You are hereSSRP Campaign 1999-10
SSRP Campaign 1999-10
Trials Documentation
POST TRIAL REPORT
OCTOBER 1999 TRIAL CAMPAIGN
SECTION 1. Preparations
1.1 Personnel
The personnel occupying official positions during this Campaign were:|
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Chris Sinclair Bart Kohler |
1.2 Numbering
All firings were undertaken in accordance with the October 1999 Trial Specification.
Firings were delayed for approximately 30 minutes on both the night and
day launches due to late arrivals of the visitors. The final schedule was
as follows:
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| 991002-S5N | Flat plug (Non-Recoverable) | Flare tail unit |
| 991002-S6N | Flat plug (Non-Recoverable) | Flare tail unit |
| 991002-Z26N | Custom (Non-Recoverable) | WAS - Strobe Light |
| 991003-Z27 | ZPM3 | DSTO - IR Flare Eject |
| 991003-Z28 | ZPM4 | Spring/mass + elec. Accel. |
| 991003-Z29 | ZPM4 | Spark Experiment |
| 991003-Z30 | ZPM3 | IMU + Fabric Experiment |
| 991003-Z31 | ZPM2 | Siren + Promotional Toy |
SECTION 2. Trial Operations
2.1 Arrival and Preparation
Trial personnel arrived at Woomera on the afternoon of Friday 1st October 1999 and attended the IEAust BBQ at Breen Park with the delegation of Kistler Space Endevour competition winners and their families.
Trials personnel proceeded to the Tech Area Magazine to collect 2 Sighter and 6 Zuni motors at 0830 on Saturday 2nd Oct. before proceeding to LA9 for preparation of the payload modules and modification of the Zuni motors. On arrival at LA-9, the blockhouse was cleaned prior to moving in all the equipment from the vehicles. The Launcher was adjusted to 70 degrees elevation.
On this occasion, the Zuni parachute modules were completely packed prior to departure from Adelaide, thus considerably reducing the stress level during final preparation in EC-9. The Zuni igniter modification process was halted after 2 motors were completed due to the onset of a thunderstorm (rain and hail !!) but were completed several hours later when all had cleared. For future trials, ASRI needs to have its own ‘Zuni igniter modification kit’ to relieve some of the burden on Bruce Henderson.
The DSTO personnel arrived around 2 pm and proceeded to check their payload module, install the ejectable IR flare and complete final assembly. As was learned from this activity it is important to ensure that wiring is properly positioned such that the various modules properly connect without jamming wires.
The ALO arranged both lunch and a BBQ dinner at the Observation Area on the Saturday. This arrangement went well and allowed the preparation team more time to attend to motor and payload activity.
The night firing program commenced at 1930 and concluded around 2045.
Approximately 200+ visitors were in attendance at the Observation Area
and this put considerable strain on the APLO and his support crew. In future
trials, further effort is needed to reduce the number of ‘last minute’
visitors showing up without access passes.
| Visitor Type | # |
|---|---|
| Minors | 37 |
| Adult Visitors | 125 |
| ASRI Members | 6 |
| ASRI Trials Team | 10 |
| WOOMERA Area School + locals | 25 |
| TOTAL | 203 |
After the night firings the remaining 3 electronics modules were tested with electric matches, prepared for launch and integrated with the remaining parts of the payload modules. The preparation crew departed LA-9 around 2145.
Figure 1: Payload Modules in EC-9
On the Sunday morning, the ASRI launch crew departed the township at 0730 to prepare for the 5 day launches. The visitor contingent ended up departing the township at around 0900 as opposed to the scheduled 0830 due to the last minute visitors arriving and wanting to attend. The visitors had a tour of the LA-9 facilities and payloads on arrival and were in place at the Observation Area at around 1030 (30 mins behind schedule) Approximately 150+ visitors observed the day launches.
The first firing took longer than the allocated 30 minutes due to the mounting of the launcher lanyard line. However, the remaining 4 firings were all conducted in less than their allocated 30 minutes. It was noted that a special ‘Payload Preparation’ tool kit needs to be prepared to streamline the payload preparation operations.
It was decided to allow the prize winning students to be in the blockhouse for a launch. To achieve this, a shuttle was run from the Observation area to LA-9 after each launch to bring in the new student observers. This process went smoothly. It was also decided to allow a student in the blockhouse to make the ATM radio calls in the final launch sequence. This was a big hit with the kids and they did a great job.
Figure 2: Final Integration of the payload module
Figure 3: Final Arming of the Payload
Figure 4: Student prize winners in front of a complete Zuni Rocket
2.2 Weather
The weather provided cause for concern throughout the lead-up to the night launches. On the afternoon of the Saturday a thunder storm passed over LA-9 complete with rain, hail and lightning. The lightning caused a halt to the motor igniter modifications. A bolt of lightning also took out the mains power to the block house. This left only a single phase which had to be run via extension lead from an outlet up on the LA-9 pad area into the blockhouse. The power fault has been reported for repair.
Soon after the thunder storm passed over, the skies cleared up and the wind dropped to nil. This left perfect conditions for the night launches given that there was no moon either. Battery powered flouro lights were used in the blockhouse for the night launches.
Throughout the Sunday launches there was scattered cloud and SW-S wind varying from 5-15 knts. This was also good weather for the recovery operations.
SECTION 3. Launches
3.1 General
Eight launches were conducted. All systems, with the exception of a new commercial firing box, operated flawlessly. This new firing box worked perfectly with the first 2 sighter rockets but did not appear to have enough grunt to fire the Zuni rockets. Therefore, the 6 Zuni rockets were fired with the ‘old-faithful’ military wind-up detonator.
For reference to the following latitude and longitudes, the LA-9 launch point is:
30º 54' 12.3" South
136º 29' 12.8" East
3.2 Sighter (S6N)
This Sighter had 2 flares screw connected to 2 opposing fins with a spacer
washer and fairing tape. The launch was a complete success and the flares
were visible from launch to apogee to impact.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 2/10/99 – 19:50 |
| Motor Latitude | Not found |
| Motor Longitude | Not found |
3.3 Sighter (s7n)
This sighter was exactly the same configuration as S6N, however the 2 flares
broke off under the acceleration of launch and fell several hundred meters
in front of the launcher. This motor was found during recovery and the
fins examined. It was discovered that the fin material had sheared around
the 2 rivets holding the flare mount tabs to the fin. This phenomenon has
been observed on a number of previous sighter flights as well. It is suggested
that the existing batch of fins not be used for future flare trials and
that a new batch be prepared with stronger material.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 2/10/99 – 20:10 |
| Motor Latitude | ?? |
| Motor Longitude | ?? |
| Motor Range and Bearing | ?? |
3.4 Zuni (z26n)
Z26N carried the Woomera Area School strobe light experiment which worked
successfully and could be visually tracked from launch to impact. The simple
button activation switch and use of a previously used recoverable payload-motor
adaptor made integration and operation of this payload easy. As discussed
in 3.1 a new commercial firing box was unable to fire the Zuni motor.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 2/10/99 – 20:30 |
| Motor Latitude | Not found |
| Motor Longitude | Not found |
| Motor Range and Bearing | Not found |
3.5 zuni (z27)
Z27 carried the DSTO IR flare eject experiment. Due to the hazards associated
with the use of the flare, DSTO had manufactured a special firing circuit
which was activated by a pulse from the ASRI electronics module. The DSTO
firing circuit was powered and armed from 2 key switches mounted in the
side wall of the payload module. John Leach from DSTO was at LA-9 to perform
this operation. The flare was successfully ejected from the payload module
1.5 seconds after lanyard pin extraction. Recovery was successful.
| Z27 Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 3/10/99 - 11:10 |
| Payload Module | ZPM3 |
| Motor Latitude | 30 54 18.5 S |
| Motor Longitude | 136 25 40.5 E |
| Motor Range and Bearing | 5.63 km / 268 T |
| Payload Latitude | 30 53 56.1 S |
| Payload Longitude | 136 25 52.3 E |
| Payload Range and Bearing | 5.33 km / 275 T |
3.6 Zuni (z28)
Z28 carried a spring-mass accelerometer and an electronic accelerometer
built by Ashley Dyson. After recovery and breakdown, the spring mass accelerometer
measured 117 g peak acceleration. The results of the electronic accelerometer
are awaiting processing by the student. Recovery was successful.
| Z28 Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 3/10/99 - 11:40 |
| Payload Module | ZPM4 |
| Motor Latitude | 30 54 36.9 S |
| Motor Longitude | 136 25 26.0 E |
| Motor Range and Bearing | 6.05 km / 263 T |
| Payload Latitude | 30 54 03.4 S |
| Payload Longitude | 136 25 46.2 E |
| Payload Range and Bearing | 5.48 km / 273 T |
3.7 Zuni (z29)
Z29 carried a plasma (spark) discharge experiment from which the discharges
were recorded onto a micro-cassette recorder. This payload was built by
Michael Alwright. The results are awaiting processing by the student. However,
it is believed that the acceleration and vibration of launch stopped the
micro-cassette recorder recording. The cassette counter was on 48 at switch
on, about 5 mins before launch. When recovered 3 hours later, the counter
was on 112 (it should have been much higher) and the unit was stopped.
Recovery was successful.
| Z29 Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 3/10/99 - 12:05 |
| Payload Module | ZPM4 |
| Motor Latitude | 30 54 39.6 S |
| Motor Longitude | 136 25 20.7 E |
| Motor Range and Bearing | 6.2 km / 262 T |
| Payload Latitude | 30 54 05.1 S |
| Payload Longitude | 136 25 44.7 E |
| Payload Range and Bearing | 5.52 km / 272 T |
3.8 Zuni (z30)
Z30 carried an IMU/data acquisition system experiment built by Chris Sinclair
and 2 cloth tensile test experiments built by Peter Darby. Due to time
constraints the IMU experiment only contained a 0-5 g accelerometer and
a temperature sensor. Data was recorded successfully and plots of the data
were developed on a laptop computer and shown to all those at the Sunday
dinner. Recovery was successful.
| Z30 Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 3/10/99 - 12:30 |
| Payload Module | ZPM3 |
| Motor Latitude | 30 54 37.9 S |
| Motor Longitude | 136 25 31.5 E |
| Motor Range and Bearing | 5.91 km / 262 T |
| Payload Longitude | 136 26 06.7 E |
| Payload Latitude | 30 53 20.8 S |
| Payload Range and Bearing | 5.18 km / 288 T |
3.9 Zuni (z31)
Z31 contained the siren recovery experiment built by Michael West that
let out a loud high pitch tone when the payload landed and fell onto its
side on the ground. When the recovery vehicle approached the payload no
sound could be head from within the vehicle. When the door was opened,
the sound could be heard. With wind around it was difficult to hear the
experiment from more than about 50m. Recovery was successful.
| Z31 Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Launch date & time | 12:55 |
| Payload Module | ZPM2 |
| Motor Latitude | 30 54 07.6 S |
| Motor Longitude | 136 25 25.2 E |
| Motor Range and Bearing | 6.03 km / 271 T |
| Payload Latitude | 30 53 03.9 S |
| Payload Longitude | 136 25 59.2 E |
| Payload Range and Bearing | 5.55 km / 292 T |
| Ballute Lattitude | 30 53 12.3 S |
| Ballute Longitude | 136 25 52.6 E |
| Ballute Range and Bearing | 5.62 km / 289 T |
SECTION 4. Recovery
Launch operations were completed by 1330 and by 1415 the recovery teams had been dispatched in 4 x 4WD vehicles. The recovery teams included the prize winning students.
The first 3 modules launched (Z27, Z28, Z29) were all found within minutes of reaching the nominal landing area. The remaining 2 modules (Z30, Z31) had been launched in higher S-SW winds and had drifted further to the N-NE. Both were found approximately 1 hr later and 1.5 km further N-NE. It was noted that a simple tracking system like those used for tracking animals would be useful in future recovery operations and should be tested in the June 2000 trials.
The recovered modules had GPS location fixes taken and were placed into their transport boxes and returned to the Township. At 1830 the payloads were removed from the payload cans and returned to the students. At 1900 the IEAust-Kistler sponsored dinner was held at the ELDO and included the award ceremony for the student prize winners. This dinner was provided free of charge to all ASRI crew.
Figure 5: A ZPM4 recovery
Figure 6: A ZPM2 recovery
SECTION 5. Summary
The trials were conducted without incident and all ASRI systems with the exception of the new firing box, performed as intended. ASRI operations at LA-9 are continuing to improve and the crew stress level is continuing to decrease. The visitors, particularly the prize winning kids, appeared to have a great time. Many thanks to all the ASRI crew members who made the October 1999 trials a great success.
Figure 7: IEAust Award Presentation Dinner
SECTION 6. Improvements
The following list identifies suggested improvements to the ASRI SSRP operations. It also includes some items of wishful thinking and items meeting the criteria ‘wouldn’t it be nice if’. The list is divided into safety, site works, operations, public relations, and static firing rig.
Safety
- Purchase 2 good first aid kits for EC9 and observation area.
A lockable metal Explosives Ordnance cabinet would be nice for storage of EO items during the campaigns.
After the lightning strike at these trials wiped out our blockhouse lighting, ASRI should invest in some battery powered emergency lighting for EC-9.
We should install a closed circuit TV system in the blockhouse to assist with safety surveillance of the area and video recording. Much of the EFM trainable closed circuit system exists at Building 5 and should be used.
Site Works
- A lockable storage cabinet should be placed in EC-9 to store materiel
that can remain on-site. This would include the Sighter fins and plugs
from the EFS.
A concrete slab extension to the launch pad to prevent the traditional throw of dirt and stones over the blockhouse stairwell.
A metal blast deflector plate to protect the concrete directly under the rocket nozzle.
Fix the LA9 pad phone (replace) and install a land line phone in EC9 and the new hut at the observation area if possible.
Water tanks at LA-9 and Observation area (44 gallon drums / other ?)
Fix/acquire any remaining conduit covers at LA-9
Relocate the Ausroc II launcher from LA-2 to LA-9
General site clearing / cleaning / removal
Remove the old busted ‘Café ASRI’ hut and replace it with a properly footed bigger ATCO style hut. A concrete verandah with shading would make life at the observation area more tolerable
Mains power at the observation area
Installation of park bench style seating at the observation area.
Install a boom gate at the observation area
Install a flag pole at the observation area
Operations
- Every experiment provided for flight had a different activation method.
This proved cumbersome and required holes to be drilled in the payload
tubes. In the future ASRI should provide the activation switch (Key switch)
which is accessible from the outside. The Experimenters should provide
their experiments with 2 bare activation leads which ASRI will connect
to its standard key switch.
All payloads also required different mounting arrangements which lead to excessive integration periods in Adelaide. In the future a simple tray system will be used and all payloads must be provided on the common tray platforms. This will lead to simple integration.
More tables and chairs are required for EC-9.
It would be nice to have a small bar fridge, electric kettle & mugs in EC-9
An automated firing box hooked into a large countdown screen at the observation area would allow people to synchronise equipment to the countdown.
A Zuni motor igniter modification kit should be prepared containing all tools, equipment and wires required to undertake the modification.
A Zuni payload module kit should be prepared containing all the tools, equipment and expendables required to assemble, test, fit and activate the Zuni payload modules at LA-9
ASRI should invest in a set of its own radios (4 off) to reduce reliance on the goodwill currently provided by the DSCW personnel.
A good (sidchrome or equivalent) tool kit (complete) should be available in EC-9 at all times during operations at LA-9. This is to avoid the mixed up incomplete set of mismatched tooling that we always seem to have around.
We need to modify 6 Zuni motor boxes as payload module boxes to simplify payload module transport. The boxes should be shortened by about 0.5 m, have additional supports place inside, handles attached at each end, hinges placed on the lid and be painted/varnished up to look the part.
Place one of the ASRI 486 computers and a cheap bubble jet printer in EC9 for general purpose use.
Obtain some Tressle tables for the observation area (BBQs etc)
Portable chemical toilets for both Observation area and LA9
BBQ for observation area.
Preparation of the ASRI SSRP user manual
Distribute letters to all universities seeking payloads to fly.
Ascertain the future of accommodation availability at Woomera.
At least 30 minutes needs to be added to the schedule prior to departure from ELDO to LA-9 for the APLO to issue passes to the latecomers.
Quick look requirements description for each ASRI official included in each of the new folders.
Improve liaison and communications with the Heritage Center, Gibber Gabber, Travellers Village and ELDO Hotel to prevent the problems of latecomers without passes.
Public Relations
- Sighter and Zuni mockups with mock payload modules need to be prepared
and left at LA-9 for visitor display purposes.
Large (1m x 2m) metal signs with the ASRI ring logo (some with direction arrows) should be placed at the tech area boom gate, LA2 security gate (Mt Eba rd turnoff), observation area, and LA-9
Purchase a number of ASRI and Australia (6’ x 3’) flags
Print up ASRI document slips with ASRI ring logo
Print up ASRI plastic show bags with Ring logo
Develop an improved public/Media kit for distribution
Static Firing Rig
- Design and manufacture a static test rig for sighter and zuni rocket
motors and install at LA-9.
Design and manufacture a data acquisition system to obtain the pressure, thrust, strain and temperature vs time data from motor static firings.
Check out the serviceability of the ASRI mobile conditioning chamber at building 5.
Develop hazardous procedures for the conduct of static firings at LA-9.
Conduct static firings at LA-9 in the first half of 2000.
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