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Aurora 1
successfully launched!!
July 19, 2009
40th
Anniversary of Apollo 11
The
Dionysus Project
Dionysus (formerly called Rocket) was successfully completed with the launch of Dionysus 1 and Dionysus 2. The objective of both launches was to test the propulsion system and recovery system. Both launches had successes and failures. The failures were minor and showed the GASG team what needed to be corrected. The easy corrections helped ensure a successful Aurora 1 launch.
The Aurora Project
General Aviation Space Group firmly believes that our future
is above us, and that some good ideas must go forward even during difficult
times. President Kennedy made the point that we chose to go to the moon because
it is hard; difficult times must not stop good ideas from progressing.
On Saturday, July 18, 2009, General Aviation Space Group (GASG) in conjunction with The Space Museum in Bonne Terre arrived at the sand flats ready to launch the postponed Aurora 1 rocket. Gary Streeter, co-founder and Executive Director of GASG reluctantly cancelled the launch scheduled for Saturday, July 18 due to the high winds. "Safety is our number one concern," Streeter said, "and this airframe is not designed for the winds we have today." GASG proceeded with the ceremony, however, the highlight of which was Advisory Board member John Pertzborn playing the National Anthem on his harmonica.
The Aurora 1 was designed and built by members of GASG and
The Space Museum. The seven-foot tall,
four-inch diameter Aurora 1 airframe was made of phenolic. The unpainted airframe of Aurora 1 looked
like a cardboard tube, but is much stronger, lightweight, and highly resistant
to flexing, corrosion, and moisture.
Phenolic is the name usually given to a resin made of phenol and an
aldehyde. Phenolic sheet is a hard, dense material made by applying heat
and pressure to layers of paper or glass cloth impregnated with synthetic
resin. When heat and pressure are applied to the layers, a chemical
reaction (polymerization) transforms the layers into a high-pressure
thermosetting industrial laminated plastic.
Phenolic resin was the first synthesized resin, and was marketed under the
brand name Bakelite, which still exists.
Plugs on electronic devices, handles for pots and pans, and the
screw-tops on most sodas are just a few applications for which phenolic is
widely used.
The Aurora 1 launch was meant to be a propulsion test. If the rocket motor performance was as the numbers indicate in Streeter's numerous calculations, GASG will move forward with designing and testing larger vehicles for the next phase, the Astra Phase.
Sunday, July 19, 2009, dawned clear and calm; perfect conditions for a rocket launch at 11:00; The Aurora 1 performed exactly as expected with the rocket accelerating in scant seconds. It was momentarily lost when the smoke blended with the clouds behind but within seconds, many of the onlookers spotted the parachute. The two halves of the rocket separated with the tail section landing within the sand pits. This section is important for recovery because it contains the motor which will be analyzed to check the accuracy of the burn data.
Frank Spavele and Lindell Gray of Midwest Rotor tracked the rocket in their helicopter, hovering over the area where the nose section landed. A GASG volunteer, Ace Fouts, scrambled into the ditch and recovered the front half of the rocket. It was important to retrieve this section because it contained the altimeter to verify the altitude
Following engine analysis, the
More information and photos are contained in GASG's official newsletter, The Blast Pad. Subscriptions to The Blast Pad may be purchased for $5 per year but subscription is included as a benefit to all members.
Watch the
news coverage from KFVS-12 from Cape Girardeau, MO on Sunday's launch. This was
broadcast on the 9PM news on 7-19-2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSxHsYqRnoE
In
1927, an unknown pilot flying an unknown airplane built
by an unknown airplane company approached unknown St. Louis businessmen
to back
his flight. The
world would soon know
this pilot's name was Charles Lindbergh who chose to honor 
those businessmen
by
naming his Ryan airplane The Spirit of St. Louis.
Now in the next century, an unknown rocket scientist is building an unknown launch vehicle that needs to be backed by unknown St. Louis entrepreneurs. Instead of the Atlantic Ocean being the dark void being crossed into the unknown, the crossing for the next century is space. The rocket that will carry the Astra Satellite will honor those who sponsor this space flight by being named Spirit of St. Louis--The Next Century.
GASG's satellite
known as Astra, will
be smaller than the Prosteshyy Sputnik
satellite that launched the space race in 1957. Just as Sputnik kick
started the space race, Astra will kick start the general aviation in
space.
Yet the Astra will carry
telemetry to record its location in space, and it will be tracked by ham radio operators all over the world. In
much the same
manner as Sputnik, Astra's radio transmitter will
relay inside and
outside temperatures at its locations in space.
Astra will carry a solar-powered battery charger to transmit the information, and it will orbit the earth indefinately.
click here to purchase a certificate
