It was the 1st of March 2020, on a cold winter day, when we gathered in Germany in the fields near Straubing, to launch our rockets for the first time.
In the fields where the launch took place was a small cottage where everybody was able to get their rockets ready. We, 4 FIRST* teams and a few senior space team members, were one of the first on-site, but it was not too long when the place filled up with bunch of people, different ages, all with the same, rather unusual hobby.
We started preparing our rockets, which at the arrival were just empty shells, by mounting the electronics with an apogee sensor into the nose cone. The sensor is meant to trigger a separation charge at the highest point of the trajectory so that the top and bottom part of the rocket can be separated and the parachute released.
After adding the parachute and screwing everything together we watched the first rockets disappear into the clouds and waited for our turn. The most excited one to watch was The Hound, a serious rocket constructed by talented members of the space team, which shall one day reach the space.
Als wir an der Reihe waren, platzierten wir vorsichtig den Motor in unsere Rakete, gingen ein letztes Mal die Launch Liste durch und starteten den Countdown. Ich freue mich berichten zu dürfen, dass alle FIRST-Raketen erfolgreich abgehoben und in der Nähe gefunden wurden. Die Mehrheit ist mit nur wenigen Kratzern gelandet, einige mit einem oder zwei Finnen weniger, aber ich denke ich spreche für alle wenn ich sage, dass wir stolz und zufrieden allein mit der Tatsache waren, dass sie tatsächlich den Boden verlassen haben. Die Raketen erreichten Höhen bis zu 815m, Geschwindigkeiten bis zu 160m/s und Beschleunigungen bis zu 9g wie die Flugdaten später zeigten.
Vielen Dank an das Space Team für die organisation des FIRST-Projekts. Ich hoffe auf viele weitere Abenteuer mit euch.
*First Introduction to Rockets and Space Team
When our turn came, we carefully mounted the motor into our rocket, went through the launch list one last time and started the countdown. I am happy to report that all FIRST rockets launched successfully and were found nearby. The majority landed with just a few scratches, some with a Finn or two less, but I think I speak for all when I say that we were proud and satisfied just with the fact that they actually left the ground. The rockets achieved heights up to 815m, velocity up to 160m/s and acceleration up to 9g – as the flight data showed later on.
Thank you Space Team for organizing the FIRST project. I hope on many more adventures with you.
*First Introduction to Rockets and Space Team