Friday, May 18, 2007

Successful Endurance Test

Hank did a battery endurance test today that went very well. He transmitted into a dummy load for 4 hours straight and the battery was still going. For a rocket flight we don't need more that an few minutes of run time, but if the transmitter is on anyway, we can use it as a radio source to find the rocket if it is lost or blown far away. We'll use a directional antenna to zero in on the transmitter and may even have a visual clue of where it is we looking at the video.

We'll do an actual range test sometime next week.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Work Continues....

Work continues on the rocket. There have been some difficulties with the fin assembly, and Justin has decided to add a piston to the top of the rocket to ensure that the parachute is deployed. A piston pushes the parachute out of the body tube.

Our ATV project is still active but on the back burner. When a launch date is set, no doubt work will begin in earnest.