ShuttleBoilerplate Pictures - Page 2

 

Here are pictures of Boilerplate test flights the Rocket City Blastoff held by HARA on October 24th/25th, 1998. The flights were videotaped by Greg Warren. Pictures courtesy of Ronny and Greg Tipps of Waverly, Tennessee. Thanks!  Click on thumbnails to see larger version, otherwise use return or back browser button to return here. The boilerplate had made several good tests at a Team Practice in Muncie, IN, a few weeks before. However, attempts to do "staging" with an A3 failed, with the A3 misfiring. At the blast Off Weekend, the A3 "staging/ was successful in three of the four flights it was tried. There was one wild boost, when an SRB aft attach point was not hooked up right in prepping, allowing the SRB to wobble on boost. The orbiter was purposely sepped early via R/C at burnout, and the Flight Computer programming made the ET ejection fire one second later, as planned. This "R/C Abort" allowed the ET and SRB's to all have time to deploy their chutes, so the whole model landed safely. Except for the mistake in not making sure the SRB's were fully attached during prep, the five otherwise successful flights of that weekend proved that the overall system was reliable. The flight Computer worked right every time, as did the ejection and deployment of the parachute systems. Therefore, those flights confirmed the 1998 boilerplate was reliable, and a serious scale model for contest flying could finally be built. Due to the extra mass and complexity for a model that would be on the edge of 1500 grams, and for the fact the orbiter would not glide if the A3 "OMS burn staging" motor did not ignite (unburned propellant mass in back), it was decided not to built the contest model to have the A3 staging capability.

Fliers at the R.C. Blastoff George preps as Vince Huegele readies to take a picture Checking flight computer while ejection and orbiter pyro-arm plugs still in place. Boost on F25 Boost on F25 The bad boost Lots of parts - Main ET has black chutes. ET Nose is just to the right with its2 chutes. Far right are the two SRB's, one with 2 chutes and the other with only 1 chute deployed. This may have been flight #5.   Flight #3 of the launch - Orbiter has staged, coasting with a smoke trail at upper left. ET main is deploying chutes. SRB chutes deployed. Coming in for landing... "overhead"!

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