Mission: L02

Summary:

We successfully launched and recovered the command module for the first time. Despite a few minor hiccups, everything went very well. Packets were received by both the flight and recovery crews during the ascent and the descent until the spacecraft descended below the radio horizon. The ascent rate prediction was about half the actual value resulting in a much shorter flight then anticipated. This, combined with some communication problems, caused the recovery team to be several miles downwind of the spacecraft landing site. However, using the last known position, the recovery team was able to quickly converge to the landing zone. Packets from the command module were then reacquired and the GPS position of the spacecraft was obtained. The recovery team received permission from the land owners to enter the soy bean field where the spacecraft had landed. Dave Hultman was the first to spot the parachute draped over some of the bean plants and the recovery team retrieved the spacecraft.
This mission was a rescheduling of L01.

Flight Information:

Date: September 4, 2003
Launch Site: Blooming Prairie High School  ::  Map  ::  Web Page
Launch Coordinates: Latitude: 43.867 N, Longitude: 93.065 W, Altitude: 1290 feet
Launch Time: 6:50 AM
Balloon: 1500 gram Kaysam Balloon
Ascent Rate: 1200 feet/min
Descent Rate: 1100 feet/min
Stack Weight: 10.5 pounds (includes 6lb command module as well as the parachute and harness)
Total Lift: 14.5 pounds
Free Lift: 4 pounds
Maximum Altitude: 10029 feet
Landing Time: 7:05 AM
Recovery Time: 7:40 AM
Landing Coordinates: Latitude: 43.79 N, Longitude: 93.037 W, Altitude: 1220 feet

Personnel:

Mission Manager: Greg Nelson
Launch Director: Kevin Sweeney
Flight Director: Stephanie Soffa
Recovery Director: Kevin Sweeney
Launch Team: Dr. Garrard, Dave Hultman, Zach Pettis, Chris Sanden
Recovery Team: Dr. Garrard, Dave Hultman, Zach Pettis, Chris Sanden

Lessons learned:

Flight Data:

Map of the Flight Path Altitude vs. Time Ascent Rate vs. Time

Pictures:

Pictures taken by Zach Pettis
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All pictures from L02

Videos:

Video taken by Zach Pettis and edited by Kevin Sweeney
Two versions of the video are offered. The WMV file requires the Windows Media Player 9 codec, which can be obtained from our web page for either WMP 7.0 or greater or for WMP 6.4. These codecs can also be obtained directly from Microsoft's Web Site. The MPEG file is offered as an alternative for those who cannot install the codec or are using an operating system other then Windows. The quality of the MPEG is much lower in order to keep the file size small.
The video is 7:26 minutes in length and shows some highlights of the L02 mission including setup, launch, and recovery.
WMV Video File Size: 27.6MB
MPEG Video File Size: 38.0MB
Web site maintained by Adam Thoreen
Last updated: August 26, 2004