Last update on Wednesday, 10-Aug-2011 01:27:46 EDT
[ Pre-Mission Press Release
(text)
| Press Kit
| Mission Photos
| "Live" Updates
]
[ Contact Information
| When/Where
| Schedule of Events
| Purpose
| Goals
]
[ Site Description
| Directions to Site
| Site Restrictions
| Nearby Accommodations
]
[ Technical Details
| Amateur Radio Frequencies
| Telemetry Decoding
]
[ Bill Brown's WB8ELK Page
| NASA's SL-2 Site
| NASA's Role for SL-2
]
Scheduled Date is Saturday, June 20, 1998
Donations are still needed to cover rocket costs -- please see
HALO Donation Program for more information.
STAY TUNED -- FREQUENT UPDATES!
Primary Contact: Greg Allison
HAL5 Project HALO Program Manager
Daytime Phone: 256-544-4440 --- to June 16, back on June 22
Evening Phone: 256-859-5538 --- to June 16, back on June 22
Cellular Phone: (Press only, by request only)
E-mail Address: GHAllison@aol.com
Secondary Contact: Ronnie Lajoie
HAL5 Project HALO Press Site Manager
Daytime Phone: 256-971-3055 --- (limit 4 messages)
Evening Phone: 256-721-1083 --- to June 18, back on June 22
Press Site (daytime) Phone: TBD --- for June 19 and 20
Motel (evening) Phone: 334-661-8181 --- for June 19 and 20
FAX Phone: 256-971-3333
E-mail Address: HAL5@nsschapters.org
NASA MSFC Contact: Vance Houston
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Daytime Phone: 256-544-0200 --- to June 16, back on June 22
E-mail Address: Vance.Houston@msfc.nasa.gov
NSS Headquarters Contact: Karen Rugg
National Space Society, Washington, DC
Day Phone: 202-543-1900, ext. 77 --- to June 19, back on June 22
E-mail Address: krugg@nss.org
Main Date: Saturday, June 20, 1998 -- (( scheduled ))
Rain/Wind Date 1: Sunday, June 21, 1998
Rain/Wind Date 2: Saturday, July 11, 1998
Times:
- Sunrise, about 7:00 AM -- Balloon launch from barge
- 2 hours later, about 9:30 AM -- Rocket launch from balloon
- 1/2 hour later, about 10:00 AM -- Rocket parachutes down to water
Locations:
- Balloon launch site -- NASA barge in the Gulf of Mexico, about 60 miles ESE of
New Orleans, Louisiana (space is limited to barge and launch crew)
- Press/visitor site -- Receiving station located at the
Sea Lab on the eastern side of
Dauphin Island, 40 miles south of Mobile, Alabama.
The purpose of Project HALO is to make access to space more
affordable for students, amateurs, experimenters, and researchers. It is combination
technical and educational program. The program is divided into several phases.
All phases have opportunities for student involvement at all grade levels.
- Phase 0 was for developing rocket subsystems and testing them on the ground and at high altitude.
- Phase 1 was to build the rocket and successfully launch it from a balloon.
- Phase 2 is to develop the operational capability for inexpensive and routine access to space using rockoons.
See the Project HALO Home Page and
Project HALO Executive Summary for more details.
Project HALO Sky Launch 2 marks the first major milestone for Project HALO Phase 2,
Operational Rockoons. As such, this launch attempt represents the first
test for Project HALO to provide a capability for launching student payloads.
- Primary Goals of HALO Sky Launch 2
- Launch the balloon without damaging the balloon, gondola, or rocket
- Maintain the temperature inside the oxidizer tank to high altitude
- Successfully launch the rocket from the balloon by command uplink
- Successfully track the balloon gondola throughout its flight, as feasible
- Successfully track the rocket throughout its flight, as feasible
- Verify computer predictions using data transmitted from rocket
- Have the rocket exceed an altitude of 50 nautical miles (nmi)
(USA-defined “space” recognized by NASA/USAF/industry =
92.6 km = 57.5 mi)
- Benefits of Meeting Primary Goals
- Gain confidence to proceed onto Project HALO Phase 2b
- Have another success from which to approach potential donors and clients
- Honors for Exceeding the 50 Nautical Mile Mark
- First amateur group to get their own rocket into space (per U.S. convention)
- First group (amateur or professional) to get a hybrid rocket into space (per U.S. convention)
- Secondary Goals of HALO Sky Launch 2
- Have the rocket exceed an altitude of 100 kilometers (km)
(IAF-defined “space” recognized internationally = 54.0 nmi = 62.1 mi)
- Recover the rocket, whether or not it fires
- Recover the balloon gondola, especially if it is bringing back the rocket
- Recover rocket electronics and payload intact
- Benefits of Meeting Secondary Goals
- Have another success from which to approach potential donors and clients
- Can place the recovered rocket in a museum (how about the Air & Space?)
- Can inspect recovered rocket and/or gondola for damage
- Can recover valuable electronics for future reuse
- Can deliver recovered student payload back to provider
- Can recover “space-qualified” HAL5 membership cards
- Honors of Meeting Secondary Goals
- First amateur group to get their own rocket into space (per IAF convention)
- First group (amateur or professional) to get a hybrid rocket into space (per IAF convention)
- First amateur rocket recovered from space
- First payload carried into space by an amateur rocket
- First payload recovered from an amateur rocket launched into space
- First organization with truly “space-qualified” membership cards
- Potential Records from Getting into Space
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur rocket (by any means)
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur rocket launched from a balloon (rockoon)
- Highest altitude achieved by an hybrid-motor rocket (any organization)
- Highest altitude achieved by an amateur hybrid-motor rocket
- Least expensive rocket-to-space program, start to first flight -- (less than $ TBD)
- Least expensive rocket space mission, manufacturing and operations -- (less than $ TBD)
In 1996, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
expressed to HAL5 its interest in the rockoon approach. In an effort to find new ways
to reduce the cost of rocket launches, NASA is examining alternate launch sites and
methods. HAL5 and NASA MSFC signed a Cooperative Agreement in October 1996 for
the Sky Launch 2 (SL-2) rockoon mission. For SL-2, HAL5 is providing the amateur
rocket, high altitude balloon, launch
support hardware, tracking equipment, and recovery boat.
NASA MSFC and the NASA Michoud Assembly
Facility are providing an oceangoing barge to serve as the balloon launch platform, plus
helium for the balloon, nitrous-oxide for the rocket, and some money towards the reimbursement
of materials purchases. HAL5 is raising the rest of its money via its
Donation Program.
For more details on NASA’s role in the historic SL-2 rockoon
mission, please see the NASA SL-2 Web Site.
- Monday, June 15, 6 - 11 PM --- HALO team in Huntsville, Alabama preforms a final
integration test for the rocket and launch platform --- Opportunity to meet with the Press
(as workload permits), at the HALO Work Shop at the home of Tim Pickens, 104 Lindell Drive,
Madison, Alabama, 256-971-1566
- Tuesday, June 16, 5 - 11 PM --- HALO team in Huntsville, Alabama prepares the rocket,
balloon, and support equipment for travel to Louisiana --- Opportunity to meet with the Press
(as workload permits), at the HALO Work Shop at the home of Tim Pickens, 104 Lindell Drive,
Madison, Alabama, 256-971-1566
- Wednesday, June 17, 8:00 AM --- HALO team leaves Huntsville, Alabama for NASA
Michoud near New Orleans in Louisiana --- Meeting location is the Rocket Park at the corner
of Rideout Road and Mercury Road, at the
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
- Wednesday, June 17, evening --- HALO team arrives at the NASA Michoud Assembly
Facility near New Orleans in Louisiana --- Opportunity to meet with the Press, location TBD
- Thursday, June 18, all day --- Preparation of rocket and balloon launch equipment
on the NASA barge at the NASA Michoud
Assembly Facility --- Opportunities to meet with the Press (as workload permits) during
lunch and/or dinner at an off-site TBD location.
- Friday, June 19, all day (barge) --- Barge leaves the
NASA Michoud Assembly Facility
between 10 AM and Noon and slowly travels along the canals and out into the Gulf of Mexico,
to the balloon launch site about 60 ESE of New Orleans --- Opportunities to talk with the
Press by TBD cellular phone, as communications distances permit
- Friday, June 19, Noon to Evening (SeaLab) --- Press Site team sets up equipment,
refreshments, and HALO exhibits at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab,
40 miles south of Mobile, Alabama --- Opportunities to meet with the Press (as workload permits)
- Saturday, June 20, all day (SeaLab) --- Press Site with live transmissions from
balloon and rocket, refreshments, and HALO exhibits at the
Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 40 miles south of Mobile, Alabama ---
Doors open at 6 AM (perhaps earlier) --- Press and Visitors welcome --- Official HALO
presentations and other opportunities to meet with the Press (as workload permits)
- Saturday, June 20, Sunrise, about 7:00 AM (barge) --- balloon is launched from
barge and slowly rises to planned launch altitude between 90,000 to 100,000 feet
- Saturday, June 20, about 9:30 AM (balloon) --- HALO SL-2 Hybrid Rocket is launched
from balloon, traveling on a near vertical ascent trajectory to a maximum altitude hopefully
well above the critcal 50 nautical mile mark --- Rocket will parachute back to the ocean and
land about 1/2 hour later --- live transmissions from the rocket to the Press Site during
ascent and descent (until line of site is lost)
- Saturday, June 20, 9:35 AM (balloon) --- Balloon separation circuits are fired,
and the gondola parachutes back to the ocean to land about 1/2 hour later --- live
transmissions from the balloon gondola to the Press Site during descent (until line of site is lost)
- Saturday, June 20, 10-11 AM (recovery boat) --- Recovery boat tracks down and
hopefully retrieves the rocket payload, rocket motor, and balloon gondola --- Opportunities
to talk with the Press by cellular and other TBD phones, as communications distances permit
- Saturday, June 20, evening (recovery boat) --- Recovery boat returns to land
hopefully with the rocket payload, rocket motor, and balloon gondola --- Opportunities to meet
with the Press (as workload permits) at TBD location
- Sunday, June 21, afternoon (barge) --- Barge returns to the NASA Michoud Assembly
Facility --- Opportunities to meet with the Press (as workload permits) at TBD location
- Sunday, June 21, late night --- HALO team returns to Huntsville, Alabama ---
Opportunities to meet briefly with the Press (as workload permits) at TBD location
- Wednesday, June 24, 7 PM --- Official Press Conference for the HALO SL-2 Mission ---
At the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library Auditorium, 915 Monroe Avenue, (downtown)
Huntsville, Alabama
Balloon launch site is on board an oceangoing barge provided by NASA.
The barge will be positioned in the Gulf of Mexico, 60 miles ESE of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The barge will be leaving port (in Michoud, LA) at least 18 hours prior to the scheduled
balloon launch time, late Friday morning for a Saturday launch.
The Press Site will be located in Galathea Hall (marked building 10
on map) at the Sea Lab on
Dauphin Island, Alabama, south of Mobile
The barge will be leaving port (in Michoud, LA) at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled
balloon launch time.
- Michoud, Louisiana -- barge departure point
- TBD Restaurant
- TBD Location
- Local Telephone: TBD
- Project HALO members may meet there on Sunday at TBD
- Visitors and Press welcome to meet us there
- New Orleans, Louisiana -- 10 miles west of NASA Michoud
- TBD Restaurant
- TBD Location
- Local Telephone: TBD
- Project HALO members may meet there on Sunday at TBD
- Visitors and Press welcome to meet us there
- Dauphin Island, Alabama -- location of Press Site
- TBD Restaurant
- TBD Location
- Local Telephone: TBD
- Mobile, Alabama -- 40 miles north of Press Site
- Days Inn at Tillman's Corner, Alabama
- Location: Exit 15B off Interstate 10, intersection
of U.S. 90 -- south of I-65 merger
- Local Telephone: 334-661-8181
- FAX Number: TBD
- HALO Press Site team to sleep there Friday and Saturday
- Price quoted to HALO group is $35 + tax ($37.10)
- Includes free continental breakfast and free local calls
- TBD Restaurant
- TBD Location
- Local Telephone: TBD
- Project HALO members to meet there on Friday at TBD
- Visitors and Press welcome to meet us there
- SL-2 Mission Overview (graphic)
- SL-2 Balloon Gondola Description (graphic)
- SL-2 Rocket Description (graphic)
- SL-2 Hybrid Motor Description (graphic)
- Transmissions from the Balloon Gondola
- Live Color Video -- 434.00 MHz AM ATV -- (Cable Ready TV Channel 59)
- Transmissions from the Rocket
- Live Color Video -- 1255 MHz FM ATV
- APRS GPS Packet Data -- 441.050 MHz FM
- Chat Frequencies
See Bill Brown's WB8ELK Home Page
at http://fly.hiwaay.net/~bbrown/ for details.
See Bill Brown's WB8ELK Home Page
at http://fly.hiwaay.net/~bbrown/ for details.
Ad Astra per Ardua -- “To the Stars by Our Own Hands”
For more information on Project HALO, contact HALO Project Manager Yohon Lo at
(256) 658-2043 or via E-Mail at: yohonlo@knology.net.
Send queries and suggestions via E-Mail to: europa59@hotmail.com
This file was last modified on Wednesday, 10-Aug-2011 01:27:46 EDT
