Launch Log 2007.05.28

Isaac, Jeremiah, Luke, Emma, and Megan launched rockets today. We had 5 launches total with 2 of them being first flights. We need to start tracking how high the rockets go, but at this point we just see them as low, high, or really high.

The first launch was Might Mouse I with an A8-5. The Mighty Mouse is good to fly on a C, but I wanted to start with an A to introduce the girls to rockets. I think we should stick to A8-3 or just go with B or bigger in the future because the 5 second delay put the chute opening about 16 feet above ground (I was nervous).

Our second launch was the recently completed SpaceShip ONE. We used an A8-3, but that didn't work out so well. I think we'll try it again on a C, but I may not have gotten the wings straight because this launch was just kart-wheeling off the rod. We did a first flight of the UNNAMED: it flew decent and then melted the chutes on deployment. It recovered fine (fortunately, one of the chutes fully opened), but I'll have to figure out how to properly pack the chutes.

We finally launched the Alpha and the Outlaw. Both had great flights. The Alpha flew on a C6-7 and the Outlaw flew on a C6-5. Both were recovered in the same field, thanks to the calm weather. The paint on the Alpha is bubbled, so Luke and I suspect that the heat is causing it some problems. We may have to retire this one and get a new one for future flights.

Alberto Santos-Dumont

I've not read about Alberto until now. From the little information that I have read so far in Wikipedia I suspect at least a few of the early Tom Swift books were based around this man and his achievements. I'll have to find a book about him.

It was while I was looking for information about personal blimps that I saw Alberto's name. I was reading the FAQ about the Alberto airship from SkYacht and they pointed out that they named the ship after this pioneer of aviation.

Isn't it beautiful: