Last update on Wednesday, 10-Aug-2011 01:27:47 EDT
[ Contact Information
| When/Where
| Schedule of Events
| Purpose
| Goals
]
[ Press Kit
| First Attempt "Live" Updates and Photos
]
[ Pre-Mission Press Release (text)
| Pre-Mission Web Page
]
[ 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
]
First Launch Special Edition Newsletter on Sale
Copies of the special 20-page “Collector’s Edition” issue of the
Southeastern Space Supporter are now available.
The issue focuses on the heroic first launch attempt for Project HALO Sky Launch 2, and
features articles by team members and lots of B&W photos. Copies may be purchased
for $1.50 each, plus postage. See the SSS Home Page
page for more details.
Rescheduled launch time will probably be in Spring 1999, depending on the amount of repair
work to the rocket, on the ability to raise enough
money to buy a second balloon and some replacement electronics (about $5,000), and new
FAA requirements. For details on donating, please see HALO
Donation Program page.
Primary Contact: Greg Allison
HAL5 Project HALO Program Manager
Daytime Phone: 256-544-4440
Evening Phone: 256-859-5538
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 --- (unlimited messages)
FAX Phone: 256-971-3333
E-mail Address: HAL5@nsschapters.org
NSS Headquarters Contact: Karen Rugg
National Space Society, Washington, DC
Day Phone: 202-543-1900, ext. 77
E-mail Address: krugg@nss.org
Main Date: Spring 1999
Times:
- Sunrise, about 7:00 AM -- Balloon launch from barge or shore
- 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 -- TBD shore or TBD boat
- Press/visitor site -- TBD
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.
TBD
Balloon launch site was on board an oceangoing barge provided by NASA.
The barge was positioned in the Gulf of Mexico, 60 miles ESE of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Press Site was located in Galathea Hall (marked building
10 on map) at the Sea Lab
on Dauphin Island, Alabama, south of Mobile
Please see the TBD Directions page.
TBD
- Michoud, Louisiana -- barge departure point
- New Orleans, Louisiana -- 10 miles west of NASA Michoud
- Dauphin Island, Alabama -- location of Press Site
- Mobile, Alabama -- 40 miles north of Press Site
- 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 01:27:47 EDT
