an issue with the quadcopter that he uses to video. A few of the sophomores are going to attempt to design and develop a new wiring harness that may provide the solution to Paul’s needs, hopefully by the end of the school year, this would allow him to continue using this equipment for video. In order to do this, a few other sophomores have been creating the multiview of one of the quadcopter’s parts on the 3D printer. Pictured below is the original part they are attempting to recreate.

This article is the seventh in a series, new for this school year ’16/’17 of monthly updates that will follow the Fredericksburg STEM Academy/Rocket program. This school is a participant of the SystemsGo STEM program. This series of articles is intended to support, encourage, and challenge students in the program as they share their working status and accomplishments throughout the year in the program. These publications will be available for tags and re-posting.

SystemsGo New Mexico Inaugural Launches Were a Great Success Thursday in Jal

Congratulations to SystemsGoNM on a great day in Jal, NM Thursday. Six schools attempted launching a total of 10 rockets today and 9 of those 10 were successful launches. That is quite an impressive start for the New Mexico program branch. Staff from SystemsGo in Texas were very pleased with today’s launch outcome.

Program Director, Rebekah Hyatt had this to say, “SystemsGo NM has officially established their program! Jal high school was the first SG school to certify and launch a rocket! They are off to a fabulous start!”

All rockets tested this year were one pound/one mile vehicles, next year the program plans to add the next level transonic rockets to the docket. This will make next year another interesting year to keep an eye on this new program as transonic add their own set of challenges both for the students and the launch facilities.

To add to the great news, the program in New Mexico is growing and more schools may be added this next year.

Congratulations to the six schools that were part of this monumental inaugural launch this year. You were all part of history and did very well. Jal High School, Carlsbad High School, Hobbs High School, Lake Arthur High School, Loving High School, and Lovington High School, you are the first to build a launch a rocket in your schools and state as part of this program. You are now what new schools will watch and aspire to be and beat. This is a good thing. You have set your schools up for future successes. And as years pass you will find there will be a bit of friendly competition to achieve the best. This just keeps each new class reaching a little farther to learn that one thing that makes their project not only better than last year’s, but better than any other schools’.

In the beginning just getting off the rail is a huge success, but as years go by you want to improve those results. Some of you will be back next year, and some of you will not. For those that will not, you have something that no one after you will ever have again, you were the first to achieve success here today, and your success has set the bar for next year. For those that will be back, and for future groups after you, the bar is set, now it’s time to move forward and surpass it. Success now, is not matching what others have done, it is attempting to give those after you another measure to beat. This not only helps future students it helps your school’s program to continue and be successful.

The best part of this is that all you learned here in the program carries over into your success in the future. Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and whether you realize it or not, business, communication, and work place training will all help lead you to future success.

Here are a few high lights from today’s program:

Above are two photos from the launch site.

These are Stage 1 and Stage 2 at Jal Volunteer Fire Department. All photos are courtesy of Rebekah Hyatt, SystemsGo Program Director.

More photos from today’s activities are available here: https://www.facebook.com/ginger.burow/media_set?set=a.1452809664740160.1073741877.100000334203350&type=3

This closes out the SystemsGoNM launch activities.

Tomorrow the team members from SystemsGo in Texas will head back to Fredericksburg and continue preparations for more launches.

Rockets 2017 will continue with two more launches in May. The first will be held in Smith Point just south of Anahuac, Texas for schools in the Houston area, on the weekend of May 12-14, 2017. If you have been to the Houston area launches in the past you may want to check out the SystemsGo website for information because this is a new location for that area this year. Information and a map link are available on the website.

Next the Stewart Ranch in Willow City, Texas will host the largest of the now three launch events on the weekend of May 18-21, 2017. This testing site covers the Fredericksburg and Hill Country area schools and all Texas schools not participating in the Houston launches.

The senior groups are tentatively scheduled to launch their Goddard level rockets at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico the week of June 26-30. These are not available for public viewing or Livestream due to being tested on a military facility, but blog and SystemsGo updates will be posted online as available during that week.

If you plan to attend any of this year’s launches please register for your attendance ticket at http://www.systemsgo.org/save-the-date-for-rockets-2017/ or they may be gotten at the gate. These are free but required for admittance to each site. Reserving them ahead at the website is preferred to obtaining them at the gate because the latter slows entrance to the site and may result in you missing the viewing of your intended launch.

You may also view any of the launches except WSMR on Livestream. That link will be available on the SystemsGo website closer to the launch.

The launch schedules for each venue are available at http://www.systemsgo.org/save-the-date-for-rockets-2017/ . I will post it here for each launch day as well. I want it to be as accurate as possible so I will refrain from posting schedules until the evening before each launch day in case there are any late changes.

Please watch the SystemsGo website, SystemsGo Facebook page, SystemsGo Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/SystemsGoNews and this blog for upcoming information on theses events.

More event details will be available here in upcoming days/weeks as events get closer. Daily reports featuring schedules, school names, results, pictures and some editorial content will be posted during the events.

http://www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. You may also email them at info@systemsgo.org . Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.

Thank you for reading and following the SystemsGo Rockets.

SystemsGo Texas Heads to Support SystemsGo New Mexico

Members of SystemsGo, including Gene Garrett, Rebekah Hyatt, and Scott Netherland traveled to Jal, NM today to lend support to David Willden and the new SystemsGoNM as they prepare to execute their first launches for six New Mexico schools new to the program for this year. Members of SystemsGoNM have already been hard at work readying the new Discovery Education Launch Pad for Thursday’s launches. They have also been prepping the Jal Fire Station for Stages 1 and 2.

Wednesday, SystemsGoNM and SystemsGo will join forces to train volunteers and clarify operating systems procedures. This will serve to help refresh members who were observers at Willow City last May, and be an easy paced on the job training session for them and others involved. This should help prepare them in order to make Thursday run smoothly. Training will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Jal Fire Station.

A reception for Sponsors, Volunteers and Dignitaries will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday evening in Hobbs, NM at the Baymont Inn and Suites. Attendees will listen to speakers instrumental to the launch of this new program. Refreshments will be served during the presentations.

Schools participating in the Jal launches include Carlsbad High School, Hobbs High School, Jal High School, Lake Arthur High School, Loving High School and Lovington High School.

A live feed for Thursday’s launches will be available on the following Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/discoveryed and will also linked to their science page at http://www.bringonthescience.com/ .

SystemsGo New Mexico also has a twitter feed you can join to keep up to date on what they are doing. That link is https://twitter.com/SystemsGoNM

The schedule of launches for Jal is available at http://www.systemsgo.org/save-the-date-for-rockets-2017/ . I will post it here for launch day as well.

SystemsGo New Mexico is headed up by David Willden.

Please watch the SystemsGo website, SystemsGo Facebook page, SystemsGo Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/SystemsGoNews and this blog for upcoming information on theses events.

More event details will be available here Wednesday and Thursday evening. Daily reports featuring schedules, school names, results, pictures and some editorial content will be posted each evening.

Please watch the SystemsGo website, SystemsGo Facebook page, SystemsGo Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/SystemsGoNews and this blog for upcoming information on theses events.

Rockets 2017 Begins Next Week With a New Venue in New Mexico

The launch of Rockets 2017 blasts skyward on April 27th from a brand new venue this year as six schools from New Mexico join the SystemsGo program. Last year instructors from these schools came to Willow City to observe, learn and participate in launches in order to implement the program at a new site in New Mexico.

SystemsGo New Mexico is headed up by David Willden and currently includes the schools of Carlsbad High School, Hobbs High School, Jal High School, Lake Arthur High School, Loving High School and Lovington High School. This is their first year in the program and they will attempt launching a total of 10 one pound/one mile rockets at a location near Jal, New Mexico. This new site, called the Discovery Education Launch Pad, will be open to public viewing of launches, as are all sites except White Sands Missile Range this year. A link to location information and a map link are available at http://www.systemsgo.org/events/ .

The site will be open for admittance at 8:00 a.m. and launches will commence at 8:30 a.m.

If you plan to attend Jal or any of this year’s launches please register for your attendance ticket at http://www.systemsgo.org/save-the-date-for-rockets-2017/ or they may be gotten at the gate. These are free but required for admittance to each site. Reserving them ahead at the website is preferred to obtaining them at the gate because the latter slows entrance to the site and may result in you missing the viewing of your intended launch.

You may also view any of the launches except WSMR on Livestream. That link will be available on the SystemsGo website closer to the launch. The New SystemsGo New Mexico also has a twitter feed you can join to keep up to date on what they are doing. That link is https://twitter.com/SystemsGoNM

The schedule of launches for Jal is also available at http://www.systemsgo.org/save-the-date-for-rockets-2017/ . I will post it here for launch day next week as well. I want it to be as accurate as possible so I will refrain from posting it now in case there are any late changes.

If you are in the Jal, New Mexico area, keep an eye out for this new vehicle. It just rolled out recently to support the new launch group.

If you follow this program and like to view the launches, Rockets 2017 will continue with two more launches in May. The first will be held in Smith Point just south of Anahuac, Texas for schools in the Houston area, on the weekend of May 12-14, 2017. If you have been to the Houston area launches in the past you may want to check out the SystemsGo website for information because this is a new location for that area this year. Information and a map link are available.

Please watch the SystemsGo website, SystemsGo Facebook page, SystemsGo Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/SystemsGoNews and this blog for upcoming information on theses events.

More event details will be available here in upcoming days as events get closer. Daily reports featuring schedules, school names, results, pictures and some editorial content will be posted during the events.

Wishes for the New Year

Once again, the old year passes away.
We greet a new year at the dawning of a new day.
May we each find a way,
To be kind in all we say.

May the New Year bring us hope,
And a new found strength with which to cope.
May we always find a strong hold no matter how steep the slope,
As well as the sense to know when to say, “Nope!”

May we always show love and kindness
To family and friends even in duress.
May we not be overloaded with stress,
And may goodness of character, we always possess.

May we always remember the power of a kind touch,
And how it can mean so much.
May we never hesitate to lend a hand or be a crutch
To those who for strength to us clutch.

May we remember the very young and the very old
And not forget their hands to hold.
May we have courage and be bold,
That what is right we may always uphold.

May we always show love,
In the manner shown to us from above,
Wrapped around us and others as a glove,
A sign to all who meet us, of His love.

May blessing abound in your new year,
Bringing you hope and good cheer.
May your way be clear
And your course easy to steer.
Have a Happy New Year!

Once Upon A Christmas Day

Once upon a Christmas Day,
On the floor asleep I lay.
Cuddled beneath the Christmas tree,
With a fire blazing in the stove next to me.

The lights were shining with colors bright,
Casting warm reflections in dawning light.
My eyes though mostly still asleep,
Still saw their beauty in the dreams of sleep.

Around the tree and my resting head,
Dozens of presents had been shed.
Bright colored wrapping covering each one,
Each tied with a bow when it was done.

Stockings were hung from cabinet knobs,
Filled with goodies by the gobs.
Pretty decorations sat here and there,
Santas, Snowmen, and Angels placed with care.

A miniature village covered the shelves,
Seemingly put there by Santa’s elves.
All of these show beauty and splendor,
And inspired joy on a morning yet tender.

Two things stood out most important of all,
Displayed on a table, not decking the hall.
The first was a Bible opened to Mark,
Telling the story the angels did hark!

The second was a crèche depicting the scene,
Of the Christ child’s birth in a manger mean.
Despite all the trappings, He is still the reason,
There would be no true Christmas, He is the season.

We enjoy all the lights and the glitter and bows,
But may each person who celebrates, truly know;
That it is only this way because God made it so,
It’s according to his plan that this Jesus we know.

There is no meaning in all at Christmas we share,
If Jesus Christ our Lord is not kept there.
There is no reason to have great joy,
If the Savior does not this Holiday employ.

Once upon a Christmas day,
Christ was born in just God’s way.
He came to save us from all sin,
So that the Devil should not win.

It’s all according to God’s plan,
That His true story the world should span.
So as I awake to Christmas bright,
I first celebrate the Christ, born Christmas night.

Christmas Open House

Some families celebrate on Christmas Day
As do we in many ways,
But for me Christmas Eve is the traditional part
And it is there that I find my heart.

On the twenty-forth we can all be found,
In my parent’s house gathering ‘round;
Putting finishing touches here and there,
On decorations and food and getting it all prepared.

By evening time the house is bustling,
Full of family and friends each room is bursting;
There is joy, laughter, stories and more,
And listen, the bell, there’s more at the door.

The kitchen counters are lined with food galore,
That won’t run out because the ‘fridge has more;
And while we eat we enjoy the beautiful, tall tree
With its lights shining bright and festively.

Before we gather round to open the gifts,
Prayer, song and praise to our Lord our voices do lift;
And from the Bible we read from Luke 2,
The story of Jesus born for me and for you.

There are kisses, and hugs and greetings for all;
There’s visiting, music, and games in the hall;
In the back room amateur musicians sometimes play,
Bringing life to Christmas Carols in their own way.

It’s a Christmas gala brimming with life,
Where all is joy and none is strife;
Where the reason for the season shines through
In love and joy that is true.

So each Christmas Eve as this open house begins
And we prepare our hearts to greet family and friends
This Christmas tradition brings us all cheer
Knowing it will be spent with loved ones all near.

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