Author Topic: JP Aerospace  (Read 119326 times)

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #180 on: 08/15/2021 04:38 am »
https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1426764704446177285

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We got a MHD block test in. This was #8.
jpaerospace.com

Offline hkultala

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #181 on: 08/17/2021 12:39 pm »
Where is he getting money for this scam?

Are there people insane enough to fund him or has he become millionaire by some other business?



Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #182 on: 08/17/2021 04:25 pm »
Where is he getting money for this scam?

Are there people insane enough to fund him or has he become millionaire by some other business?

It’s not a scam. It’s a wild idea that may not work, but he’s been working on it for decades, slowly developing bits of technology. They have a small budget and lots of volunteers. Some donations and also paid work lifting objects up to 100+k feet. Such as the Toshiba commercial over a decade ago:


Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #183 on: 08/17/2021 04:28 pm »
The latest mission:

https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1427662377089060864

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The flight of Away 131 was a success. The vehicle has been recovered and recovery team is back home. More after we kick the dust off.

Edit to add:

https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1427718747410763777
« Last Edit: 08/17/2021 07:48 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline hkultala

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #184 on: 08/17/2021 08:54 pm »
Where is he getting money for this scam?

Are there people insane enough to fund him or has he become millionaire by some other business?

It’s not a scam. It’s a wild idea that may not work, but he’s been working on it for decades, slowly developing bits of technology.


"may" is an understatement.

It will not work because of physics.

And no amount of "technology" will change physics.

Offline libra

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #185 on: 08/18/2021 09:32 am »
Then why losing your time posting in this thread then ?  ::) ::)

Offline edzieba

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #186 on: 08/18/2021 02:37 pm »
It's fundamentally the same concept as hypersonic spaceplane-to-orbit: utilise a high enough TWR and you can generate lift from as rarefied gas as you want by tuning drag and thrust to continue accelerating without falling. SCRAMjet waveriders aim for a high TWR by maximising the 'T'. JP Aerospace aim to minimise the 'W'. That they use an 'airship' is secondary to them creating a structure with a large lifting area with minimal mass (a pressure-stabilised hypersonic aircraft), it being LTA for the initial portion of flight mostly just helps with logistics of getting it to a starting altitude.

There's nothing physically preventing the concept from working. Whether it works economically, or whether the engineering challenges are tractable (for SCRAMjet SSTO they have repeatedly not been) is another matter.

Offline Mandella

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #187 on: 08/18/2021 06:03 pm »
Where is he getting money for this scam?

Are there people insane enough to fund him or has he become millionaire by some other business?

It’s not a scam. It’s a wild idea that may not work, but he’s been working on it for decades, slowly developing bits of technology.


"may" is an understatement.

It will not work because of physics.

And no amount of "technology" will change physics.

Using "physics" as a reason without even listing what principles are being violated is disingenuous at best. As far as I know none of the laws of thermodynamics are being broken, nor is this a reactionless drive or is it breaking the speed of light.

It is, however, balloons in spaaaace, and that may well turn out to be impractical. But impracticality *is* something that technology sometimes changes.

Or not. But as of right now it should be noted that they have flown higher than, say, ARCAspace...

Edit: Steven Pietrobon has corrected me that ARCAspace has indeed lofted a suborbital rocket (from a balloon in fact!) higher than JP Aerospace has managed to fly. So, point for ARCA...
« Last Edit: 08/19/2021 05:30 pm by Mandella »

Offline Redclaws

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #188 on: 08/18/2021 06:08 pm »
Where is he getting money for this scam?

Are there people insane enough to fund him or has he become millionaire by some other business?

It’s not a scam. It’s a wild idea that may not work, but he’s been working on it for decades, slowly developing bits of technology.


"may" is an understatement.

It will not work because of physics.

And no amount of "technology" will change physics.

Using "physics" as a reason without even listing what principles are being violated is disingenuous at best. As far as I know none of the laws of thermodynamics are being broken, nor is this a reactionless drive or is it breaking the speed of light.

It is, however, balloons in spaaaace, and that may well turn out to be impractical. But impracticality *is* something that technology sometimes changes.

Or not. But as of right now it should be noted that they have flown higher than, say, ARCAspace...

Yeah, it’s a weird project and I’m not sure the engineering equations close to a real system, but it’s certainly not nonsense!  I love seeing what they’re up to and I hope they can perhaps learn useful things.

Offline Svetoslav

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #189 on: 08/18/2021 07:30 pm »
It's not a scam. It's a service.

He promised to bring us our names to near-space, and he delivered.

I'm quite happy with the outcome of the latest mission. Remember - I've supported other initiatives on Kickstarter that promised to bring names and message to near-space and space, and they never delivered.

Here's a photo of our names (myself included) photographed on August 14, during this mission. Thanks, John Powell!

« Last Edit: 08/18/2021 07:31 pm by Svetoslav »

Offline Asteroza

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #190 on: 08/18/2021 11:25 pm »
https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1426764704446177285

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We got a MHD block test in. This was #8.
jpaerospace.com

This sort of garage level MHD work is interesting, potentially from a practicality perspective.

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #191 on: 08/19/2021 09:07 am »
Or not. But as of right now it should be noted that they have flown higher than, say, ARCAspace...

ARCA flew their balloon launched Helen 2 suborbital rocket to 40 km on 4 October 2010.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2010/10/04/romania-enters-space-age-arca-launches-rocket/

Not sure what the record is for JP Aerospace, but they reached 29 km on one balloon flight.

https://www.engadget.com/2011-11-02-diy-unmanned-airship-soars-95-000-feet-above-earth-lays-claim-t.html
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Mandella

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #192 on: 08/19/2021 05:28 pm »
Or not. But as of right now it should be noted that they have flown higher than, say, ARCAspace...

ARCA flew their balloon launched Helen 2 suborbital rocket to 40 km on 4 October 2010.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2010/10/04/romania-enters-space-age-arca-launches-rocket/

Not sure what the record is for JP Aerospace, but they reached 29 km on one balloon flight.

https://www.engadget.com/2011-11-02-diy-unmanned-airship-soars-95-000-feet-above-earth-lays-claim-t.html

Thanks for the correction! Boy, that was eons ago with a totally different rocket design, but you are correct, ARCAspace as a company has lofted something higher than JP. It does remain to be seen if their current steamkettle can get above balloon height, though.

Interesting to note that ARCA's balloon launch was also a sea launch.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #193 on: 08/21/2021 07:08 am »
https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1428892832522072069

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Pneumatic valve open and close near peak altitude aboard Away 131. This is just a draft version of the valve. After a few more high altitude tests it will be ready to go on the airship.
jpaerospace.com

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #194 on: 09/10/2021 10:57 pm »


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The Data Dart is a 3d Printed supersonic and soon to be hypersonic aircraft. It is launched out of a high speed shock tube. We use it as a research tool for the Airship to Orbit Program. Just a tiny thing, but it's the fastest hunk of plastic in town.The Date Dart is a critical tool in our high speed aircraft development.
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3d printing

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #195 on: 06/03/2022 06:00 pm »


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We have made a breakthrough in our #Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma engine program. We are using ablative graphene electrodes in the #MHD unit to eliminate electrode fouling. This is part of our program to develop hybrid electric/chemical rocket engines for the Airship to Orbit program.
Airship to Orbit Video:


MHD Test 117 Video:


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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #196 on: 08/27/2022 12:10 am »

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #197 on: 09/11/2022 05:06 pm »
https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1569008867518066690

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Yesterday we did more testing on the Ellipse airship's internal air beam structure.

https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1569008988653760513

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and a peek at the inside.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #198 on: 09/14/2022 05:31 pm »
https://twitter.com/johnmpowell1/status/1570102110154551297

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MHD test firing #89.
We're considering not do a high altitude mission this month and instead focusing on a series of engine tests. Heat will be the deciding factor. I hesitate putting recover teams in the desert at 116F esp. with the fires.

Offline Bob Shaw

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Re: JP Aerospace updates
« Reply #199 on: 09/14/2022 05:51 pm »
I've always liked the JP Aerospace paradigm-busting approach.

It may not work, but I can't fault the principles behind their work. 'Build a little, fly a little' isn't a silly way of doing things. At worst, they're harmless and good fun - at best - who knows?

 

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