Category: Wednesday

Rockets 2026, Thursday, Site Set Up

The SystemsGo team, or the four of us that got up in time, went to Denny’s for a very quick breakfast this morning. At first we weren’t sure we would get served in time, but the staff and cook worked swiftly to accomodate our schedule and we were out the door and in our cars ready to roll.

At 0530 the group headed to the Tula gate for security and ID checks, and then on to ABC-1 as we enjoyed a phenominal mountain sunrise full of color. Today’s mission, accomplish all preparations for tomorrow’s launches. All personnel arrived at the site at 0648 where we quickly began preparations for launches and final FRR checks. We had until 1630 to accomplish as much of the setup as possible. And the pad crew rocked. We had both rails up, test and rockets loaded by that time.

Ginger Burow set up the electronics trailer and the fill and fire system. It was all ready for testing by 1130. George handled the end at the “bell”. Later he went through the testing phase of the electronics for both rails, again handling the end at the bell while Cate and I did testing of equipment and wires at the launch trailers. We only had one minor snag with a bad injection wire which we built a new one and corrected the issue.

After George, Cate and I completed the testing we built load cells for the schools so they would be ready for launches tomorrow. Cate really enjoyed this part. She works on the electronics and wiring on her rocket at Hamilton and finds it interesting.

Steve Burow set up the pad, constructed the rails and helped hook up the “gas” truck. Students from the teams helped erect the rails and roll out the cables before finishing work on their vehicles.

Rebekah Hyatt, Andrew Matthes and Kash Kneuper coordinated all the final checks for each of the rockets, while all the students worked through their final check of the Flight Readiness Reviews.

For the fifth year, now college student from Hamilton, Kash Kneuper, returned along with second year Hamilton high school student returnee, Cate Hooper to volunteer on range again.

Schools Participating this year are Alamo Heights, Union Grove, Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson,Fredericksburg and Brazoswood.

Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson and Union Grove were to slated to be our first two launches tomorrow morning, but both have been fightinog pressure leaks. This lead to them having to shift further down the launch sequence. And unfortunately, by the end of the day, Union Grove after failing their pressure tests multiple times, decided to abort their launch. They will be going to Cloudcroft for cooler temperatures abd some sight seeing.

Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson is still working on theirs. They have a leak in a connector between a valve and the injections system, similarly to what they had on last year’s rocket. Hopefully they will be able to come to a solution for it this year.

Due to Union Grove aborting and Anahuac not being complete yet, the schedule shifted and Alamo Heights and Brazoswood’s 2026 rockets were loaded on the rail this evening and will be tomorrow’s first and second launches respectively.

Heat was a big factor on the range today. Our vehicle registered 116 and one of the WSMR guys pointed a temp reader at the ground and it read 140 degrees. This explains how no amount of water seemed to quench the dry in your throat. By the end of the day, we were all beat and ready for AC, food and cold beverages.

After the rockets were loaded on the rails we all went up top and Rebekah awarded R L Turner student, Anish Vishwamitra, a volunteer on the range this year, the Brett Williams Scholarsip for $3000. I believe the young man was quite surprised and pleased.

Our crew stuck to our tight schedule today and our caravan of vehicles plus WSMR personnel vehicles left the test site by 1700 headed in for the evening. Food and showers were top priorities upon returning to the hotels. They all headed to ApplebeeChili’s for dinner at 0645ish and were there until almost 8:00.

Steve and I were both very tired. He went to town to get gas, ice and some parts for out on the pad. I showered and started working on this article. I had a blaring head ache and wasn’t up to walking to Chili’s so George brought food back for me. Steve went to Poppeye’s and got him some food.

All in all it was a great day on the range today, and everything went quite well for SystemsGo. Setup was accomplished in a very timely manner and although it was not the original two rockets, there were still two loaded on the rails ready for tomorrow’s launches.

Launch order for this weekend’s launches has become fluid since several were not ready. At this point it will be whomever is ready next.

Friday’s and Saturday’s schedule is listed below:

  • Friday, June 12th
  • 1st Launch Day Two Rockets
  • 0500 Depart from Hotel
  • 0530 arrival at Tula Gate for Security checks/Proceed to ABC-1
  • 0600 SystemsGo Set ups at ABC-1/FRRs.
  • 0800 Rocket T #1 – Alamo Heights
  • 0900 Load Rocket #3 onto launch rail
  • 1000 Rocket T #2 – Brazoswood 2026
  • 1100 Rocket T #3 – ??????
  • 1500 Load rockets #4 and #5 on rails ( and Brazoswood)
  • 1600 Complete All

SystemsGo now has two launch rails and both will be in operation tomorrow. A rocket will be loaded onto each rail and then tested in sequence with only time out for safety. The launch team will be required to evacuate during each launch; and then return to swap out gas and electrical connections between the rails.

Launches are to commence at 0800 Saturday morning. All SystemsGo personnel and schools will be headed out to the range at 0500.

After these three launches, WSMR personnel will attempt to locate and retrieve the rockets for the students while the next two rockets are loaded onto the rails, ready for Saturday’s launch schedule. Mission complete will be at 1600 tomorrow and all personnel must leave the range.

Realistically, this is a very tight launch sequence with little to no room for errors. As we know, errors can and do occasionally happen and can cause severe delays in the launch schedule and hinder time availability.

Best of luck to all schools so that they may have a successful launch tomorrow.

Event details will continue to be available here. I will provide information each day as to how the schedule and other event details went for that day and how launches transpired. Pictures are not allowed on the range, so very few will be available. If anything is available I will post it for your viewing pleasure. Tomorrow should wrap up our launches for t his year.

If we are lucky and things go perfect and we leave the range early their may be dune sledding in tomorrow evening’s future. And Sunday we will all be heading home.

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.

#Rockets2026 #SystemsGo #RideTheSky #Texasrockettrail #WSMRRocketLaunch2026 #EyesOnTheSky #EyesToTheSkies #ItIsRocketScience

SystemsGo Rockets 2026 at White Sands Missile Range This Weekend

White Sands Missile Range is once again hosting the SystemsGo Rocket Program for its season end launches. This year four schools will be traveling to New Mexico to test their rockets at White Sands Missile Range, they include:

Alamo Heights HS

Brazoswood HS

Union Grove HS

Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson HS

June 11th through June 13th are the dates for this year’s WSMR launch.  The SystemsGo team and schools will be traveling to Alamogordo, New Mexico for lodging on June 10th.

At 0530 the morning of the 11th, our group will caravan out to the Tula gate for security and ID checks.

At 0700 we will arrive at ABC-1 to begin all SystemsGo Setups and FRR checks for launches on Friday. Range complete time for Thursday is 1630. Any unfinished setups will be completed on Friday morning, with the intension of launching 3 rockets starting at 0800 Friday morning.

Currently, as per the draw, Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson launches in the first T-Time at 0800, Union Grove has the second at 1000, and Fredericksburg at 1100 Friday morning. We will load the first two on to the rails at 1500 Thursday evening.

In between these two launches we will load the third rocket. After the second launch we will load the next two rockets on the rails and leave the range by 1600. At this point, the rest of the launch order is as follows: Alamo Heights, Brazoswood, and one final T-Time at 1400 for either a 2026 recycle or 2025 Brazoswood. However, if a school is not ready at their appointed launch time, the next school in line takes their spot provided they are ready, and the school that was not ready goes to the back of the line.

ABC1 is our scheduled range again this year. ABC-1 does not have a large bunker, so only essential launch personnel stay on site, and the SG staff evacuate out five miles for launches. Students and teachers are taken to a secure location known as Tula G, which is further down range where they watch the launches on screen inside a designated facility. Due to this no extra personnel are permitted to attend these launches. All those in attendance please remember to have your state issued ID on your person at all times. WSMR will be checking them.

There will be tents on the range, the same as last year. Rockets need to be complete by the end of the day on Thursday. FRR will be conducted on the 9th at Fredericksburg HS and the 10th in the Hotel parking lot in Alamogordo, and the final checks will bonsite the 11th beginning at 0700. Everything must be complete by 1630 that day.

At this time the schedules for our range time all three days is shown below.

Mission Complete on Thursday leaves the afternoon open. Exploring Alamogordo is most definitely an option. This could also include the White Sands National Monument and sledding. Of course Saturday will be a semi early day also and Sunday should be even earlier which may afford more free time activities.

SystemsGo team members will be residing at the Quality Inn and Suites in Alamogordo this year.

The Goddard level rockets, which are the capstones of the SystemsGo program and the culmination of all the skills the students have learned throughout their years in the STEM program. This marks the final senior project for the schools that participate in for the SystemsGo program.

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 benefited.

#Rockets2026 #SystemsGo #Launcher01 #RideTheSky #Texasrockettrail #EyesOnTheSkies #TexasToNewMexicoRocketTrail #RideTheSky2026

WSMR Rockets 2026, Friday Launch Excitement

A 0500 call to move out for ABC-1 started the day for all SystemsGo team and schools. The original mission, to launch 3 rockets and load 2 more on the rails and be Mission Complete and off range by 1600. Our scheduled T-Times were 0800, 1000, and 1100.

All personnel arrived at the gate at 0545 for security and ID checks. Then SystemsGo Team including the gas truck crew were pulled ahead and escorted to ABC-1 to begin launch sequence preparations. We arrived around 0620 and quickly began preparations.

George Burns, Ginger Burow and Rebekah set up the electronics trailer, fill and fire system, and tested each rail. Steve Burow set up the pad, rails and wiring for the launch rails. Students from the teams helped erect the rails before finishing work on their vehicles.

Andrew Matthes coordinated the gas fill crew at the pad. This actually left his team working diligently by themselves at Tula G to complete their final pressure test issues. It also took Kash from the gas crew to facilitate those pressure tests for Fredericksburg and Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson.

Schools Participating this weekend were Alamo Heights, Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson, Brazoswood, Union Grove (aborted yesterday due to repeated failed pressure tests) and Fredericksburg. Alamo Heights and Brazoswood’s 2026 were fit with charges and loaded onto the rails ready for launch yesterday evening.

Alamo Heights was the first launch of the day. It left the rail at approximately 0830, only about 30 minutes behind our projected T-Time of 0800. It was slow off the rail, burning as it went and then hovered slightly above the rail for about 20 seconds before hopping the nose cone, and then lifting away, doing end to end loops and belly flopping into the range about 200+/- yards south of the rail.  EOD came in quickly and recovered it. Doc Photo took a picture of the nose cone lying by the rail.

After EOD cleared the area, the teams came in and Brazoswood loaded it’s 2025 rocket onto the first rail Alamo Heights has just left. After it was ready for launch, Steve took Kash to Tula G to help check pressure on Fredericksburg and Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson’s rockets.

Brazoswood 2026 left the rail around 1050, slightly ahead of its projected T-Time. We had a slight delay turning on the altimeter because the indicator sounds could not be heard, but the students determined that it should be fine. It lifted off the rail quickly and sailed into the sky with a beautiful flight. It reached an altitude of 20,000 feet . It was supposed to have a computer system tracking telemetry, but the students reported that the system had gone down. This one was also found by EOD today but had significant damage from nosing into the range.

Brazoswood 2025 was the third and final launch for the day. At 1250 it flew straight, true and high reaching 41,000 feet. It came down under chute. Unfortunately, it had not bee found by the time we completed our mission time and left the range. It was an awesome flight though.

After the completion of Brazoswood’s 2025 launch everyone was called back to ABC-1. While they were in transit, Rebekah and George shut down the pad for the day. The gas crew came back in, and we all ate lunch while we waited for the rest of the schools to return.

Brazoswood and Alamo Heights loaded up the remains of their rockets. It was decided to drop Fredericksburg in its trailer at the site ready to load charges in the morning for launch tomorrow. It was also decided that Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson would abort mission as the leaks it had could not be fixed in time to launch tomorrow.

Rebekah and George spoke to the schools before we moved out since only Fredericksburg would be returning tomorrow.

 Temperature on the range only made it to 107 degrees today. Ten degrees cooler than yesterday.

A line of showers popped up just northwest of the range at the end of the day. We left the range by 1505 headed back to Alamogordo. The storm was right over Alamogordo when we got there. After it was over a pretty heavy windstorm moved in.  

The team rested for a bit and then walked over Johnny Carinos’s for dinner. We had a real nice time. We talked about rockets, had great food and dessert. Everyone turned in afterwards.

Fredericksburg is the only rocket left to launch tomorrow. We should be packed up early afterwards. At this point I am leaving the schedule showing the extra two T-times, but we should not need them.

After the completion of Alamo Height’s launch. Eveyone returned to ABC-1 and Brazoswood were loaded onto the rails for tomorrow’s launches. Brazoswood will eihter load their 2026 and 2025 recyle onto the rails for the last two T-Times.

Along with all the regular excitement of launching rockets, today was an extra special day for me. I was asked to stay on pad and help the SystemsGo directors do the actual launching of the rockets. I walked through the launch sequence steps with George and then evacuated to the bell with him and Rebekah.

On the first rocket, I was asked to man the MSS switch for the launch. It requires that you hold it down for the last 20 seconds of the count down and until your hear the rocket actually lift off the rail.

For the second launch, I was allowed to actually flip all the switches that launch the rocket. They have to be done in sequence at different intervals during the countdown. First opening the safety covers and setting the system to fire at 30 seconds, then activating the oxygen switch at 10 seconds and both the ignition and injection switches at “0”. Both of these were nerve racking, exciting and fun.

On the last rocket Rebekah and George manned the MSS and Fire sequences. I got to stand inside the back of the bell and hold a mirror around the corner in order to watch the rocket go up. That was really cool. It was an amazing day. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Good luck tomorrow Fredericksburg!

Saturday’s schedule is the following:

  1. Saturday, June 13th
  2. 0500 Depart from Hotel
  3. 0530 arrival at Tula Gate for Security checks/Proceed to ABC-1
  4. 0800 T #4 –
  5. 1000 T #5 –
  6. 1200 T #6 –
  7. 1400 Spare T-Time (In case 1100 T doesn’t work on 6/12)
  8. 1600 Complete All – Site is packed/loaded and headed out

SystemsGo now has two launch rails and both will be in operation tomorrow. A rocket will be loaded onto each rail and then tested in sequence with only time out for safety. The launch team will be required to evacuate during each launch; and then return to swap out gas and electrical connections between the rails.

Launches are to commence at 8:00 am. Saturday morning. All SystemsGo personnel and schools will be headed out to the range at 5:00 am.

Event details will continue to be available here. I will provide information each day as to how the schedule and other event details went for that day and how launches transpired. Pictures are not allowed on the range, so very few will be available. If anything is available I will post it for your viewing pleasure. Tomorrow should wrap up our launches for t his year.

If we are lucky and things go perfect and we leave the range early their may be dune sledding in tomorrow evening’s future. And Sunday we will all be heading home.

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.

#Rockets2026 #SystemsGo #RideTheSky #Texasrockettrail #WSMRRocketLaunch2026 #EyesOnThe Sky #EyesToTheSkies #ItIsRocketScience

Wednesday’s Pre-Launch Report for Rockets 2026 Contiuning at the Central Texas/Stonewall, Tomorrow, Thursday, April 30-Saturday, May 2, 2026

The Central Texas Launches sail into the skies over Stonewall, Texas starting tomorrow, April 30, 2026. This is the third in the series for the Rockets 2026 and the second in the Texas Rocket Trail lineup. This is our seventh year in Stonewall for the CTX Rockets launch.

The SystemsGo Team spent several days early this week setting up the launch site at the Sammy Segner Ranch on the Double Horn Road. This included construction of the Pad and Mission Control and testing of the rails. Stage 3 inside MC, Media, and Communications were also part of this set up.

Class A Event Rentals arrived to set up tents for Mission Control, Media and spectators. Duane Neffendorf again provided portable restrooms and wash stations to the site. Later LCRA, Bee Creek Communications and Starlink provide support for IT,  Internet WiFi and Radio communications.

Stages 1 and 2 rocket check in stations were also established at the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce building. Student Team tables were numbered for evaluations and last-minute corrections to the vehicles.

The Stonewall site covers the Fredericksburg and Hill Country area schools. Some of our North and South Texas schools still participate here,  in leu of our NTX and SETX sites. Our two out of state schools, Canon City from Colorado, and Mustang from Oklahoma also elected to test here. This year our over seas school, the American Community Schools Abu Dhahi, will also launch at Stonewall, in previous years they participated in the SETX launch at Smith  Point.

Currently there are 57 rockets scheduled for launch by 16 schools at the Stonewall location for Rockets 2026. This schedule may be updated this week with the possibility of schools adding or dropping close to launch time. 

Spectators are welcomed again this year. Teachers are encouraged to bring pop-up tents for themselves and their students. Please remember sunscreen, chairs, umbrellas, extra snacks, drinks, and food. Downtime entertainment for the students to engage in between launches may also be helpful. Rockets are subject to winds, weather, and workmanship, all of which can stall a launch, and delay schedules.

The FHS “Grub Uber Alles” Culinary Arts Trailer will set up shop and provide concessions for the weekend. The pics below are from the last time they graced the event with their food, so this menu and pricing may not be exact. Tomorrow I will update it as needed. 

Paige Findly will be handling media and live stream for the CTX Rockets event. With changes in staff happening this season, he has been instrumental in helping Rebekah and myself get media and the livestream up and running. He is testing out his equipment at this weekend’s launch event. 

The Central Texas/Stonewall launch dates, locations, and schools are listed here for your convenience or can be found at http://www.systemsgo.org

Central Texas/Stonewall:

The sites will be open to admittance for students and teachers only at 6:00 a.m. Projected start time for launches is 9:00 a.m. All is contingent on test vehicle readiness and ability to pass Stages 1 and 2. Mission Control will be ready for Stage 3 checks by 8:00 a.m.

Rockets are subject to winds, weather, and workmanship, all of which can stall a launch. Unfortunately the weather for the weekend is less than ideal with rain and thunderstorm predicted Friday and Saturday. This being said, be prepared for the possibilities of delays. But with any luck maybe the rain will hold off until the overnight hours so launching can stay on track for the daytime.

Please either join in the action on site or help cheer the students on while watching the  Livestream. The look on your students’ faces when their vehicle goes up and then is recovered is priceless. If they know you are watching and supporting them, then it is even more memorable. If you are not on site, then shoot them a text, letting them know you are watching online, or participate in the chat on YouTube Livestream page. 

A live feed for each launch will be provided here:

Rockets 2026 Live Stream

The link is available at www.systemsgo.org on the home page.

Daily reports featuring schedule links, school names, results, pictures, and editorial content will be posted during the events if information is available.

Pictures from each day are on SystemsGo Facebook page, as well as my Facebook page. They can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/SystemsGoEducation/

https://www.facebook.com/ginger.burow

 

Central Texas/Stonewall:

  • Thursday, April 30- Saturday, May 2, Weather Contingency Day-Sunday, May 3
  • Launch Site: 2187 Double Horn Road, Stonewall, Texas 78671
  • Stage 1 & 2 at Stonewall Chamber of Commerce: 250 Peach Street, Stonewall, TX 78671
  • Central Texas Map Links:
    CTX Check In / Stage 1 and 2
    CTX Mission Control / Launch Site

 

  • Central Texas-Stonewall 2026 Flight Schedule for Thursday, April 30, 2026

  • Schools participating: Fredericksburg HS, Union Grove, Roosevelt HS, Canyon City HS, Fabens HS, and Johnson HS
  • 20 expected rockets for testing

Here are a couple of things that SystemsGo requires for your attendance:

  1. Any member of the public wishing to attend a launch is required to register online and agree to Launch Day Entry Form / Waiver
    Scan or Click
    Jotform Waiver QR Code

    There is no charge, but proof of registration is required before entering the site. You will be issued arm bands as proof and you must have them on at all times.

  2. All information can be found https://www.systemsgo.org listed under each individual venue.

Questions and concerns may be directed to info@systemsgo.org.

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

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.

I hope you are as super excited about this year’s CTX launches as I am! Let’s pray the weather cooperates and we get to see a steady stream of rockets screaming into the sky. 

Hope to see you at the launches!

#RideTheSkies #TexasRocketTrail #Rockets2026 #EyesOnThe Skies #EyesToTheSkies

Rockets 2025, Friday, Site Set Up Complete and Rockets on the Rail

A 6:15 a.m. call to move out for ABC-1 started the day for all SystemsGo team and schools. The mission, to accomplish all preparations for tomorrow’s launches. All personnel arrived at thegare at 6:30 a.m. and did ID checks and then waited out a mission that was in progress on the range. At 7:47 a.m we left the gate headed out the range. We arrived around 8:15 a.m. and quickly began preparations.

Randy Kuhlmann and Ginger Burow set up the electronics trailer and the fill and fire system. Steve Burow set up the pad, rails and wiring for the launch rails. Students from the teams helped erect the rails before finishing work on their vehicles.

Rebekah Hyatt and Andrew Matthes coordinated all the final checks for each of the rockets, while all the students worked through their Flight Readiness Reviews.

For the fourth year, Texas A&M college students from Hamilton, Caleb Lengefeld, Kash Kneuper, along with recent Hamilton graduates, Cate Hooper volunteered to help on range again. We also had recent grads from Fredericksburg, Gus Wagner, Jack Pedragon, Reece Harris, Wyatt Westbrook, and Will Bryla. Additionally we gained three young man from Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson’s current launch team, Ben Riddle, Christian Gillikan, and Brayden McShan.

They all helped set up the pad, the rails, and load the gas tank truck. For launches tomorrow they will again assist as needed at the pad and help Andrew with the Nitrous and Gox bottles. All have said they were really enjoying seeing the program in action and helping with it. Caleb and Kash are veterans, but all of the new crew members have jumped in fully and helped things run smoothly and quickly today. They have also expressed interest in returning in subsequent years to help.

Schools Participating were Alamo Heights, Union Grove, Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson, and Brazoswood. Alamo Heights and Union Grove were fit with charges and loaded onto the rails for launch tomorrow morning. Brazoswood will load the rail tomorrow as the third launch. They have been ready and waiting today. Unfortunately, Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson developed a leak during FRR and pressure checks today that could not be contained so that had to scrub their launch for tomorrow. They will be coming out to watch the launches from Tula G with the other schools.

A line of showers popped up just northwest of Alamogordo around 7:30 p.m. this evening and made for a nice lightening show before dissapating before reaching us here at the hotel.

Our crew stuck to our tight schedule today and our caravan of vehicles plus WSMR personnel vehicles left the test site by 3:30 headed in for the evening. Food and showers were top priorities upon returning to the hotels.We all headed to Applebee’s for dinner at 6:00 and were there until almost 8:00. Steve and I went to Walmart again after dinner for a few more provisions.

Launch order for Saturday is as follows:

  • Union Grove
  • Alamo Heights
  • Brazoswood

Saturday’s schedule is the following:

  • Saturday, June 25th
    1. Launch Day – All three Rockets
    2. Depart for WSMR by 5:00 a.m. for 5:30 a.m. arrival at the Tula Gate and 6:30 a.m. on site.
    3. Projected launch schedule:
      • T1 8:00 am. -Union Grove
      • T2 10:00 am. – Alamo Heights
      • T3 1:00 pm. -Brazoswood
  • 4:00 pm. – Range Time Ends

SystemsGo now has two launch rails and both will be in operation tomorrow. A rocket will be loaded onto each rail and then tested in sequence with only time out for safety. The launch team will be required to evacuate during each launch; and then return to swap out gas and electrical connections between the rails.

Launches are to commence at 8:00 am. Saturday morning. All SystemsGo personnel and schools will be headed out to the range at 5:00 am.

After the first two launches, WSMR personnel will attempt to locate and retrieve the rockets for the students while the other rocket is loaded onto the rails. Mission complete will be at 4:00 pm. and all personnel must leave the range. If all three launch on time then everyone will be asked to help tear down and pack up equipment before leaving.

WSMR personnell have a Military Ball tomorrow evening so all missions must be complete early so that they can attend.

Realistically, this is a very tight launch sequence with little to no room for errors. As we know, errors can and do occasionally happen and can cause severe delays in the launch schedule and hinder time availability.

Best of luck to all schools so that they may have a successful launch tomorrow.

Event details will continue to be available here. I will provide information each day as to how the schedule and other event details went for that day and how launches transpired. Pictures are not allowed on the range, so very few will be available. If anything is available I will post it for your viewing pleasure. Tomorrow should wrap up our launches for t his year.

If we are lucky and things go perfect and we leave the range early their may be dune sledding in tomorrow evening’s future. And Sunday we will all be heading home.

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.

#Rockets2025 #SystemsGo #RideTheSky #Texasrockettrail #WSMRRocketLaunch2025 #EyesOnThe Sky #EyesToTheSkies

SystemsGo Rockets 2025 at White Sands Missile Range This Weekend

White Sands Missile Range is once again hosting the SystemsGo Rocket Program for its season end launches. This year four schools will be traveling to New Mexico to test their rockets at White Sands Missile Range, they include:

Alamo Heights HS

Brazoswood HS

Union Grove HS

Anahuac/Hardin Jefferson HS

June 13th through June 15th are the dates for this year’s WSMR launch.  The SystemsGo team and schools will be traveling to Alamogordo, New Mexico for lodging on June 12th. Early on the 13th, preparations at the site will be made with the goal of launching all four rockets Saturday.  The 15th, Sunday, is our contingency day, but the hope is that it will not be needed. Sunday is Father’s Day and WSMR personnel would prefer not to work and we would love to be on the road home.

ABC1 is our scheduled range again this year. ABC-1 does not have a large bunker, so only essential launch personnel stay on site, and the SG staff evacuate out five miles for launches. Students and teachers are taken to a secure location known as Tula G, which is further down range where they watch the launches on screen inside a designated facility. Due to this no extra personnel are permitted to attend these launches. All those in attendance please remember to have your state issued ID on your person at all times. WSMR will be checking them.

There will be tents on the range, the same as last year. Rockets need to be complete by the end of the day on Friday. FRR will be conducted on the 11th an 12th. Pressure checks will be retested on site the 13th to be sure the trip out to range has not compromised anything.

At this time I do not have exact information on schedules on range for Friday or Saturday. Hopefully I will be able to provide that in Thursday’s update edition.

If Mission is Complete on Saturday evening, then evening activities may include some White Sands National Park dune sledding.

SystemsGo team members will be residing at the Quality Inn and Suites in Alamogordo this year.

The Goddard level rockets, which are the capstones of the SystemsGo program and the culmination of all the skills the students have learned throughout their years in the STEM program. This marks the final senior project for the schools that participate in for the SystemsGo program.

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 benefited.

#Rockets2025 #SystemsGo #Launcher01 #RideTheSky #Texasrockettrail #EyesOnTheSkies #TexasToNewMexicoRocketTrail #RideTheSky2025

Rockets 2024, Friday, Site Set Up Complete and Rockets on the Rail

A 5:00 a.m. call to move out for ABC-1 started the day for all SystemsGo team and schools. The mission, to accomplish all preparations for tomorrow’s launches. All personnel arrived at the site at 6:30 am and quickly began preparations.

George Burns and Ginger Burow set up the electronics trailer and the fill and fire system. Steve Burow set up the pad, rails and wiring for the launch rails. Students from the teams helped erect the rails before finishing work on their vehicles.

Rebekah Hyatt and Andrew Matthes coordinated all the final checks for each of the rockets, while Brazoswood students worked through their Flight Readiness Reviews. WSMR range personnel assisted the team.

For the third year, the now Texas A&M college students, Caleb Lengefeld, Kash Kneuper, and Taylor Long, volunteered to help on range again. They helped set up the pad, the rails, and load the gas tank truck. For launches tomorrow they will again assist as needed at the pad and help Andrew with the Nitrous and Gox bottles. All three said they were still really enjoying seeing the program in action, helping with it.

Schools Participating are Alamo Heights, Union Grove, and Brazoswood. Alamo Heights and Braopswood were fit with charges and loaded onto the rails for launch tomorrow morning. Union Grove will load the rail tomorrow as the third launch. They have been ready and waiting today.

Pop up showers passed over the site throughout the day, occasionally dropping just enough rain to settle the dust and keep the temps in the 80’s instead of yesterday’s 100+ degrees. Steve had complained about how bad the dust was driving in. We could not even see the cars in front and behind us. He was going to ask Dante if he could get the road watered down before tomorrow. Well Dante didn’t but the skies above complied for him.

Some minor mishaps slowed what would have otherwise been a great timeline for the day. The bolts were accidentally switched on the rails which slowed the progress of construction but it was something managable. The we had no power to the launch system. After searching out most of the system’s wiring we discovered it was just a lose main connector. The unfortunate part was that it literally took hours to diagnose and test. The wood bolts for the gas truck rack were also missing, but they were able to find some other hardware to use to get it mounted.

Inspite of the challenges, our caravan of vehicles plus WSMR personnel vehicles left the test site by 4:00 headed in for the evening. Food and showers were top priorities upon returning to the hotels.We all headed to Chilli’s for dinner at 6:00 and were there until almost 8:00. A few SystemsGo personnel went to Walmart again after dinner for a few more provisions.

Launch order for Saturday is as follows:

  • Alamo Heights
  • Brazoswood
  • Union Grove

Saturday’s schedule is the following:

  • Saturday, June 25th
    1. Launch Day – All three Rockets
    2. Depart for WSMR by 5:00 a.m. for 6:30 a.m. arrival on site.
    3. Projected launch schedule:
      • T1 8:00 am. -Alamo Heights
      • T2 10:00 am. – Brazoswood
      • T3 12:00 pm. -Union Grove
  • 4:00 pm. – Range Time Ends

SystemsGo now has two launch rails and both will be in operation tomorrow. A rocket will be loaded onto each rail and then tested in sequence with only time out for safety. The launch team will be required to evacuate during each launch; and then return to swap out gas and electrical connections between the rails.

Launches are to commence at 8:00 am. Saturday morning. All SystemsGo personnel and schools will be headed out to the range at 5:00 am.

After the first two launches, WSMR personnel will attempt to locate and retrieve the rockets for the students while the other rocket is loaded onto the rails. Mission complete will be at 4:00 pm. and all personnel must leave the range. If all three launch on time then everyone will be asked to help tear down and pack up equipment before leaving.

Realistically, this is a very tight launch sequence with little to no room for errors. As we know, errors can and do occasionally happen and can cause severe delays in the launch schedule and hinder time availability.

Best of luck to all schools so that they may have a successful launch tomorrow.

Event details will continue to be available here. I will provide more information each morning as to how the schedule and other event details will progress for that day and how launches went for the schools testing that day. Pictures are not allowed on the range, but some pictures of teams getting ready to leave for the range with their vehicles might be available. If anything is available I will post it for your viewing pleasure.

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.

#Rockets2024 #SystemsGo #RideTheSky #Texasrockettrail #WSMRRocketLaunch2024 #EyesOnThe Sky

Rockets 2023-WSMR, Saturday Launch Day Report and Mission Complete with Accolades

Three schools tested rockets at White Sands Missile Range today. Brazoswood,  Alamo Heights and Union Grove comprised.

Our first T time was at 8:15 a.m. with Union Grove was the rail ready for launch. Ignition was a go, but unfortunately the nitrous valve did not function properly causing the rocket to burn up on the rail. The vehicle sat burning on the rail for around 30 minutes causing unrepairable damage to the rocket, as it melted through the aluminum body at the aft section. The motor bay broke away from the body, tilting forward, allowing the long body section to fall into it but still all remained on the rail. It had to be extinguished a couple of times and then left to cool until after the next rocket had launched.

Alamo Heights loaded onto the rail next. At 11:15 a.m. they achieved a successful launch in spite of their vent nozzle staying open allowing full vent during fill and launch. Their vehicle was supposed to be fitted with an internal vent flow that would have allowed it to regulate its own vent throughout the whole fill and launch correctly instead of SG having to manually vent, but he believed the students had forgotten to install it. Either way, they had a wonderful flight reaching an altitude of 23,000 AGL. This is one of their best flights in a long while.

Brazoswood was the final launch of the day at around 1:15 p.m.. This year’s launch was nothing short of amazing as well. They made 28,000 AGL, leaving a trail that could be followed in the sky for quite a while. High level winds made it to angel into the wind which caused a loss in some altitude. One of their students set tracking computers using satelites to find and follow the vehicle and mark it’s speed. His preliminary findings suggested the rocket came down under chute, and it actually did. This is a new first. There was one nose cone in 2019 that came down under chute but this accomplished all chutes deploying and all pieces recovered by WSMR today. Great job on that recovery system students.

At 3:30 p.m. WSMR called called everyone in for lunch as they cooked hamburgers and hotdogs for the teams and work crews. The SG teams stopped dismantling the launch pad and joined in for lunch, after which we continued our work, completing tear down and pack up by 4:00 p.m.

Test Center Commander, Colonel Smart, was originally scheduled to be onsite today, but a scheduling conflict made that impossible. However Lori Leyva and her crews were there supporting the launched and so before we left, Rebekah made presentations of certificates to Lori and also Chris Madsen, along with t-shirts and caps to them and all there crew members.

It was most definitely a beautiful launch set this year at WSMR. Great job schools!

Mission was called complete by WSMR at 4:50 p.m. today and all teams and schools pulled away from the site.

Our first stop this evening was for a shower to remove all the dirt devil dust it covered us in multiple times, followed by dinner at Si Senor’s Mexican Food, and a sunset trip to the White Sands Monument Dunes for a quick slide in the light of a red orange sky and the sun dropped quickly behind the horizon.

Tomorrow’s schedule will be a call to load and head home, starting on the road by 8:00 a.m.

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.

#Rockets2023 #TexasRocketTrail #EyesonTheSkies #Ridetheskies #ItisRocketScience #TexasToNewMexicoRocketTrail

Rockets 2023, Friday, Site Set Up Complete and Rockets on the Rail WSMR

A6:15 breakfast and then a 7:15 a.m. call to move out for ABC-1 started the day for all SystemsGo team and schools. The mission, to accomplish all preparations for tomorrow’s launches. All personnel arrived at the site at 9:15 am and quickly began preparations.

George Burns and Ginger Burow set up the electronics trailer and the fill and fire system. This did not work as it was supposed to so they had to enlist Rebekah to call Randy Kuhlmann to trouble shoot us through the issue we were having. We know now where the problem is and will have it resolved for next year.

Steve Burow set up the pad, rails and wiring for the launch rails. Students from the Union Grove and Alamo Heights teams helped erect the rails while Brazoswood finished their rocket. A residual issue from a rail incident last year slowed this set up down and after a little trimming on the rail the issue was fixed and the rails ready for operation.

Rebekah Hyatt and Andrew Matthes coordinated all the final checks for the Brazoswood rocket and worked through their Flight Readiness Reviews. WSMR range personnel assisted the team and kept us on point to get the first two rockets on the rails before leaving the site this evening at shortly before 5:00 p.mn. this evening. Thanks to Gabe and his team from WSMR for keeping us moving.

Three graduates from Hamilton High School, Caleb Lengefeld, Kash Kneuper, and Taylor Long, now first year completed Texas Aggies, volunteered again to help on range. It was their second year to help as the Gas guys for the Goddard program. There were also three students from the FHS program that came to assist and see what Goddard is all about. For launches tomorrow they will all assist as needed at the pad and manhandle Nitrous and Gox bottles. All six said they were really enjoying seeing the program in action, helping with it and learning new things about how it works.

Schools Participating are Alamo Heights, Union Grove, and Brazoswood. and Union Grove and Alamo Heiths were fit with charges and loaded onto the rails for launch tomorrow morning. Brazoswood will load pyros in the morning and then load later as the third launch for the day.

Pop up dirt devils and sand storms were the challenge of the day. We often had to just duck our heads an wait for them to pass. They stole our covers off our heads and filled us and all we were working with in sand. We are hoping they will pass through before our T times on Saturday morning.

Breakfast will be a challenge in the morning as Denny’s has decided to no longer do 24 hour opening as of June 30. Instead Rebekah has decided to get what ever is available from Walmart for breakfast since we will be leaving the hotel at 5:15 in the morinig.

The caravan of 14 vehicles plus WSMR personnel vehicles left the test site by 5: headed in for the evening. Food and showers were top priorities upon returning to the hotels. The SystemsGo team had dinner at Chili’s and then Rebekah went to gather food for Breakfast, while the guys went to play 42 in the lobby and I worked on this.

Launch order for Saturday is as follows:

  • Union Grove
  • Alamo Heights
  • Brazoswood

Saturday’s schedule is the following:

  • Saturday, June 24th
  • Launch Day (Three Rockets, barring any schedule changes by WSMR.)
  • Depart from Hotel by 5:15 a.m. for 6:00 a.m. arrival at Tula Gate for Security checks.
  • Depart Gate to ABC-1 6:30 a.m.
  • Projected launch schedule:
    • T1 8:00 a.m. –
    • T2
    • T3
    • All rockets launched by 2:00 p.m.
    • Break for Lunch 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
    • Range Time Ends – 4:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, June 25th
  • Contingency Day/Cleanup/Fun Day/ Travel (To be determined.)
  • Monday, June 26th
  • Travel Day

The schedule as seen above is a preliminary estimate, and though accurate as stated by Program Director, Rebekah Hyatt, at the moment, is subject to changes and adjustments as needed per WSMR necessities.

SystemsGo now has two launch rails and both will be in operation tomorrow. A rocket has been loaded onto each rail and then will be tested in sequence with only time out for safety. The launch team will be required to evacuate during each launch; and then return to swap out gas and electrical connections between the rails.

After the first two launches, WSMR personnel will attempt to locate and retrieve the rockets for the students while the other rocket is loaded onto the rail. Mission complete will be at 5:00 pm. and all personnel must leave the range. If all launches are on time then everyone will be asked to help tear down and pack up equipment before leaving. If this is not accomplished by range end time it would mean returning on Sunday to complete it. Sunday is our contingency day, but it is mostly for WSMR changes and our cleanup, not for rocket recycling.

WSMR personnel, including Test Center Commander, Colonel Shawanta Smart, and Range Operator, Lori Leyva, will be on site during the launches. These two individuals have been and are committed supporters of our program with WSMR. Please show them your utmost respect and appreciation.

WSMR will be providing lunch for all participants. Colonel Smart began her command in August of 2021, making this her second rocket season with the program. She stopped in last year for a brief visit, but plans to be onsite to see more of how the program operates. Ms. Leyva will be retiring after this year. Her service in coordinating SystemsGo and WSMR in launch efforts has been extremely beneficial to the program over the years she has been with us. SystemsGo will be making special presentations during the lunch break.

Sunday is a contingency day, but preferably it should be no more than a site cleanup day if needed that morning. Provided that we accomplish this early the remainder of the day’s activities will be decided at that time.

The Goddard level rockets, which are the capstones of the SystemsGo program and the culmination of all the skills the students have learned throughout their years in the STEM program. This marks the final senior project for the schools that participate in for the SystemsGo program.

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 benefited.

Sorry no pictures today. We are not allowed cameras or cell phones on range.

#Rockets2023 #SystemsGo #Launcher01 #RideTheSky #Texasrockettrail #EyesOnTheSkies #TexasToNewMexicoRocketTrail

Rockets 2022-SystemsGo at WSMR Sets a New Altitude Record with Brazoswood High School!!!

Two  rockets were up for testing at White  Sands Missile Range today. Fredericksburg and Brazoswood compromised the schedule. It was another early morning with meet time at the WSMR Rt 21 gate at 5:00 am.

A mishap while driving through the range created the first delay for our day. The Fredericksburg truck and trailer had an unfortunate meeting with an Oryx antelope while traveling  along with the convoy headed over to ABC -1. Luckily the damage to the truck was very minimal, mostly a couple of cracks in the left front bumper, but the Oryx did not fair as well. WSMR personnel stayed with the vehicle and the animal until authorities arrived to retrieve the animal and document the incident.

The rest of the group traveled on to the site and readied Brazoswood for launch. The accident and another unforeseen range event created an hour delay on our first T time for the day. Once all personnel were on site and the launch sequence started the day changed for the better.

Brazoswood was first up and had been loaded onto the rail the evening before, so it was just a matter of connecting the systems and doing prechecks. At 9:05 they launched and became the brand new WSMR SystemsGo altitude record holders. At first the rocket seemed a little slow in ascent, but then it literally screamed into the sky, sailing higher and higher. It eventually it left a contrail behind it which made it much easier to track. It was confirmed at an altitude of 49,523 MSL before nosing over and beginning it’s decent.  The range has a sea level of 4,000 feet which is deducted from the total altitude to figure the actual altitude, setting it at 45,523 feet, which is still the record for the program.

The chute did not deploy so it became a lawn dart about 4 kilometers down range. Chris Gardner took a couple of our support crew and they  went to dig it out. It was found and returned to the team.

The previous record held by Fredericksburg was 36,500 feet. This puts Brazoswood in the lead for  best launch and highest altitude. The program just dropped it’s height ceiling to 50,000 feet last year to accommodate changes in the range site we use at WSMR. The old ceiling was 100,000 feet which no one had even gotten close to reaching. Ironically Brazoswood almost broke the new ceiling with this launch.

Fredericksburg was the second launch of the day, and it was the second attempt for them to launch on this trip. At their first attempt yesterday, both the ignition and injection failed. After trouble shooting the problem and correcting it over night, they loaded up for a second chance. This time the rocket did leave the rail, but did not get much altitude before nosing over and returning to the ground about 25 yards behind the pad, where the impact popped off the nose cone and the engine compartment. The body of the vehicle continued north across the range for about 230 yards where it came to rest intact. All pieces were easily recovered and returned to the students. The students were excited that it left the rail and they were taking it home.

Fredericksburg and Brazoswood students helped pack up the pad site. After completion, Scott and Rebekah congratulated the two remaining teams on their successes and then introduced and spoke about the WSMR support team, explaining to the students all this group does so that all the students can get access to the range to test their rockets. Scott presented each team member with a SytemsGo cap as an appreciation for all their help and support.

At this point WSMR had released our airspace after Fredericksburg’s launch and now they called “mission complete” for the final time for Rockets 2022 at White Sands Missile Range.

Thanks to White Sands Missile Range for once again allowing this program to be tested on the range.

The schools and SystemsGo team members all headed back to the hotel for the evening. Fredericksburg’s group headed to eat and then slide at the White Sands Monument National Park. The eight SystemsGo team members grilled supper in the hotel court yard, played corn hole, 42 dominoes, debriefed, and just relaxed for the evening.

Tomorrow the SystemsGo team will be traveling home again. A much needed break for most is in the schedule. Afterwards, Scott Netherland, will be retiring from his post as Executive Director, and Rebekah Hyatt, will move into that role, and George Burns, will officially take on her current role as Program Director.

Rockets 2022 is officially at an end. We will see you again next year for the Texas Rocket Trail 2023. In the upcoming year watch for interesting high lights from the program. New things are happening all the time including the adding of new schools, states and countries in the program.

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.

#Rockets2021 #TexasRocketTrail #EyesonTheSkies #Ridetheskies #ItisRocketScience