WikiBalloon_Launch05

• Date: 05/Mar/2011 11:00 UTC Zuera - Recovered
• Launch coordinates: 41.859N, 0.753W
• Site: Small lake
• Access: Wagon road
• Airways: Near W-851
• Air region: Zaragoza TMA (E) LEZG ACC: 119.300
• NOTAM:
• Impact coordinates: 42.105N, 0.290W
• Video report Launch05
• Next WikiBalloon_Launch06

Mission

The main objective was to test a new launching ramp based on a tube connected directly to the balloon. The configuration was based on second stage rocket and all the basic electronics. See the video here.

This mission was designed as a Tracked recovered mission with PVC launching ramp in bad weather conditions (rainy and low windy) and light payload 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) with a LOCATOR beacon and parachute. Launched from Zuera (Spain): The estimated cost was 15,000€.

Overview

People on-the-field were: Joshua Tristancho(5), Juan Martinez(1) and Lluis Bonet(1).

In this balloon launch we validated the idea of using a PVC tube inside a weather balloon, without cables in order to achieve high stability and vertical positioning. This time, a wire failed and rocket was not ignited. Trajectory was not recorded and camera battery exhausted 10 minutes before the burst.

We released the balloon with the second stage rocket and a camera inside. This was our first rocket in near-sapce and the first ignition fail of many tries in the future. The rocket have got the LOCATOR beacon inside. The flight was about 4 hours and there was not ignition.

This was the predicted trajectory:

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Results

NOTAM was published.

LOCATOR gave us a false touch-down signal and we do not find the balloon the first day.

Next day we recovered the launching ramp in Huesca thanks to the correct landing coordinates were provided by the LOCATOR inside the rocket. In the future we changed the recovery procedure due to this fact.

The Arduino board failed due to a broken wire so ignition failed and no telemetry was recorded. Low temperatures destroyed the wire cover. In the future we used only near-space validated wires.

The camera only recorded 3 hours, 15 minutes before the burst so nothing interesting in the video.

We tested the second stage after the launch and have got a nice thrust.

Some media links:

• http://missionlowcostspace.blogspot.com.es/2011/04/wikisat-youtube.html

WikiBalloon Launch Index