Students Prepare for the Second Liquid-propellant Aerospike Engine Flight Onboard P-4, Dec.6, 2003
Following the recent launch of their 1000 lbf thrust ablative annular aerospike engine onboard Prospector-2, the CALVEIN team is now
gearing up for a second flight for the Dec. 6-7 weekend.
The targeted launch date is Saturday, Dec. 6. As usual, although a
morning launch is targeted, the launch time will depend on last minute
preparations. For operations at the Mojave Test Area, including
logistics and directions, click
here.
CSULB affiliates (students, faculty and friends) interested in
attending the flight test should contact Ashley Carter
(acarter@csulb.edu) who is coordinating with the RRS.
They will be asked to provide necessary information and trial
membership fee ($10) to the Reaction Research Society (RRS).*
More information, including administrative forms, can be found on the
RRS website at http://www.rrs.org.
The engine, which operated below nominal conditions during the first
flight, has been retrofitted and slightly modified to avoid the anomaly
observed during the first flight. The engine will use another set of
graphite components machined by Electro-Tech Machining in Long Beach
and a new ablative liner.
The engine is now ready to be integrated into the Prospector-4 (P-4)
which the students have been assembling over the last 2 months.
Solid model of the engine
Another major on-going effort is the modification of the
recovery system deployment mechanism which did not function during
the last flight. A new single-stage system has been developed and will
be tested during this flight.
P-2 will fly several payloads, including a data acquisition system
with downlink using the telemetry package being developed for P-3,
Flight Test #2 (based on Wi-Fi technology with a 1W amplifier) and a
small camera to be deployed at apogee and developed by Cerritos High
School students.
For additional information about
either the CALVEIN project and/or the cooperative program between
CSULB and Garvey Spacecraft Corporation, please contact the following
project representatives:
