What’s Happening at JPA

Happy New Year Earth! (and everybody hanging around on or above it).

While testing in Belle yesterday we got smoke in the cabin. Just a curl but not good. A fan in one of the carbon scrubbers jammed causing a wire to heat up & melt insulation. Enough power to cause smoke but not enough to trip breakers. Bad gap. This is why we test.

Here’s the article that appeared today on the front of CNN. It showcases the work of artist Makoto Azuma. We’ve had the pleasure of working with him and his team to send his work to the edge of space. Check out the high altitude shots!

http://edition.cnn.com/style/article/makato-azuma-botanical-sculptures/index.html

Or at least a picture that we took is.  We’ve been fortunate to have done five high altitude flights for flower artists Makoto Azuma. Always an amazing experience.

Today the team conducted pressure test on the flight model air beam. We’ll be running this one up to 100,000 feet in the spring.

We mounted a Google Vision Object Recognition kit on a small drone. This a baby step toward UAV’s being able to see & avoid other aircraft. The goal of this test series is to count other drones it sees.

Success! For the last week JPA, the FAA and the Ascender have been out in the desert. We were issued the Certificate of Airworthiness for the airship. It’s the accumulation of 2 years of work.

The Ascender is the 1st UAV airship in the world to be so licensed.