Armadillo Update

[Swampcat]

One of the cool things i found there:

Returned the Armadillo-powered Rocket Racer to flight.
http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/200 ... elects.wmv
This flies very much

Yeah, that was pretty cool. Some acrobatics and multiple restarts.

 

[Jazman1985]

wow, according to the article they will have 8 restarts in flight for their airshow performance. I seem to remember 1 restart being a deal several years ago. It will be amazing if this rocket will be reliable enough to do that 8 times. I can't wait for them to start racing multiple vehicles.

 

[EarthlingX]

crusr.arc.nasa.gov : Succesful Mid-Flight Engine Restart by Armadillo Aerospace

Submitted by CRuSR on Mon, 06/07/2010 - 04:17.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRFSwA0UL9s[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0qlIoSSkQ[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8_e2kiLzUk[/youtube]

http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home

spacefellowship.com : Official Armadillo Aerospace Forum

 

[neutrino78x]

Awesome videos earthlingx, private space launch is the future

--Brian

 

[EarthlingX]

www.universetoday.com : NASA Funds Experimental “Near Space” Vehicles

Aug 30th, 2010

by Nancy Atkinson


Armadillo Aerospace's SuperMod vehicle. Credit: William Pomerantz, Google Lunar X PRIZE

Commercial space companies Armadillo Aerospace and Masten Space Systems have been awarded a total of $475,000 to perform test flights of their experimental vehicles near the edge of space. The award is part of NASA's Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR), which seeks to develop commercial reusable transportation to near space for frequent, low-cost trips to near-space for small payloads.

The CRuSR awards will fund two flights this fall and one this winter of Armadillo's Super-Mod vehicle from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The first two flights will be to an altitude of approximately nine miles and the third to approximately 25 miles.

The Masten Space Systems' Xaero vehicle (a re-aligned version of their Xoie vehicle for better aerodynamics, according to Colin Ake from Masten) will make four flights this winter from the Mojave Spaceport in California. Two flights will reach an altitude of approximately three miles and two others will be to approximately 18 miles, with an engine shutdown during flight.

 

[EarthlingX]

"Super Mod" tether test, 2010-09-11 :
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa5_ijzkDkU[/youtube]

armadilloaerospace | September 14, 2010

Includes induced perturbations to test recovery from aerodynamic impulses, and the telescopic legs extending at the end. We were ready to free-flight after this test, but a two-hour FAA hold would have put us too late in the day. Will probably try for the free flight later today.

 

[vulture4]

To quote Darth Vader, "Impressive"

 

[EarthlingX]

Another one :

Armadillo Aerospace Super Mod rocket free flight 2010-09-16 :
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Xiq3dYJlM[/youtube]

armadilloaerospace | September 16, 2010

Three-pane view: tripod tracking cam, on-board cam, and cutting between a pad-view cam and an up-facing cam.

 

[EarthlingX]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mD0obLCrR0[/youtube]

armadilloaerospace | September 17, 2010

Friday's successful launch of the Armadillo Aerospace 'Mod' rocket flying just over 2000 feet, from a launch stand to the center of the pad.

These relatively low flights are for testing and verification of the flight controls under increased acceleration and higher wind speeds. This vehicle, or one like it, will be flying Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) payloads for Nasa in the near future.

Watch it twice so you can see the landing gear extend!

 

[SteveCNC]

Pretty amazing attitude control , gives me hope of a smooth landing on mars someday .

 

[vulture4]

Does the video show deployment of a drouge chute on the way down with the high-altitude flight? This would seem to be to best way to keep the vehicle stable and limit fuel consumption during a long tail-first descent. Some small guided drouge parasails are available if needed.

 

[EarthlingX]

Does the video show deployment of a drouge chute on the way down with the high-altitude flight? This would seem to be to best way to keep the vehicle stable and limit fuel consumption during a long tail-first descent. Some small guided drouge parasails are available if needed.

I didn't see any parachute in these videos .. ?

 

[Swampcat]

Does the video show deployment of a drouge chute on the way down with the high-altitude flight? This would seem to be to best way to keep the vehicle stable and limit fuel consumption during a long tail-first descent. Some small guided drouge parasails are available if needed.

The vehicle's engine and control systems can maintain stability as long as the engine is running. AA has performed in-flight engine cut-offs and restarts where a drogue was deployed to keep the vehicle in an engine down attitude. See the video below for an example:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7sdHzY3xFA[/youtube]

 

[cosmictraveler]

I've seen the cost for being able to spend a few minutes in "orbt" onboard a rocket powered plane that only holds enough fuel to get up to orbit but very little left when it decends. That isn't a very smart way to fly, IMHO. It also only holds a few people as well and costs over 200,000.00 to have this "adventure" in "space". So this is what the common person has to look forward to, spend their life savings on a few minutes in space? Again I am all for space travel but at these costs and such little time when there, is it really a PRACTICAL way to get the public to take notice?

 

[EarthlingX]

Here's an alternative, it costs much less :

SDC thread : First amateur manned space launch coming soon?

 

[EarthlingX]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnIpgor0un8[/youtube]

armadilloaerospace | September 25, 2010

Testing an aluminum 15-inch diameter tank to its bursting point, shot at 300fps. This one gives way at 460 PSI. The point of a test like this is to see if the test tank would meet our needs in terms of how much it weighs vs. how much pressure it can hold, and what margins we'd have to stay within to safely use it on an actual rocket.

 

[docm]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2jLYa1Wfy8[/youtube]