On Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 of 1999,
JP Aerospace
made their second attempt at the first amateur launch to space
at Black Rock Dry Lake in northwestern Nevada.
I attended to help with the launch and recovery.
Their system uses a "rockoon" (balloon-launched rocket) configuration, just like the first American military rocket into space used in the 50's. Though the elusive goal of putting an amateur rocket in space was still not achieved, JP Aerospace came away with the altitude record for amateur rocketry (about 15 miles.) Sorry! I ran out of film before the rocket recovery operation so there are no pictures of that. We did some serious off-roading to retrieve the rocket's nose section about 25 miles away on another desert lakebed. |
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Copyright (c) 1999 Ian Kluft