Two, one lift off!

Aerospace students’ latest rocket launch tests readiness

The lift-off from the pad at Brothers, Ore. Heat is distorting the light, which makes the rocket appear wavy in the photo. The May 28, 2016, test was “a perfect flight, absolutely perfect,” according to the Aerospace students present.

Students completed a successful test launch of their full-scale launch vehicle with a prototype payload in Brothers, Ore., on May 28, 2016.

This was in preparation for the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) competition to be held near Green River, Utah, June 15-18.

The apogee, which was determined by averaging two barometric sensors, reached 10,706 feet above ground level (AGL). The target apogee was 10,000 feet AGL. The prototype payload was a bit light, so the competition motor will be adjusted in an attempt to get closer to the target altitude, said Keith Stansbury, Aerospace program facility adviser.

“While overreaching the target, we did deliver the payload to more than two miles up!”

The recovery system worked perfectly, according to Stansbury. “Everything was recovered intact and ready for preparation for the competition at Green River.”

The payload, however, had some challenges: The GoPro compact video recording device filled a secure digital card prior to lift-off, when it was intended to record the entire launch. Also, other data was garbled, so there will be changes made to the subsystem.

“The launch was to confirm flight readiness of the launch vehicle, not the payload, so it was a complete success for what we needed,” said Stansbury.