JP Aerospace Blog

What’s Happening at JPA

  • One Sponsor for PongSat Mission Needed

    We’re closing in on a total count of 800 student experiments on our next mission. The response has been so huge we’ve needed to add another vehicle to carry them all.
    This has left of with a budget gap for these flights. We looking for one more sponsor for the mission. We need to raise $3,200. We are going to throw in a full size Edge of Space Ad (normally $4,200) for sponsoring this flight.

    Mission Details:
    Names: Away 47 and Away 48
    Type: Balloon flights to 100,000 feet.
    Payload: 800+ Student PongSat Experiments
    Flight Date: April 2nd

    Edge of Space Ad

  • Sand Bricks on the Job

    www.sandbricktech.com

  • The Assembly Line

    Saturday the team was building High Racks. There are a lot of missions coming together so we trying to get a jump on it. We’re starting to build up eleven identical vehicles. Day one was about structure. The team cranked out seventeen decks, six carbon frames and thirteen fin fabrics.

    For those who don’t know, this is a High Rack.  It’s about five feet tall and carries about twenty pounds of experiments, equipment and PongSats to 100,000 feet.

  • A Full Load

    There are now 700 PongSats signed up for Away 47.  Three more teachers e-mailed today that are interested in their classes flying. I think we’re going to need to put another vehicle in the mix to handle them all.

  • Pic from the Past

    Mesospheric Explorer flown June 19, 2001

  • Away 38 Mission Page

    I’m just a little behind… This flight was from the summer of 2009. It was a real milestone for us.

    Away 38, Mission 100

  • JPA on Facebook

    Check us out. I’m still figuring it all out so please bear with me. Suggestions welcome!

    JP Aerospace Facebook Page

  • The Best Way to See a Balloon Rally

    I was being given an excellent tour of a hot balloon when they asked “Want to go?”.

    A huge thank you to Pilot Trudy Ann DeGraff and the great crew of “Cutie Dink”.

  • Looking Down

    Mount Shasta from Away 38.

  • Museum Day

    It was a great day at the Albuquerque Balloon Museum. I got to spend the day making PongSats with students and talking to folks about JPA.

    This isn’t just any rockoon. It is The Rockoon. This is one of James Van Allen original balloon launched rockets. In the reflection in the glass is the StratoLab Capsule. It doesn’t get any better then that.

    There are even a couple of JPA rockoons here! Looking up you will find the Tandem model hanging from the ceiling.