2024 Launch Reports: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:09, 18 November 2025

Airfest 30, August 30 - September 2 2024, Argonia KS

I went to Argonia for the first time in a few years to fly Peregrine, the 3" minimum-diameter rocket I had been working on all year. Simulations put it between 30,000 and 35,000 feet AGL.

Peregrine flight #1, M685

Weather conditions: sunny; wind N @ 9 mph, 88 F, 34% RH

Wildman Mach Three “Peregrine” flight #1:
Launch time:	Saturday, August 31, 2024, 12:15 pm
Weather conditions:	sunny; wind N @ 9 mph, 88 F, 34% RH
Motor:	AeroTech M685W-PS White Lightning Moonburner
Max altitude:	23248 feet AGL (TeleMega, GPS), 22060 feet AGL (TeleMega, barometric), 22008 feet AGL (EasyMini, barometric)
Max velocity:	1451 ft/sec (989 mph, Mach 1.3) (TeleMega, accelerometer)
Max acceleration:	13 G (TeleMega, accelerometer)

(Peregrine narrative goes here)

GPS track (viewable with Google Earth)

Raw flight data from TeleMega (viewable with AltOS)

Raw flight data from EasyMini (viewable with AltOS)

Peregrine launch, seen from pad camera.
Ground track of Peregrine's flight.
Statistics for Kestrel's flight.

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 [https://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/airfest30-2024/2024-08-31-serial-10283-flight-0001.eeprom Raw flight data from EasyMini] (viewable with [https://altusmetrum.org/AltOS/ AltOS])
-Peregrine photos go here (launch photo, then build photos)
 <gallery mode="slideshow">
-File:Kestrel-ldrs38-edit.jpg|Kestrel leaving the launch tower. Photo by Richard Lipham.|alt=Kestrel leaving the launch tower. Photo by Richard Lipham.
+File:Peregrine-launch.png|Peregrine launch, seen from pad camera.|alt=A rocket leaving pad 86 at Argonia with a bright white exhaust and a large plume of white smoke. A fly-away rail guide can be seen detaching from the rocket.
-File:Kestrel-ldrs38-map.png|Ground track of Kestrel's flight.|alt=Ground track of Kestrel's flight.
+File:Peregrine-ground-track.png|Ground track of Peregrine's flight.|alt=A map showing Peregrine's apogee about 5 miles ESE of the launch site, then drifting back under parachute to a spot about 3 miles SE of the launch site.
-File:Kestrel-recovery.jpg|Kestrel landed after flight.|alt=Kestrel landed after flight.
+File:Peregrine-flight-statistics.png|Statistics for Kestrel's flight.|alt=Statistics for Kestrel's flight - notably, 22974 feet AGL, Mach 1.3, 13 G maximum acceleration, and 1856 seconds (about 31 minutes) flight time.
-File:Kestrel-recovery-2.jpg|Kestrel landed after flight.|alt=Kestrel landed after flight.
-File:Flight-statistics.png|Statistics for Kestrel's flight.|alt=Statistics for Kestrel's flight.
-File:Kestrel-ldrs38-graph.png|Graph of Kestrel's flight profile.|alt=Graph of Kestrel's flight profile.
 </gallery>