JP Aerospace Blog

Here’s Away 43 just after liftoff.

The comment system has been down for two days now. I’m still chasing why.

This is what I’ve tried so far:

Reloading a new version of comments.php

resetting permalinks to default setting

Swapped themes

Upgraded wordpress

Verified <? php comments template();?> in single.php

Turning off all the pluggins

Disabled comments page breaks

Disabled threaded comments

Verified that the wordpress address (URL) is correct

Resetting the plugins folder

Up loaded new wp-admin and wp-include folders from a fresh download of wordpress

Increased available memory

I think I’ve stumped the wordpress forum.

Any ideas out there?

jpowell@jpaerospace.com

We conducted the first tests of a cloud chamber we’re flying next year. We got lots of good results however the chamber wall ended up fracturing pretty bad. Next, cloud chambers with thermal strain relief walls.

I realize that cloud chambers are rather old school. Most of this type of work is done with solid state systems. However, cloud chambers can be used to differentiate particle types while keep the weight and cost low. All three are important to get the data we need.

We put the Sky Pup up on the trailer for fitting.

Everything fit as it should. Now it needs the over the wing webbing mounts and the tail dolly tie down points.

Drew working on quad instrumentation.

Ed mounting an antenna on Away 48.

I’ve been moving old JPA video from tape to DVD. Here a clip from a balloon launched rocket test in 1995.

We’re getting ready for the flight of the Tandem airship this fall, but we’ve already started design work on the next Tandem.  Here’s a peek at what we’re thinking.

We intend to use Tandems for Dark Sky Station Assembly, Mach Glider launching and for launching large rockets.

The team spent Saturday getting Away 47 and Away 48 closer to flight. Paul and Anthony got the cameras aligned to film rockets for Away 47 while Mike finessed the payloads for Away 48.   On another project the landing gear strap down mounts were added to the trailer.  I’m not sure if the Tandem or the Sky Pup will be the first vehicle to get to ride on the trailer.

The wing saddles are on the trailer. Next to do is the hard points for strapping the landing gear down. It maybe easier just to fly it to the airport…

Away 47 was wired up on Saturday. GPS antennas, telemetry antenna and power cables all were mounted to the frame. It’s always a routing puzzle;  900 mhz cables can’t be near GPS cables, some cables need to be toward the outside of the frame while other toward the inside and nothing can protrude to catch on the launch team.

In addition calibration work continued on the quad engine test stand.

View from Away 36 about two years ago.

Away 47 is our next vehicle to head to the black.  Away 47 is another problem solving mission, a flight dedicated to troublingshooting a whole series of odds and ends. Saturday it got the position telemetry system installed along with the GPS antenna deck. The team also continued to put a lot of work into the new balloon release circuit and the trailer.

It looks like a big wooden fender, but it’s really a wing mounting deck.