Jarrid Gross wrote:
>
> Piners,
>
> Lets all just mellow out here for a bit, and think about what we are
Great post Jarrid,
I leave town for a few days and come back to see the Sunbeam list is in an
upheavel over
the Boy Scouts! Might the response to Joe had been a tad bit over reaction?
Hey Joe, why
don't you stick around, this is a pretty good list. TJ does a great job (thank
you) and
the list members are about the best that I have seen for overall civility and
helpfulness.
On another topic: I just returned from Cape Canaveral; in a few months we will
be
shipping our spacecraft there for a launch to Mars. After spending a few years
on this
Project we are finally just about ready to go. Took a tour of the launch pad
that we
will use - it is currently occupied with a launch vehicle, but since the
payload was not
yet delivered we were able to climb up the gantry and inspect the clean rooms
where the
payload integration occurs.
We have asked for two video camera to be located on the launch vehicle, but may
only get
one - on the second stage. Provided that there is good enough ground radio
coverage to
provide sufficient link margin for the video this should be a pretty
spectacular view!
The camera is pointed down to the ground and at ignition the launch vehicle
shakes and
lifts away from the ground and heads in a arc over the ocean. The air in
Florida usually
has some clouds and as you pass by (or through) the clouds the vehicle is
beginning to
pitch over (it will head north-east) and you will see a view which combines the
coast
line of Florida with the Atlantic Ocean. The solids will jettison away and fall
back to
Earth. As the atmosphere thins the rocket plume will expand. Now since this
camera is
located on the second stage, it may be possible (if we have sufficient ground
coverage)
to see the second stage separation! We had asked for a camera on the third
stage looking
toward the payload - this looks unlikely. Too bad because this would have been
a great
shot.
Not too many months to go. We ship the orbiter to the Cape in little over two
months and
the launch period begins April 7. In the meantime there is a ton of work.
Obligatory Sunbeam content - after launch I will have some time to use the new
spray gun
I purchased to start painting my Alpine!
-Roger
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