JP Aerospace Blog

This was a bit beat up used fiberglass prop. With a fair amount of wet sanding with 1000 grit, a touch of epoxy fill and a coat of clear UV protection  it came out nice.

I can just feel the Pup wanting to get out there and chase down balloons!

Joseph asked if there was a description of the on deck projects. There is but it’s a forty page project management doc and not on the web. Here’s the short version:

1. Tandem Airship              Status: Vehicle complete, First flight 2011

2. Positron Survey Mission 1 (Cloud Chamber High Rack). This will be a series of flights.
Status: Initial cloud chamber built and tested. Flight cloud chamber under construction.

3. Spaceflight Rocket Launch Box Flight

This will test the reel down mechanism for lowing the launch box away from the balloons. This flight will act as a dress rehearsal for the spaceflight rockoon mission.
Status: The structure is complete. Long length reel test to be done in the spring.

4. Spaceflight Rocket Low Altitude Ground launch.

This is both a training flight and a test of the new instrument configuration.
Status: Rocket, without instrumentation, is complete.

5. Crew Module Mockup
Status: Complete, but constantly being reconfigured.

6. Ascender 100 Air beam Rib.
Status: First generation rib built and tested. Second generation rib begin designed.

7. Swept wing RC plane         Status: Construction plans being drafted.

8. Jellyfish balloons, Box Jelly, Moon Jelly and Cloud Jelly. Balloon for 200,000 foot plus altitudes.
Status: Initial Box Jelly test complete.

9. Balloon launched rocket to 70 miles.            Status: Hip deep in paperwork.

10. Inner Lifting Cell Interface Deck Test Article.
Status: Materials purchased, assemble not yet started.

11. 25 foot Diameter Integrated Lifting Arm Dark Sky Station with Scale Crew Module.
Status: Pending #10.

12. Desktop Quad Engine
Status: Complete. Awaiting desert firing trip.

13. Small rocket launch from high rack.
Status: Two missions already completed. The vehicle for the third mission is complete and awaiting launch date.

14. Ascender 100 Nose Rib
Status: 80 percent rib completed and tested. Construction of flight rib not yet begun.

15. High altitude laser drag reduction system test.
Status: Dual laser test at 105,000 feet completed. Ten laser test pending getting six more lasers from  discarded 16X or better DVD writers. If you have one send it along.

16. Roller Deployed Balloon Flight Test Rig
Status: Two low altitude flight completed. High altitude flight pending mechanism rebuild.

17. Long Structural Air Beams.
Status: One 50 foot air beam built. Low pressure tests complete.

18. Ascender 100.   Status: Outer shell only complete.

She got a new gear, new wheels and axles. Now for the propeller.

The world on edge.

We just broke 100,000 views of our videos on Youtube. That puts us right about the level of a ‘B’ sci fi movie. That’s somehow very fitting.  Help us reach our second 100,000 and watch a JPA video today. There are 58 of them in all. There’s bound to be one or two you’ve missed. The reason behind the madness is ad sales. If a lot of folks watch the videos we can start selling ads on them and help pay for spaceships.

JPA Youtube Channel

Here’s a drawing of our current projects and missions. Some of these are almost complete, most have a significant work done and a few are just getting started.

Toshiba released another behind the scenes video of the chair commercial missions. It actually came out in February, but I had no idea it was out there till today. It has some great interviews with Bob and Paul and a bunch of other cool scenes I had never seen.

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Be sure to check out the JP Video channel. There’s another “making of ” video of the chair mission that we put together:

http://www.youtube.com/johnmpowell#g/u