BALLS 25

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Still working on convincing the parentals to let me go. I'll be starting community college classes about 3 weeks before, and they're worried about me not being able to get them done. I just really hope I'll be able to make it out there. ;)

I too would like to go someday (and I'm a parent)...
 
As a site update. Your BALLS25 launch site looks great. The playa is harder and flatter than it has been in the last few years. It is also more north at the edge of the Quinn River basin. Easterly recovery more than 4 miles out might be challenging. The surrounding area is dry for the most part, some mud holes and soft spots still exist use of caution when getting into the edges of the playa should be enough to keep from getting stuck. I would say that most of the 5 mi surrounding the site is traversable with 2wd.
This is current what happens between now and then as far as weather is any ones guess. If things hold in the current conditions we should see a drier playa as we have not seen the storms of June that we have had in previous years.
 
I made some 1/2" rebar stakes for anchoring my trailer pad and guy lines. I want them to sit flush with the ground and not pose a trip hazard. How long should I make them so I can still pound them in with a 4lb hammer and have good hold?

18" is my guess? I know the playa is hard and dry given we haven't had any rain out west this summer. Thanks!
 
Last summer at Aeronaut I tried using 3/8" x 12" tent stakes and they pulled right up. I wound up borrowing some 3' rebar stakes and only pounded them in about 18". They held up fine. I bought some 3/4" x 24" round stakes at HD last week for the same purpose.
 
Last edited:
I guess the rumors are true AMW are on their way to BALLS!!! Go Robert and Gloria!!!:clap:
Their last know location was near South Bend,Indiana!!!way tooooo go guys!!!!!
 
Just came back from the BRD launch site (XPRS this past weekend). Indeed the playa was much harder & flatter, I could do at least 50mph across the playa in the RV without having to deal with any of the ruts & mounds I'm used to (and not kicking up a lot of dust, either). But since I also took my first playa core-sample this weekend :)facepalm:), the first ~6 inches was quite chunky before getting to the fine dirt underneath (but the surface kept caving into the hole leaving more to dig out), so my 8" stakes went in easily but also pulled out without any tools. Fortunately there wasn't much of a W (it got breezy Saturday afternoon but not the sand-blasting I've experienced at some past XPRS's) so my stakes were never really in any danger of pulling themselves out, but I do need to find longer ones. RV came back cleaner than ever before also, the walking surfaces were still dusty but it wasn't a coating on every surface like usually seems to happen. :)
 
I guess the rumors are true AMW are on their way to BALLS!!! Go Robert and Gloria!!!:clap:
Their last know location was near South Bend,Indiana!!!way tooooo go guys!!!!!

Another state down now in Nebraska!
 
Under the jet stream again. The result of a late launch date. Earlier may be hotter, but for high altitude flights, the weather is much better.
 
last weekend at XPRS they were 34 mph @39K....today they are 103 mph. The winds are 'from' 230 degrees blowing back up into the Quinn River.

Tony
 
last weekend at XPRS they were 34 mph @39K....today they are 103 mph. The winds are 'from' 230 degrees blowing back up into the Quinn River.

Tony

Looks like things should calm back down sometime Saturday as a ridge pushes back in.
 
Wow have a good time everyone... Must really be an awesome time out there on the playa...

Anyone think I could pull off getting my college class absences excused for an "educational trip" next year? :p

In all seriousness though...
 
Wow have a good time everyone... Must really be an awesome time out there on the playa...

Anyone think I could pull off getting my college class absences excused for an "educational trip" next year? :p

In all seriousness though...

I'm thinking about doing the same next year.
 
Today was set up day. On the way out there was some rain and slick.
Tomorrow is forecast to be good, Saturday very good.

M
 
I got out to the launch site around 4pm. Windy and cold..set up camp and made some dinner..talked to a few guys and turning in for the night. Its still windy but up to 54 degrees now.

Tony
 
Hey all!

I will be bringing a 5" scratch build to fly on a couple of commercial loads, one being the N3300 and the other the M1315. Its a 34lb rocket and uses 1515s. Any chance anyone might have a pad/rail setup 12 feet long or better that I could fly off of? I would greatly appreciate it! :)

14463199_1379623238735342_4819051517773638336_n.jpg

Ryan
 
Weather Saturday and Sunday perfect.
I launched twice, first time at BALLS in 16 years, it is good to not be in charge.

M
 
Wow have a good time everyone... Must really be an awesome time out there on the playa...

Anyone think I could pull off getting my college class absences excused for an "educational trip" next year? :p

In all seriousness though...

Ever heard of the ARLISS program? Not only get to come to Black Rock, maybe you can get help to pay for it.

Find info thru the AeroPac website.
 
Just talked to Gerald Meux, who's stuck in Reno waiting for a flight, and he informed me that there are quite a few projects still out in the desert. I wish I would have known because we had time and enough supplies to stay and run searches Sun and Mon. Anyways if you lost something or know of someone who did I will be gearing up for a search late this week weekend time frame. Let everyone know they can contact me at [email protected]. I do require information ie help me help you give me the best chance to find your rocket and I will give it my best effort. I ask for a small finders fee to cover costs of running my Hummer, trailer and side by side for 2-3 days.
Mike
 
Does anyone have any photo galleries posted from the event? I saw lots of cameras...I'm hoping to see a shot of my small orange and black rocket from Saturday.
 
Looks like that X-15 delta stalled and went in? Kurt
In spite of a lot of work the CG/CP relationship was off and there wasn't enough elevator authority. So not really a stall. It was really hard to watch it hit the dirt - you can see in the photos how nice it looked. But the pilot is very experienced and will likely be able to repair it.


Tony
 
In spite of a lot of work the CG/CP relationship was off and there wasn't enough elevator authority. So not really a stall. It was really hard to watch it hit the dirt - you can see in the photos how nice it looked. But the pilot is very experienced and will likely be able to repair it.


Tony

Shoot, Probably will need to move the CG forward. Kurt
 
Back
Top