Traveler was launched on September 21, 2013, after two years of hard work and waiting. The flight ended in an explosion at T+3.5 seconds. Most parts of the rocket were recovered, and some can be reused. Luckily, enough of the motor was intact to piece together the cause of the explosion. This update will cover pre-launch operations, the launch itself, and future plans.
For the fourth time in lab history, we're within a week of launching Traveler. This time, we know we'll be able to make a shot, since we have signed FAA and BLM waivers! It's been an intense two-year process by two generations of lab leaders to get approval to launch. Out of it, though, we've made excellent contacts at the government agencies, gotten good advice about how to plan our launch operations, and laid the groundwork for regularly obtaining future clearances.
RPL's first meeting of the semester will be at 4:00 PM in MHP 101. Future meetings will be at the same time, but in GFS 106.
Additionally, we're having a lab preview meeting at 3:00 PM in MHP 101 for prospective members who want a more in-depth overview of lab's activities.
There is lots of exciting news to go over at the meetings, including our FAA waiver status, plans to finish up Traveler, and the design of a 200,000'-apogee vehicle to fly at BALLS along with Traveler. BE THERE!
SPACE OR NOTHING
