****!Successful Flight!******

On Sunday June 1st the STRIPE rocket, in its medium configuration (14.5 ft, 80 lbs) made its 4th successful launch reaching 7,400 feet up on an Aerotech N2000 motor and landing less than a half mile away from the launch pad. On board was electronics to deploy parachutes at apogee (drogue) and at 1,100 feet (main 15 ft parachute). Also on board was a video camera that recorded the whole flight.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ONBOARD VIDEO
We will also have onboard altimeter data that will be overlaid onto google maps to show the flight data in 3-D. This should up on the website later this week. Live downlink information (telemetry) is still having problems but could be corrected with a grounding antenna. This is not crucial until we start reaching 15,000 - 25,000 ft. up. The STRIPE team made up of UND physics and engineering students working over the last 2 years have produced a reliable rocket vehicle that is ready for transporting student designed scientific payloads to high altitudes very fast, achieving weightlessness, and coming down safely within 1 mile. In another rocket that was launched Sunday we tested an air-start technology that will be used on the STRIPE rocket taking it to higher altitudes. The rocket was Tricia Johnson's Purple Haze and successfully lit 2 rocket motors while in flight, called air-starts. The first motor was a Cesaroni K570 (lit on the ground), then 7 seconds into the flight two Aerotech I200s were lit for a spectacular boost to about 6,726 ft up. In the next configuration of STRIPE it will have a central "N" motor lit on the ground, proceeding to air-start two "M" motors at 10 seconds, and finally at 16 seconds air-starting two more "M" motors. We are planning on launching this Fall 2009 to 25,000 ft high. June 1st's launch marks four successful launches for the STRIPE rocket in one year. Next semester we plan on launching scientific payloads and more rocket technology. The STRIPE team Map: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ONBOARD VIDEO

****IMPORTANT ROCKET LAUNCH UPDATE******

UND students will launch rockets Sunday On Sunday, May 4, the North Dakota Student Rocket Initiative Project (STRIPE) will launch their fourth large rocket 8,000 ft. up to test a student-designed payload consisting of flight video and live telemetry. In addition, three student-built competition rockets equipped with student-designed scientific payloads ranging from Geiger counters to particle collectors, will launch. These students are competing for a chance to build a full-scale payload planned launch next year to 25,000 ft. in a modified ND STRIPE rocket. Launch Details: Date: We have a launch window set up with the FAA for Sunday, May 4. Weather conditions will determine the launch day and will be announced on the STRIPE website. Time: We will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until all rockets have flown Location: 6 miles south of Larimore, ND, then 1 mile west of Kempton, ND. (this is about a 40-minute drive from Grand Forks) This is a public event and open to everyone. End the semester with a rocket launch! For more information, contact Tim Young, associate professor of physics, 701-777-4709. Map: CLICK HERE FOR A MAP IN .PDF FORMAT

****Important Payload Contest Update******

The due date for proposals for the ND STRIPE Student Payload Contest has been postponed to November 30, 2007.

This is due to several universities being added at a late time. Those interested in submitting a payload proposal should read more in the contest section.