altitude Verification
The big question was, how high did it go. The following is a description of the 72 mile high apogee verification. A second article below that with GoFast Post Flight Analysis.
GoFast Rocket Maximum Altitude Verification
The Civilian Space eXploration Team’s GoFast rocket reached an official altitude of 72 miles, making it the first Civilian and Amateur rocket to successfully exceed the 62 mile (100km) international definition of space. Launched on May 17th 2004 at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada at 11:12 am, the GoFast rocket officially entered space at 11:13:41 am PDT 101 seconds into flight. The maximum altitude was determined by flight reconstruction from data measurements stored on two redundant on-board flight recorders. The official altitude of 72 miles was derived from a high precision 3-axis accelerometer (Crossbow, CXL25LP3) and 3-axis magnetometer (Crossbow, CXM113). Two back-up accelerometers provided additional sources confirming the vehicle exceeded 62 miles.
At liftoff the motor produced 16,000 lbs of thrust and cleared the launch tower accelerating at over 23 g’s. After tower clear and a predicted wind induced yaw maneuver, the vehicle flight performance was nominal and on a nearly straight trajectory as recorded by the onboard magnetometer. At 10.5 seconds into the flight and with the motor still burning and producing 1,500 lbs of thrust the vehicle hit a top speed of 3,420 mph and just over Mach 5 setting a new amateur speed record. Motor burnout was nominal at 13.4 seconds at an altitude of 49,000 feet with the rocket plume exhaust still visible by ground observers. The canted fins produced a GoFast Rocket Launched Into Space May 17th 2004 burnout spin rate of 8 revolutions per second and put the rocket on a straight trajectory towards space.
At 158 seconds from liftoff the rocket reached a maximum altitude of 379,900 feet (115.8 km or 72 miles) and began its weightless decent back towards earth. At 240 seconds and still over 250,000 feet in altitude the primary onboard computer sent a signal to the separation system that immediately separated the payload with the flight recorders from the booster section. Both parachutes, one on the booster and the other on the payload section deployed nominally. Decelerating at a peak of 5.5 g’s at 160,000 feet both objects became subsonic at approximately 110,000 ft where both parachutes were fully deployed. At 850 seconds the payload section impacted on the side of a mountain at 62 mph nose first 20 miles from the launch site. During the booster’s decent at approximately 50,000 ft the recovery system malfunctioned for unknown reasons sending the 211 pound inert booster nose first, impacting the ground at a terminal velocity of 511 mph.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Space Transportation AST-200 Licensing and Safety Division conducted an extensive analysis of the recovered flight data and provided CSXT with this statement on February 28, 2005:
“On Monday, 17 May 2004, the Civilian Space Exploration Team (CSXT) launched the GoFast rocket at 11:12 am PDT from the Black Rock Desert. The GoFast rocket was an amateur rocket and therefore did not require a license to launch. However, a waiver to enter national airspace was required and was granted. Two FAA/AST safety inspectors were present for this launch to ensure that conditions of the waiver were met. While AST did not independently verify the maximum altitude attained by the rocket (as tracking radar was not present), post flight analysis based on CSXT's accelerometer data concurs with CSXT's stated maximum altitude of roughly 72 miles. AST's post flight results were generally within 5% of those of CSXT. Public safety was maintained as both sections of the rocket impacted harmlessly, roughly 20 miles from the launch site.”
The Civilian Space eXploration Team would like to thank the office of AST-200 for their significant contributions in assisting public safety assurance and facilitation of approvals for this flight, and previous space launch attempts spanning nearly 7 years of cooperative effort. We would also like to thank the many sponsors and supporters that have assisted in this endeavor over the years, including Fuscient LLC and Go Fast Sports Inc for their unwavering support throughout the GoFast rocket development, launch, and recovery.
Civilian Space eXploration Team
Additional information proving the GoFast Rocket Vehicle made it to space: Sonic Boom Analysis
GoFast Rocket Post Flight Report Results
From: Larson, Jerry L
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 6:07 PM
To: CSXT Team
Subject: GoFast Rocket Post Flight Report Results
Team, here are the final results of the detail trajectory reconstruction analysis for the FAA post flight report;
Apogee altitude = 379,900 ft (72 miles)
max speed = 3,420 mph (Mach 5)
The results are based on the 3-axis accelerometer data recorded during boost and reentry and was confirmed by both back up RDAS accelerometers, altimeters to 40,000 feet and time of flight measurements made on the ground by the tracking team. The magnetometer data confirmed the trajectory path, but was not successful at reconstructing the direction of flight.
The above information will be made public after the FAA has confirmed the analysis and approved the post flight report.
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Here is an excerpt from a draft magazine article that I'm currently writing about the two years leading up to and including the breath taking flight of the GoFast rocket.
Space Flight: From Lift-Off to Touch Down
The Historic Chronology of the GoFast Rocket Flight Into Space and Back
The GoFast rocket lifted off of the Black Rock dry lake bed at 11:12 am PDT and experienced over 23 g's with the motor producing a peak thrust of 16,000 pounds. The high thrust at launch exceeded the structural strength of the launch tower rotating it to the North and caused the vehicle to experienced a tower tip off rate in the pitch plane that stood the vehicle nearly straight up (not visible from the launch site cameras). At about 0.5 seconds into the flight the vehicle experienced a pre-flight predicted turn from the measured ground winds, that ultimately pointed the vehicle in the wrong direction because of the tip off pitch rate and tower rotation. At T+2 seconds GoFast broke through the speed of sound and continued on a straight trajectory to the North West (intended flight path was North East).
3-axis accelerometer data shows the thrust to be perfect, right down the center line of the vehicle. At 4.5 seconds into the flight a small motor anomaly occurred that canted the thrust to one side holding that position for the remainder of powered flight. The spin rate at this time was fast enough that this slight thrust offset did not effect the rockets attitude and direction of flight. Motor web time occurred at about 7.0 seconds and began a long soft tail off as predicted by pre-flight computer motor ballistic simulations. At 10.5 seconds with the motor still burning and producing 1,500 lbs of thrust the vehicle hit a top speed of 3,420 mph and just over Mach 5 setting a new amateur speed record. Motor burnout was nominal at 13.25 seconds at an altitude of 48,000 feet with the rocket plume exhaust still visible by ground observers. At T+101 seconds (11:13:41 am PDT) the GoFast rocket blasted past the International definition of space and into the history books. During the coast phase the vehicle began a slow conning motion about the spin axis that damped out after only 2 revolutions leaving the vehicle still pointed nearly vertical and rotating at 7 times a second.
An apogee altitude of 379,900 feet (72 miles) was reached at approximately 158 seconds into the flight with the vehicle still traveling down range at 270 mph. On its way down, and in the vacuum of space the vehicle maintained its near vertical orientation until separation. At 240 seconds the first separation signal is sent to the primary detonator and the vehicle separates deploying both parachutes right on time. At 280 seconds the two halves slam into the atmosphere experiencing a peak deceleration of 5.5 g's at 160,000 ft. At 106,000 feet the payload section decelerates to below Mach 1. At nearly the same time the booster is almost a mile below the payload section and also decelerates to below Mach 1. Both objects accompanying shockwaves detach and continue to the ground ahead of the booster and payload which are now under fully inflated parachutes. At 415 seconds (within 10 seconds of computer generated predictions) after liftoff the booster sonic boom is heard as the shockwave reaches the ground, followed 6 seconds later by the payload shockwave. 744 seconds into the flight the booster, under parachute impacts the ground at 72 mph followed by the payload section at 840 seconds ( 62 mph impact velocity) nearly 20 miles away on the side of a mountain.
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Jerry
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