Last update on Wednesday, 10-Aug-2011 01:27:41 EDT
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The HAL5 Web site has been moved from HiWAAY to an NSS server.
Please update your HALO bookmark to "http://www.HAL5.org/HALO/".
A heroic effort to
reach space on June 20, 1998!
HAL5 attempted its first launch of a larger, more powerful, hybrid rocket on Saturday, June 20, 1998,
in the first of two planned joint missions with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Despite
a heroic effort by the team at sea and on shore, the mission
ended with a launch failure. First the avionics canister (the white and gray striped can just
below in the red nozzle in the photo above left) at the end new launch rod, and later the video
downlink antenna, got snagged on the wooden rocket cradle (see above left), as the released balloon
(see above center) climbed straight up into the sky. The jolts from the double snagging threw
the rocket off the foot-long pin on the launch rod, sending it careening onto the deck of the at-sea
barge (see above right), on loan from NASA. The barge suffered absolutely no damage from this
minor impact. Fortunately, no one was injured -- the rocket oxidizer tank did not even leak
-- and the avionics/payload canister survived intact and was working fine even after the impact
with the deck!
The propulsion section of the rocket got banged up a bit but was later deemed to be refliable with new
valving. One of three rocket fins was damaged beyond repair. A similar-sized rocket fin
was later purchased from HARC, who had one leftover from its CATS-Prize attempt. The rocket
avionics/payload canister is in fine shape and ready to fly. The balloon avionics canister,
however, landed in the Gulf of Mexico, and was totally corroded by exposure to salt water.
The HALO team still hopes to fly the SL-2 rocket at some point in the future, although perhaps with
a different launch method (e.g., gondola) than the launch rod.
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 Press Site Manager
Daytime Phone: 256-461-5934
Evening Phone: 256-721-1083
FAX Phone: 256-461-3045
Primary E-mail Address: HAL5@nsschapters.org
Dates:
Huntsville-based packing was held on Tuesday evening, June 16, 1998
NASA truck loading and drive to Louisiana all day Wednesday, June 17, 1998
Setup on the NASA barge in Louisiana all day Thursday, June 18, 1998
Sail into the Gulf of Mexico on NASA barge all day Friday, June 19, 1998
Press Site (on Alabama coast) setup all day Friday, June 19, 1998
Final preparations and launch attempt on Saturday, June 20, 1998
Sail back to Louisiana, drive back to Huntsville all day Sunday, June 21, 1998
Times:
Launch operations began early Saturday about 3:00 a.m. EDT
Squall line strikes barge early Saturday about 4:00 a.m. EDT
Media operations began Saturday morning about 6:00 a.m. EDT
Press Site notified by barge of launch delay at 8:07 a.m. EDT
Balloon launch occurred just before the 11:00 a.m. EDT deadline
Rocket "launch" occurred seconds later, sans smoke and fire
Balloon popped at altitude and splashed down around 1:00 p.m. EDT
Press Site notified by barge of launch failure at 1:18 p.m. EDT
Where:
Launch operations on NASA barge in Gulf of Mexico, 40 miles off Louisiana coast
Media operations and shore-based tracking at the Sea Lab
on Dauphin Island, Alabama.
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 was to build the rocket and successfully launch it from a balloon.
- Phase 2 is 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.
Project HALO Sky Launch 2 marks the first major milestone for Project HALO Phase 2,
Operational Rockoons. As such, this launch attempt represents the first test
for Project HALO to provide a capability for launching student payloads.
- Primary Goals of HALO Sky Launch 2
- Launch the balloon without damaging the balloon, gondola, or rocket
- Maintain the temperature inside the oxidizer tank to high altitude
- Successfully launch the rocket from the balloon by command uplink
- Successfully track the balloon gondola throughout its flight, as feasible
- Successfully track the rocket throughout its flight, as feasible
- Verify computer predictions using data transmitted from rocket
- Have the rocket exceed an altitude of 50 nautical miles (nmi)
(USA-defined “space” recognized by NASA/USAF/industry = 92.6 km
= 57.5 mi)
- Benefits of Meeting Primary Goals
- Gain confidence to proceed onto Project HALO Phase 2b
- Have another success from which to approach potential donors and clients
- Honors for Exceeding the 50 Nautical Mile Mark
- First amateur group to get their own rocket into space (per U.S. convention)
- First group (amateur or professional) to get a hybrid rocket into space (per U.S. convention)
- Secondary Goals of HALO Sky Launch 2
- Have the rocket exceed an altitude of 100 kilometers (km)
(IAF-defined “space” recognized internationally = 54.0 nmi = 62.1 mi)
- Recover the rocket, whether or not it fires
- Recover the balloon gondola, especially if it is bringing back the rocket
- Recover rocket electronics and payload intact
- Benefits of Meeting Secondary Goals
- Have another 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
- Can deliver recovered student payload back to provider
- Can recover “space-qualified” HAL5 membership cards
- Honors of Meeting Secondary Goals
- First amateur group to get their own rocket into space (per IAF convention)
- First group (amateur or professional) to get a hybrid rocket into space (per IAF convention)
- First amateur rocket recovered from space
- First payload carried into space by an amateur rocket
- First payload recovered from an amateur rocket launched into space
- First organization with truly “space-qualified” membership cards
- Potential Records from Getting into Space
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur rocket (by any means)
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur rocket launched from a balloon (rockoon)
- Highest altitude achieved by an hybrid-motor rocket (any organization)
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur hybrid-motor rocket
- Least expensive rocket-to-space program, start to first flight -- (less than $ TBD)
- Least expensive rocket space mission, manufacturing and operations -- (less than $ TBD)
- SL-2 Mission Overview (graphic)
- SL-2 Balloon Gondola Description (graphic)
- SL-2 Rocket Description (graphic)
- SL-2 Hybrid Motor Description (graphic)
- 1998-Jun-20 --- First Attempt --- balloon launch mishap (rocket recovered)
