Tag: NASA

Day 60- Rockets at WSMR- Launch Day 2-Update

This morning started around 0900 on WC 50 range at WSMR. Earlier start was not available due to actual military testing scheduled for today. Two schools, Union Grove and Booker T Washington were on the schedule with a 6 hour window for completion.

The SystemsGo team spent the first hour plus, conducting readiness checks on the Nitrous tanks making sure they were switched out for full ones, making sure the Pad was completely operational, and safety testing the Fill and Fire system to be sure it continued at 100%. During this time, students evaluated their rocket and checked to be sure their vehicle was completely prepared for launch.

Between 1030 and 1100 all systems were deemed ready as was Union Grove’s rocket so it was moved to the launch rail. It went vertical around 1145 and commenced fill. As the third Nitrous tank was filling into the rocket, a small piece at the top of the Estes motor in the injection system froze, and collapsed causing Nitrous to vent. At this point the launch had to abort. The problem was easily fixed and the rocket was readied for a second attempt after Union Grove if time allowed.

It took approximately two hours to remove Union Grove’s rocket and put Booker T Washington’s rocket  on the rail, switch out Nitrous tanks, and wait on the survey teams to provide a new azimuth and angel for the rail for the new launch. During this time another thunderstorm was fast approaching. At 1420 they began fill, as the third tank was loading the Army reported lightning ten miles out. Fill was completed and the rocket was ready to fire so the teams all went to the bunk house and began countdown. Twelve seconds from launch the Army called abort due too high winds that would have affected the rocket’s projections.  After another 45 minutes to one hour, they were given the go for launch again and restarted the countdown at one minute and 30 seconds (90 seconds). Rain continued throughout this time.

The initial launch went well. The rocket ignited and left the rail. It traveled 30 to 40 feet up where the bolts at the top of the nozzle cracked, the rocket lost control, and nose-dived into the range between 180 to 200 feet from the launch rail. It continued burning on the ground, and continued storming so it was allowed to stay where it was and burn out. The Army took over monitoring it until they deemed it safe to approach.

This rocket was caring a NASA payload in the form of a container that was filled with lava rocks meant to represent moon rocks. The purpose of the payload was to test the container and evaluate how it would hold up to space flight and impact at  landing. The container was crushed and the rocks strewn all over the crash site. It was determined that the container would not hold up as part of the nose cone.

The decision to abort for the day was made because of continued heavy rain, lightning, and wind in the storm. Two hours elapsed before the storm let up and they were able to get out on the range, retrieve the rocket and rocks, and pack up for the day. This also meant that Union Grove would not get another shot at launch for today, bumping them to after Alamo Heights tomorrow time permitting.

On another outstanding note, the new Fill and Fire system has been tested and found 100% operational in sunshine or rain. Congratulations to Robert Dever, the system designer.

Wednesday’s schedule includes two vehicles for Alamo Heights High School and now a second attempt for Union Grove if the window of opportunity is still available. Range time begins at 0400 with a final eight-hour window. Launch times begin at 0800.

After launches are complete, the team will pack up all equipment and clean up the site, and the schools will load all vehicles, clean up and take down all staging areas including tents and materials and return the bunk house and  pad to pre-SystemsGo arrival WSMR standards.

Thursday all SystemsGo teams and participating schools will return home.

That concludes Tuesday’s WSMR Rocket update.

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited. SystemsGo is a Texas-based STEM curriculum program.

Tune in again tomorrow for an update from Wednesday’s final day of  launches at White Sands Missile Range this week.

 

 

 

Day 16- Stage 3/ Mission Control Crews

Stage 3 and Mission Control are located under a big tent on the main site on Hillview Ranch. Stage 3 is  where all vehicles receive their last  readiness check and flight approval as well as where deployment charges, and GPS units are added. This is the last step before the student engineers take the vehicle to the pad for testing.

Mission Control is located at the pad side of the same tent. This crew controls the electrical system that ignites each vehicle after it has gone to the pad, become vertical on the rail, and completed fill. They coordinate all radio communications for recovery, traffic, the pad, and stages 1 and 2. Mapping coordinates for locating  and recovering the rockets, watching weather, communicating with the FAA, and NASA, and tracking GPS all happen from here as well.

This group of individuals is SystemsGo’s version of the NASA flight control room. It is the vital heart beat of the project. Most of the crew consists of engineers, retired military, computer experts, teachers and SystemsGo personnel. Without these crew members to complete and run operations not one rocket would be able to test. Thanking them for all their hard work, doesn’t even seem ample, they are so important to the making this whole project fly and work together so smoothly and efficiently. Great job crew you are definitely the boss!

Crew member for this outstanding group for Rockets 2015 included Scott Netherland, Robert Dever, Brett Williams, Randy Kuhlmann, Margaret Williams, Jody Kneese, Molly Williams, Austin Walter, and those whose last names escape me, Randy’s friend, Nick, Margaret’s friend, Cody, Jessica, and Patrick.

Because I hate to publish this without all the surnames and regret doing so; I have contacted a few people and asked and had no luck;  I am asking that whomever reads this and knows those names, either comment with the names or PM me on Facebook and I will update the blog with the names.

Some of you may wonder why I am going through this series of articles, thanking all these people in each station of the event. SystemsGo , already thanks all of us, and we know that we are appreciated and needed to help them make this a success, but I am not SystemsGo. I am a parent of two of the former students that went through this program, and a volunteer for it. I am doing this helper to helper because this program has meant so much to both of my girls, and they have benefited from the program and gone on to continue in their career paths because of what they learned here.

I have seen firsthand how SystemsGo’s program of learning can benefit students and enliven their learning and future education. I am here because I want to ensure the continued success of SystemsGo and the STEM and rocket program. I am honored to be a volunteer here and wouldn’t miss it except under uncontrollable duress. It is for that reason that I want to thank all the other volunteers. Many of them like me have had students in the program in the past, but many have not, and yet they are here. They see the benefit and want to help and for that I want to thank them.

I believe we are here to support the future of all students through this program. By supporting SystemsGo and helping these events be possible for our youth we are nurturing young minds in ways that were never available when we were in school. This system of learning helps to better prepare our youth for the business and career world. And more than anything, it inspires them to want to do more and to succeed in what they attempt. It teaches them that there is success even in failure, and that each is only another opportunity to do better.

Thank you all for this exciting time working together to touch the lives of students all across Texas.

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.