Author Topic: Learning at the edge of space  (Read 4846 times)

Offline simonbp

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Learning at the edge of space
« on: 04/23/2006 04:17 pm »
Yesterday, the Space Hardware Club at my university flew our first high-altitude payload on a weather balloon to a height of around 91,000 feet (28 km). The payload cosisted of several redundant boxes, all built by students in the club (including yours truely), with timered cameras and temperature sensors and two sets of GPS recievers with live amatuer radio downlink. After a launch at the National Weather Service office on campus, the helium balloon brought the payload to alititude in a little over an hour before popping, and the parachute then brought it down safely in about half an hour. Both GPS recivers worked for the entire flight, so we knew exactly were the ballon landed, but unfortunately it landed in tree, thus requiring an hour of vain attempts with a fishing-reel-attached-to-a-slingshot contraption before finally getting it down. A few of the better picutres are below at the website, with more to come...

http://spacehardware.uah.edu/UAH_SHC001.html

Simon ;)

Online Chris Bergin

RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #1 on: 04/23/2006 06:14 pm »
Excellent image!
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Offline astrobrian

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #2 on: 04/23/2006 06:21 pm »
Nice picture  :)

Offline mong'

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #3 on: 04/23/2006 06:58 pm »
wow, you sure know how to make studies interesting in your school ! ;)

that's amazing, congratulations !

Offline Tap-Sa

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #4 on: 04/23/2006 08:46 pm »
Cool experiment! Is that optics playing tricks or can you really make out the curvature as clearly as in that pic?

Offline Dana

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #5 on: 04/23/2006 10:52 pm »
It's not just optics. X-15, U-2, NF-104 and SR-71 pilots have all reported being able to make out the curvature of the earth from altitudes above 80,000 feet.
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Offline Rocket Nut

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #6 on: 04/24/2006 09:39 am »
Quote
Dana - 23/4/2006  6:52 PM

It's not just optics. X-15, U-2, NF-104 and SR-71 pilots have all reported being able to make out the curvature of the earth from altitudes above 80,000 feet.

I can confirm that.  I could easily discern the curvature above about 60-65,000 feet.  Also the sky was dark enough to get a 3-star fix in the daytime using a common sextant.  I can't say I remember black sky, but I do remember a very dark blue with some of the brightest stars and planets visible in the daytime.

Cheers,

Larry

Offline spacefire

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #7 on: 04/25/2006 03:39 pm »
what did you fly on?
is that the A/C in your avatar photo?
That looks like the NASA U2 assuming the pic was ultra-squished :)

Offline vt_hokie

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #8 on: 04/25/2006 05:46 pm »
Even the Concorde gave a similar view at 60,000 ft!  I'll see if I can dig up a photo.  I regret not flying on the Concorde just once before it was retired, but alas, it was way out of my price range!

Offline Jason

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #9 on: 04/26/2006 01:39 am »

Quote
spacefire - 25/4/2006 11:39 AM what did you fly on? is that the A/C in your avatar photo? That looks like the NASA U2 assuming the pic was ultra-squished :)

I would guess RB-57.


Offline vt_hokie

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #10 on: 04/26/2006 02:58 am »
Here's a photo from 58,000 ft.

Also, from this one:

"For the 1st time in history of technology we are going backwards. Years down the line we'll be telling our grandchildren that we used to cross the atlantic in 3 hours and they wont believe us." - quote from Concorde chief pilot Mike Bannister

Offline Dana

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #11 on: 04/26/2006 07:00 am »
Quote
spacefire - 25/4/2006  8:39 AM

what did you fly on?
is that the A/C in your avatar photo?
That looks like the NASA U2 assuming the pic was ultra-squished :)

That's a NASA WB-57 Canberra. Big-wing version of the 1950s-vintage Martin B-57 light bomber (itself a licensed version of the British English Electric Canberra light bomber of the late 1940s-the RAF still flies a handful of those, btw) used for high-altitude research and photography, including video tracking and photography of shuttle launches IIRC. I think they were originally designed for the USAF for use as high-altitude recon and for air sampling in the wake of domestic (and, uh, "foreign") nuclear tests.

http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/wb57/index.html
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Offline Rocket Nut

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #12 on: 04/26/2006 11:39 am »
Quote
Dana - 26/4/2006  3:00 AM

Quote
spacefire - 25/4/2006  8:39 AM

what did you fly on?
is that the A/C in your avatar photo?
That looks like the NASA U2 assuming the pic was ultra-squished :)

That's a NASA WB-57 Canberra. Big-wing version of the 1950s-vintage Martin B-57 light bomber (itself a licensed version of the British English Electric Canberra light bomber of the late 1940s-the RAF still flies a handful of those, btw) used for high-altitude research and photography, including video tracking and photography of shuttle launches IIRC. I think they were originally designed for the USAF for use as high-altitude recon and for air sampling in the wake of domestic (and, uh, "foreign") nuclear tests.

http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/wb57/index.html

Yep, that's it.  I flew it in the Air Force in the 60s.  We had a few NASA missions at the time, including the first 'breadboard' version of the Earth Resources Satellite Program...that's a story in itself.

We had both photo-recon and nuclear-recon mission capability.  They flew from some rather interesting places.  Of the 21 F-model planes built, I got to fly 19 of them...one was lost over the Black Sea and one hit a mountain before I was assigned to the squadron in 1966.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b5/b5-26.htm

Cheers,

Larry

Offline spacefire

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RE: Learning at the edge of space
« Reply #13 on: 04/26/2006 01:58 pm »
grrr I should have recognized the Canberra...guess it was easier to ask.
I wonder if they could be used to launch micro-satellites by carrying a rocket under the belly or in the bomb bay.



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