Project MESOS. A two-stage flight to 293,488 ft!

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I saw you gave an altitude measurement based on GPS. But I thought position determination by GPS was restricted at high altitude/velocity by the DoD. For instance the USC team that reached the von Karman only could claim that with 90% confidence because of those restrictions.

Were you able to get around those restrictions?

Bob Clark
 
I saw you gave an altitude measurement based on GPS. But I thought position determination by GPS was restricted at high altitude/velocity by the DoD. For instance the USC team that reached the von Karman only could claim that with 90% confidence because of those restrictions.

Were you able to get around those restrictions?
Kip used the Multitronix Kate-3 system. It has a GPS with unlimited altitude capability but it still has a velocity limit as per ITAR restrictions. See www.multitronix.com for more details.
 
Looking to hear how you air started and you separation method. I'll be following suite with commercial O3400 and m2245 (~30k N s). Weight is similar too. But max speed is M2.6/+100kft. Not sure if 2023 is my year or the next.
 
Just posted a new video with a Kate telemetry overlay and a 3D animation (huge thanks to Vern Knowles) of the rocket. Brings a lot of data together and gives a great perspective of what was happening during the ascent.


Dude my jaw is on the floor! That 3D overlay in sync with the video is absolutely stunning! :cool:
 
That was awesome Kip. It puts into perspective the efficiency of the flight profile. I also just noticed the smoke trail shadow perfectly captured from the tower cam ~@47 seconds!
 
Incredible video, thanks for posting!

I always thought the post flight data massage and reduction and synthesis was more fun than the actual flight.
 
That was awesome Kip. It puts into perspective the efficiency of the flight profile. I also just noticed the smoke trail shadow perfectly captured from the tower cam ~@47 seconds!
Thank you, I definitely plan to do the overlays on future flights.
 
Awesome video, Kip !!!!! Just curious if you have the data for roll rate for the early part of the flight ? Currently I can "de-spin" video at up to 2000dps using a NoseCam. But for my "slow" flights below Mach I usually never get above ~600dps.

Data overlay on video is definitely helpful. I can plow through loads of Excel data and miss nuances in the flight, but with data overlay things become more clear about what is going on.

Steve G.
 
I am impressed with how fast the rocket was moving above 200,000 feet and seemed to have almost no stability, yet the electronics handled this, and there was no early deployment.
 
the animated rocket rolling and yawing was really helpful for me to understand the spinning ground.

it just really had no stabilty, no aero effects at all. over 150k ft. wild struff. could be coasting up, pointing down, funny to think about.
 
Looking to hear how you air started and you separation method. I'll be following suite with commercial O3400 and m2245 (~30k N s). Weight is similar too. But max speed is M2.6/+100kft. Not sure if 2023 is my year or the next.
Sorry if I’m being a bit thick, but Mach 2.6 seems “slow” compared to Kip’s M4.2, do you know why that is? And by “M2.6/+100kft” what do you mean? Is the apogee 100k? That also seems a little low if the weight is similar to MESOS, or is it 100k more than Kip’s flight (that seems really high, wouldn’t that be higher than GoFast 2014)?
Sorry if I’m just missing something here but I’m a little confused.
 
Sorry if I’m being a bit thick, but Mach 2.6 seems “slow” compared to Kip’s M4.2, do you know why that is? And by “M2.6/+100kft” what do you mean? Is the apogee 100k? That also seems a little low if the weight is similar to MESOS, or is it 100k more than Kip’s flight (that seems really high, wouldn’t that be higher than GoFast 2014)?
Sorry if I’m just missing something here but I’m a little confused.
Umm I am not sure what you're getting at. I'm sure why my rocket (if built as designed, and conical drag is as simulated) does what it does. I'm not sure why a different rocket would do something different; I don't have the specs.
Weight balance thrust timing diameter conical sections stabilization number of fins

Are you saying that the speed doesn't match altitude planned?
 
This awesome Kip!
I had two questions tho:
1) Have you thought of using prop X for your motors or is the burn rate too low? it has something crazy like 265 secs of isp which would be great for this. RCS sells it in 75mm grains which is the sustainer diameter.
2) Have you thought of doing a 3 stager now that you're rebuilding the sustainer? a 115/75/54mm could get some crazy altitude.

Also thanks for answering my question at vNARCON!
 
This awesome Kip!
I had two questions tho:
1) Have you thought of using prop X for your motors or is the burn rate too low? it has something crazy like 265 secs of isp which would be great for this. RCS sells it in 75mm grains which is the sustainer diameter.
2) Have you thought of doing a 3 stager now that you're rebuilding the sustainer? a 115/75/54mm could get some crazy altitude.

Also thanks for answering my question at vNARCON!
Answer to 1): The ISP of a motor has as much to do with its design (nozzle, grain geometry, etc) as the propellant. For instance, the O5500X (formerly the O5280X) has an ISP of 220 sec. I don’t see any benefits of that propellant over my own.

Answer to 2): No definitely not flying a 3 stager. To fly higher in the same package, I want to increase the burn time of the second stage motor. This would not change its total impulse but deliver it over a longer burn.

Happy to answer questions.
 
Answer to 1): The ISP of a motor has as much to do with its design (nozzle, grain geometry, etc) as the propellant. For instance, the O5500X (formerly the O5280X) has an ISP of 220 sec. I don’t see any benefits of that propellant over my own.

Answer to 2): No definitely not flying a 3 stager. To fly higher in the same package, I want to increase the burn time of the second stage motor. This would not change its total impulse but deliver it over a longer burn.

Happy to answer questions.
I always say, two-stagers are fun, three-stagers, not so much. But yours were fun though!

Jim
 
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