Tomorrow, Tuesday at 2:00pm Pacific time I’ll be on the air waves. Tune in to National Public Radio, I’ll be a guest on the “Insight” program with Jeffrey Callison. In the Sacramento California area it’s 90.9 on the dial. We’ll be talking about Airship to Orbit, PongSats and the “Floating to Space” book.
You can listen on the web at:
http://www.capradio.org/programs/insight/default.aspx
Let me know if you heard it. I would love any feedback.
Great interview, I can really recommend listening, particularly as it gives much background info on JPAearospace activities not found on the website. Greetings from Sweden (I hope that the PongSats arrived in good shape)
Simply, just beautiful. Smooth,very professionnal and inviting interview to join JPAeropspace. We learn a lot about your mission and this volunteeer group.
Here in Quebec, Canada, we got around listening to John Marshall an Bob.
We have discovered and conclued that this interview sends out a really good and inviting message for all space explorers, to children imagination and that space is not only for NASA, Virgin or Big commercial enterprises. Space is not that far from us, for us, and JP help us to reach it with an innovative high altitude program !
Please contact me John. ‘Cause I would really like to bring some Quebec children to participate in your pongsat program, talk here more about your program and mission, and maybe help.
Great radio interview !
I sure enjoyed your interview along with “Bob” (Mr. Cruz) yesterday. Sacramento can be proud to have companies like JP Aerospace, doing such interesting things. It reminds me of what two brothers from Ohio and some volunteers did at Kittyhawk, N.C. about a hundred years ago. We can wistfully say: “I wish I was there at Kittyhawk,” or we (Northern Californians) can go down to JP Aerospace and take part in the next revolution in travel!
Even those outside the area can participate: by buying the book “Floating to Space” (I bought my copy, set for delivery later this month), buying merchandise, floating an ad (clear as 100k ft. air), sponsoring a mission, or sending up some PongSats and sharing the excitement with the young (and young at heart).
Brad
Brad
Cool, I’ll definantly tune in to NPR at 2:00 PM PT today.
Excellent interview! You guys did a great job of building interest even among us non-techies! The interview is still archived at Cap Radio under Insight – I listened to it 24 hours after the fact.
Yeah, I caught that show too 🙂
So, what is the highest altitude mission that JP Aerospace has flown?
130,000 feet
So, you guys are planning on building a wing shaped blimp/aerofoil and then using a lightweight propeller to generate lift to get from 24.6 miles up to 40 miles up?
mmmm, no.
Re-read the first page of the ATO document. Looks like the props will only propel the first stage airship from the surface to the Station at 140k.
Okay, my bad, I suppose it goes like this instead then….
Ascender -> surface to Dark Sky Station at 140,000 feet where it docks. The ascender uses a combination of bouyancy and a lightweight propeller/wing shaped aerofoil design to generate lift.
Orbital Airship -> Launches from Dark Sky Station at 140,000 feet to 200,000 feet using bouyancy (this ascent could be self sustained by the utilization of a helium or hydrogen compressor/de-compressor), then it uses ionic propulsion to slowly accelerate to orbital velocity in a matter of a few days…once in orbit, it can use ionic propulsion to escape the Earth’s gravity well, and then it eventually escapes the sun’s gravity well using a combination of solar sail and ion propulsion.
Well, the total package is designed only for Earth orbit, not to sail the Solar system. The upper stage Ascender uses an ion-propulsion type engine (actually a different species) to accelerate and climb to orbit over a period of 4-6 days, depending upon weight. The lift generated during this phase is used to loft the vehicle as it accelerates, then speed alone, combined with a very shallow positive climb angle, gets the Ascender to orbital altitude & speed.
The beauty of this system is that nothing is discarded, or burned up. Each component is reuseable. Also, since no chemical fuel is burned, the system is cleaner…oh yeah…and MUCH cheaper.
What kind of payload are you projecticing you’ll be able to lift with the 6000 ft wingspand orbital airship, and what would be the total projected mass of the orbital airship?
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