Highschool to reach space

I think Nate here is on the right path. You will almost certainly not be the first high school students to reach space. On the other hand, you may be the people who paved the way for high school students to reach space (although that too is unlikely). The way I see it, you have two major points that prevent rockoon flights: unpredictable flight of the balloon and unpredictable launch conditions for the rocket. You can do research and potentially prove success for #2.

If you really want to do a rockoon, do one that launches the rocket from somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 feet altitude. That's plenty of altitude to work out the kinks of going higher while also being close enough to the ground that you aren't going to bust out of the 19-mile circle at a large Black Rock launch. Go ahead and build your K flying motor case so that you break mach 1 and maybe even 2. If you can successfully prove launch and recovery in a reasonably predictable manner from that altitude, you are a long way toward proving launch at high altitude. The other issue is certainly real and major, but knocking down one barrier is the road to success on the other.

Also, while I see the desire to have a 360-degree video for VR purposes, I don't think that a spin-stabilized rocket is a good vehicle for that unless you equip people watching with puke buckets. And finally, you can't be shy about giving away your secrets. You're never going to make money off of this, so you are probably best off in terms of actually making something happen to share information. People on this forum will gladly share years of expertise as long as you are willing to listen, accept advice, and share your projects.

How's this coming along?

CoyoteNumber2 said:

How's this coming along?

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It's coming out well. We've gotten access to a small satellite that can be used as the whole computer of the rocket as it gives, GPS location, had battery to last month's, and a camera. We've started construction on our test stand and test vehicule. It's all in schedule.

astroadrian99 said:

It's coming out well. We've gotten access to a small satellite that can be used as the whole computer of the rocket as it gives, GPS location, had battery to last month's, and a camera. We've started construction on our test stand and test vehicule. It's all in schedule.

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That's fantastic; keep us posted. Do you have a blog or website where you showcase your work?

CoyoteNumber2 said:

That's fantastic; keep us posted. Do you have a blog or website where you showcase your work?

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hartvr.wix.com/hartvr

this is awesome to read. keep it up!
its a blessing goddard,von braun, Hickam, and the likes didn't let nay sayers stop them from accomplishing what they accomplished.
keep up the work!

Hi Adrian,

I took a look at your website - very well done!

While I do have some reservations about the feasibility of the project, I commend you for your vision and the effort you have put into this. Your timeline may need adjustment - spring will be here before you know it!

One question I have is about the size of the rocket. You state on the website that it is 27" long. Is that including the nosecone?

If so, I don't see how you will fit recovery and electronics into the design. A 54mm K motor is about 15" long. a 4:1 NC is about 10" long including the shoulder. While you could possibly fit all of your avionics in the nose, that would only leave a couple inches of space for recovery gear.

You guys ought to trash the whole rockoon idea - it's just not practical, and you'd have to be at least 100 miles out to sea, minimum in order to get the OK for this project. A boat big enough to support the launch of the balloons and pad is going to be dreadfully expensive to rent. On top of that, you will need multiple boats to try to fetch this thing. All of which is uber complex, and way outside the capacity of a bunch of high school students.

Look at the people who have made it, or at least came close, or publically in the development phase. I'm talking about CSXT, Aeropac and SSTS. What do they have in common? If you guessed rockoons, then you're dead wrong. It's a two staged, minimum diameter design. Much more simple then any rockoon. And a whole lot cheaper to do. You could probably do three flights for the cost of one rockoon.

cbrarick said:

You guys ought to trash the whole rockoon idea - it's just not practical, and you'd have to be at least 100 miles out to sea, minimum in order to get the OK for this project. A boat big enough to support the launch of the balloons and pad is going to be dreadfully expensive to rent. On top of that, you will need multiple boats to try to fetch this thing. All of which is uber complex, and way outside the capacity of a bunch of high school students.

Look at the people who have made it, or at least came close, or publically in the development phase. I'm talking about CSXT, Aeropac and SSTS. What do they have in common? If you guessed rockoons, then you're dead wrong. It's a two staged, minimum diameter design. Much more simple then any rockoon. And a whole lot cheaper to do. You could probably do three flights for the cost of one rockoon.

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Small nitpick here, CSXT was not a two stager.

Edit: Their successful space-shots I mean.

What's the latest? How did the test flights go?

CoyoteNumber2 said:

What's the latest? How did the test flights go?

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The test flight went great. The actual flight has been postponed due to FAA taking their time and other issues. Most things are built, waiting for approval at this point.

astroadrian99 said:

The test flight went great. The actual flight has been postponed due to FAA taking their time and other issues. Most things are built, waiting for approval at this point.

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What can you tell us about the test flight? The video was nice but didn't provide any details. What motor did you use? How high did it go?