On May 11, 1997, the Huntsville Alabama L5 Society chapter of the National Space Society
successfully completed Phase 1 of Project HALO -- High Altitude Lift-Off -- with ...

Project HALO Sky Launch 1

Last update on Wednesday, 10-Aug-2011 01:27:25 EDT

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HAL5 rockoon makes amateur and hybrid rocketry history on May 11!

HAL5 made amateur rocketry history on Sunday, May 11, 1997. At 8:25 AM EDT, HAL5's Project HALO team performed the first amateur rockoon mission when it successfully launched its Sky Launch 1 rocket from a high altitude balloon. HAL5 also made hybrid rocketry history as well, becoming the first organization to launch a hybrid rocket from a high altitude. Based on an estimated rocket apogee between 30 and 36 nautical miles, HAL5 can now claim the world record for highest altitude achieved to date by an amateur rocket -- and by a hybrid rocket of any kind.

Contact Information | Index

Primary Contact: Greg Allison
HAL5 Project HALO Program Manager
Daytime Phone: 256-544-4440
Evening Phone: 256-859-5538
E-mail Address: GHAllison@aol.com

Secondary Contact: Ronnie Lajoie
HAL5 Project HALO Logistics Coordinator
Daytime Phone: 256-461-5934
Evening Phone: 256-721-1083
FAX Phone: 256-461-3045
Primary E-mail Address: HAL5@nsschapters.org

NSS Headquarters Contact: Pat Dasch
National Space Society, Washington, DC
Day Phone: 202-543-1900
E-mail Address: nsshq@nss.org

When and Where | Index

Dates:

Times:

Where:

HALO SL-1 Sites Map
HALO Sky Launch 1 starts in Hampstead (Map image courtesy of YaHoo! Maps)

Purpose of Project HALO | Index

The purpose of Project HALO is to make access to space more affordable for students, amateurs, experimenters, and researchers. It is combination technical and educational program. The program is divided into several phases. All phases have opportunities for student involvement at all grade levels.

Phase 0 was for developing rocket subsystems and testing them on the ground and at high altitude.
Phase 1 is to build the rocket and successfully launch it from a balloon.
Phase 2 will be to develop the operational capability for inexpensive and routine access to space using rockoons.

See the Project HALO Home Page and Project HALO Executive Summary for more details.

Goals of HALO Sky Launch 1 | Index

Project HALO Sky Launch 1 marks the completion milestone for Project HALO Phase 1, Proof of Concept. As such, this successful launch was the final test for Project HALO to proceed onto Phase 2, Operational Rockoons, when we can start to launch student payloads.

Primary Goals of HALO Sky Launch 1
1. Launch the balloon without damaging the balloon, gondola, or rocket -- (( ACHIEVED ))
2. Maintain the temperature inside the oxidizer tank to high altitude -- (( ACHIEVED ))
3. Successfully launch the rocket from the balloon -- (( ACHIEVED ))
4. Verify computer predictions using data transmitted from rocket -- (( not achieved ))
Benefits of Meeting Primary Goals
- Gain confidence to proceed onto Project HALO Phase 2 -- (( ACHIEVED ))
- Have one success from which to approach potential donors and clients -- (( ACHIEVED ))
Honors from Meeting Primary Goals
- First amateur group to have a successful rockoon mission -- (( ACHIEVED ))
- First group (amateur or professional) to ignite a hybrid rocket at high altitude -- (( ACHIEVED ))
  - Important data point for future hybrid rockoons
  - Important data point for hybrid upper stages
World Records for HAL5
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur rocket (by any means) -- (( ACHIEVED ))
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur rockoon -- (( ACHIEVED ))
- Highest altitude achieved by an hybrid-motor rocket (any organization) -- (( ACHIEVED ))
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur hybrid-motor rocket -- (( ACHIEVED ))

Secondary Goals of HALO Sky Launch 1
1. Have the rocket exceed an altitude of 50 nautical miles (nmi) -- (( not achieved ))
2. Have the rocket exceed an altitude of 100 kilometers (km) -- (( not achieved ))
3. Recover the rocket -- (( not achieved ))
4. Recover the balloon gondola -- (( not achieved ))
  BUT WE ARE GOING TO TRY AGAIN WITH SKY LAUNCH 2!!
Benefits of Meeting Secondary Goals
- Have one success from which to approach potential donors and clients
- Can place the recovered rocket in a museum (how about the Air & Space?)
- Can inspect recovered rocket and/or gondola for damage
- Can recover valuable electronics for future reuse
Honors from Meeting Secondary Goals
- First amateur group to get their own rocket into space
- First group (amateur or professional) to get a hybrid rocket into space
- First amateur rocket recovered from space
Potential Records from Getting into Space
- Least expensive rocket-to-space program, start to first flight -- (less than $ 20,000)
- Least expensive rocket space mission, manufacturing and operations -- (less than $ 8,000)

Technical Details | Index

SL-1 Mission Overview (graphic)
- screen size -- (50K)
- full printed page -- (80K)
SL-1 Balloon Gondola Description (graphic)
- screen size -- (31K)
- full printed page -- (109K)
SL-1 Rocket Description (graphic)
- screen size -- (18K)
- full printed page -- (63K)
SL-1 Hybrid Motor Description (graphic)
- screen size -- (24K)
- full printed page -- (84K)

On May 11, 1997, the Huntsville Alabama L5 Society chapter of the National Space Society successfully completed Phase 1 of Project HALO -- High Altitude Lift-Off -- with ...

Project HALO Sky Launch 1

** Special Announcements **