Mission: L04

Summary:

Our third test flight was a short launch to give our affiliates from Concordia College a chance to participate in a mission as well as test their payload box, which included a camera for taking pictures and a data logger. Aside from a small problem with one of our lines getting tangled, the mission went very well. The spacecraft flew up to 15,000 ft where the altitude successfully activated. Due to some good predictions of the landing zone and some great recovery vehicle driving and directing, the command module and payload landed within feet of the recovery van. The video file below captures this great moment.

Flight Information:

Date: October 25, 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: 7:41 AM
Balloon: 1000 gram Kaysam Balloon
Ascent Rate: 1250 feet/min
Descent Rate: 1150 feet/min
Stack Weight: 11.8 pounds (includes 6lb command module, 1.3lb payload, parachute, and harness)
Total Lift: 15.5 pounds
Free Lift: 4 pounds
Maximum Altitude: 15009 feet
Landing Time: 8:02 AM
Recovery Time: 8:02 AM
Landing Coordinates: Latitude: 43.849 N, Longitude: 92.825 W, Altitude: 1325 feet

Personnel:

Mission Manager: Greg Nelson
Launch Director: Kevin Sweeney
Flight Director: Kevin Sweeney
Recovery Director: Chris Sanden
Launch Team: Andrew Feit, Jennifer Halsted, Chris Sanden, Matthew Stegmeir
Recovery Team: Andrew Feit, Jennifer Halsted, Chris Sanden, Matthew Stegmeir
Payload Team: William Duppler, Paul Seifert

Lessons learned:

Flight Data:

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

Pictures:

Pictures taken by Jennifer Halsted
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Pictures taken by Andrew Feit
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Pictures taken by Paul Seifert (scanned from film)
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Pictures taken by the Payload Camera (scanned from film)
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All pictures from L04

Videos:

Video taken by Jennifer Halsted 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 7:53 minutes in length and shows some highlights of the L04 mission. Due to the dark conditions during the setup, this video just shows the launch and recovery.
WMV Video File Size: 28.4MB
MPEG Video File Size: 32.9MB
Web site maintained by Adam Thoreen
Last updated: August 26, 2004