Yes. Absolutely. Still, if he wants to try something new and it:s self-funding. Who cares?
Ascender 36 flew to 13,512 feet on her 1st shakedown flight.
Last Sunday the Ascender 36 airship took off from our new launch facility in Northern Nevada.The first flight of Ascender 36 was a real shake down. It took two hours more than planned to get her into the air. Instead of the forecasted calm morning, we had windy condition with the wind howling from the opposite direction. However when we got her into the air she put her nose up and screamed in to the sky. Our minimum goal was to fly to 7,000 feet. If all went well we would push bit by bit to 10,000 feet. Our goal climb rate was 400 feet per minute. In the end we climbed an average 582 feet per minute and flew all the way to 13,512 feet. We landed her 11 miles down range.
Ascender 36 bring readied for launch at Area 42
Ascender 36 mission patch $20. Help keep us flying! On Amazon: http://a.co/1ehiysz
Is that JP's submarine in the poster?
Kevin with first inner helium cell for Ascender 9 airship.
Sunday the team was working away on Ascender 9 airship. Here's a pic of the left wing.
Left tail of the Ascender 9 airship.
Test fitting a helium inner cell inside the Ascender 9 airship.
Inside the Ascender 9 airship outer envelope. Here's were inspecting the shell before anything is installed inside.
JP Aerospace, Sewing our way to space.
Nothing about the airship-to-orbit idea?
We just finished the first truss section for Ascender 9.Fifteen of these make up the keel.
How the research fits together.
The Mach Glider program is a test series for Airship to Orbit development. Here's a block 4 Mach Glider being launched from a Tandem airship
Block 4 Mach Glider
Photo looking down on one of our early Mach Glider test flights.
Quote from: Proponent on 03/16/2017 01:31 pmNothing about the airship-to-orbit idea?It's nearly all airship-to-orbit! AtO is a 3 part system, Ascender is the first part, dark star station the second, the hypersonic wind tunnel supports research into active drag reduction for the third part etc.
The new keel truss for the Ascender 9 airship (the hundred footer). The truss weights only 21 pounds.#jpaerospace
They need to reduce drag by a factor of a million.
The team did a full vehicle assemble and test on Ascender 36 on Sunday. Getting her ready for the second flight.#jpaerospace
Inside the tail of the Ascender 36 airship.#jpaerospace.