We did some small scale platform tests back in 1999. Remember when that year sounded like the future? The platform is about fifteen feet across. The blue balloons were used for these low altitude tether flights. This test was a preliminary run for Away 5, our first free flight platform mission. To simulate free flight we supported the tether with balloons. This kept the weight of the line from pulling on the platform.
We ran MHD test 24 with an ‘E’ motor to try and boost the current.The results were poor. However Drew’s special heat laminated epoxy held. It looks like we’re going to need to shift from a Faraday configuration to a Hall effect configuration to get the performance we need. The drawback is a Hall effect unit is much more complex.
Ignition
The run.
This roll is from about two years ago. It at 106,000 feet. When the center of gravity of the high rack is bit high it tend to do one roll before the fins grab a bit of air. Fetch Newton!
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We fired rocket engines in the rain and mounted monitors and keyboards in the crew module mock up.
The team really moved forward on our MHD generator research. We did four test firings today. Two with the new porcelain unit and two with unit number two reconfigured as a multi channel system. The first two firing were is the pouring down rain under an awning. Neither rain nor sleet, nor gloom of night….
All produced results that are moving us forward, (the multi channel unit’s data was just weird though).
Ed and Paul were at it with the hot glue and Velcro outfitting the crew module mock up. We’re really starting to get a feel for what it will be like to operate in the vehicle.
The current MDH set. Drew Preping the new unit.
Test 20 and Test 23
JP, Ed and Paul inside the crew module.
Here’s some odds and ends images from the Toshiba Chair Commercial flights:
Morning Chairs. Last one, hauling out vehicle four.
Shooting it’s own Shadow
Dazzle and distortion. On the way down.
The porcelain body of the new generator is done. It should be able to handle the higher temperatures of the larger motors. In a hundred years I wonder how much it will go for on the Antiques Road Show?
We’ve stripped down the smaller generator and are rebuilding it as a multi channel unit. It will have four electrodes initially. It should be ready to test this weekend.
Here’s Paul and Drew working on the crew module mockup.
