had me lofting the pumpkin-colored Moab Man rocket today. The second launch of the rocket involved a drag race with an identical rocket and identical engine.
Milliseconds after ignition, Moab Man accelerates skyward on a F15-4 motor.
Going up! Moab Man clears the rail.
Screen grab from a video of the drag race where both rockets were ignited at the same time. Big fun.
of low-, mid- and high-powered rockets occurred over four days at the National Sports Launch West event, bringing together more than 250 rocketeers from across the country for the Memorial Day weekend near Alamosa, Colorado. Here’s one of the first high-power rockets heading to 44,000 feet (13,400 meters) to kick off the event!
The high altitude launch site lies at 7,600 feet above sea level in the San Luis Valley with 80 launch pads/rods/rails/towers on the firing range. There’s nary a tree for miles and miles in any direction.
All launch pads and rockets on the range are fired by the Launch Control Officer and their staff of assistants, pad managers and spotters.
All rockets to be flown are first inspected by Range Safety Officers for flight worthiness prior to launch, no matter the size, both large and small.
GPS radio tracking frequencies must be managed so as to avoid conflicts during flights.
Basic kits were generously donated by Estes and the rocket engines by Chris’ Rocket Supplies for the kids.
Many vendors were represented at the event and a lot of business was conducted on the site.
the Gunnison River has deeply incised the Black Canyon, exposing the ~1.7 billion year-old Precambrian metamorphic rock that comprises the enormous Painted Wall, caught at sunrise and the moment of first light.
Wide pre-dawn view of the 2,250 foot (686 meter) high Painted Wall, showing pegmatite dikes intruding the foliated gneiss and schist creating a natural abstract mural nearly a half-mile high.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) enjoying sunset near Cedar Point the evening before.
for the National Sports Launch West to be held near Alamosa, Colorado during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, a four day-long event. Launch waivers to 52,000 feet!!
The Arreaux (left) and Arcas (far right) are the highest fliers, and they will carry the GPS radio tracker in their payload bays.
by successfully launching and recovering the high-power HV Arcas model rocket with an “H” motor to 2,314 feet (705 meters). Here are several images taken at the remote launch site on the Colorado - Utah state line. It’s very good and quite satisfying to set and achieve lofty goals in retirement.
HV Arcas on the launch rail, prepped for liftoff on a reloadable Aerotech H128-8W engine.
Blast off!
Thumbs up on a successful soft touchdown under parachute about 1,500 feet (450 meters) down range.
The flight recorder showed that the rocket’s top speed was 391 mph with 16.1 G peak acceleration for a flight lasting 146 seconds.
HV Arcas launch video courtesy BH. “That’s the up part!”
from GJT to SLC and onward to GEG yielded several interesting views when the weather allowed. Remember, geologists always get window seats.
View northwestward across Grand Junction, Colorado shortly after departure. The sinuous dark area is the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers.
View northward, turning into the Salt Lake Valley over Utah Lake with the snow-covered Wasatch Mountain front.
The historic earthen causeway for the Lucin Cutoff railroad line separates the Great Salt Lake into two waterbodies with differing aquatic ecologies.
A peculiar roller cloud, about 40 miles (64 km) in length along its north-south axis, sits atop and defines Hells Canyon in Idaho.
occurs once a month on the Utah - Colorado state line, here framed by the Book Cliffs to the north. The so-called Warp Core chapter of the National Association of Rocketry organizes model rocket launches at this remote site where members fly low-, medium- and high-powered model rockets. It’s a ridiculous amount of fun and here are some of my launches from today.
The launch site in the Grand Valley west of Grand Junction, Colorado. NOTAMs are filed and we have a waiver to fly to 12,000 feet (4,000 meters). Coordinates: 39.27910365938015, -109.04074725724564
The scale model Doorknob sounding rocket moments after ignition.
Cherokee Pro roaring off the rail on a G40-7W engine to an apogee of 1,711 feet (522 meters).
The recently finished (but not yet painted/decaled) Bull Pup on its maiden flight skyward on a F20-4W engine.
where the Arreaux model rocket soared to an apogee of 2,402 feet (732 meters) on a “G” engine at a remote launch site on the state line. I’m aiming higher.
Also, these launches push me over the century mark, now having sent more than 100 model rockets skyward this year. Huge fun.
The Book Cliffs serve as a backdrop as the Arreaux zooms off the pad.
The Nike Smoke Pro under chute after achieving an apogee of 695 feet (212 meters).
Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) wondering what all the commotion was about out on the range this morning.
in full resplendent beauty.
Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia caerulea).
is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth’s history approximately 28 million years ago (Eocene). That enormous geologic event has left quite a bruise on south central Colorado and also created rich mineral deposits in the region.
Oblique aerial view towards the north showing the 20 mile wide (32 km) La Garita Caldera structure from Google Earth. Snowshoe Mountain is a resurgent dome in the core of the caldera.
The upper Rio Grande Valley on the western side of the La Garita caldera.
Much of the valley bottom is mantled with glacial till in terminal and lateral moraines and with glacial outwash.
Bristol Head mountain stands at 12,712 feet (3,875 meters) high with a smaller resurgent dome on the left.
Caldera-filling sedimentary rocks of the Creede Formation (Oligocene) near Creede, Colorado reflecting a lacustrine environment of deposition.
in the high country of Colorado.
Adult male Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus).
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus).
Male Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus).
Female Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus).
with a buddy from graduate school at a guest ranch near Creede, Colorado. Here are several of the local residents.
Our remote cabin for the week at about 9,200 feet (2,800 meters) in elevation.
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila).
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor).
Golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis).
in the high country of Colorado last night at 11,100 feet above sea level. It was certainly quite chilly around midnight when this image was captured.
Snowdon Peak (13,077 feet) and the Milky Way reflected in Little Molas Lake. Look closely above the galactic core and you’ll spy a short meteor trail.
The subalpine scene at sundown.
is the chief celebrity of Fruita, Colorado, having lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off in 1945. There’s even a local festival held in May every year to acknowledge Mike’s tenacity! Learn about Mike.
It’s easy to find Mike’s statue in charming downtown Fruita on Google Maps.
under relatively calm conditions this morning, I launched and recovered three model rockets with the Warp Core rocketry club in Grand Junction, Colorado at their launch site on the state line. Members lofted about 20 rockets until increasing winds shut down operations around noon.
First off the pads today, Zephyr Jr. zooms to a 554 foot apogee on a “D” engine, landing only about 50 feet away under calm conditions.
Finally painted and decaled, the MOAB roars to 575 feet on a “F” engine.
Aiming higher, my Frangible Arcas soars to 1,335 feet and lands a considerable distance down range under increasing winds.
above Ray’s Mesa in a remote corner of the Grand Valley in Colorado, just west of Grand Junction near the state line, organized and coordinated by the local Warp Core rocketry club. About a dozen men of all ages participated in the event and huge fun was had by all.
Launch controller Ben’s view of the launch pads, with my two-stage Majestic model rocket on the center launch rail ready for flight, the first of the day. Someone had to fly in order to check the winds aloft and I volunteered this high flyer.
My two-stage boosted Majestic soaring to an apogee of 2,275 feet (693 meters) on two “F” engines, with a successful recovery under parachute for a flight lasting 2 minutes and 18 seconds, softly landing about 150 feet (~50 m) away from the pad.
Dozens of launches were made throughout the morning by the various club members. Nerd alert!
illuminated at night. I shot this on my return flight to my high desert hacienda in red rock country. I’m delighted that people want to live this way, giving the rest of us wider spaces.
is a protected natural area administered by the Bureau of Land Management north of Kremmling, Colorado. Absolutely worth a visit and absolutely NO collecting!
The site is strewn with many dozens of these incredibly preserved specimens.
Typical ammonite mold, approximately 75 cm in diameter. Note the light-colored nacre (mother of pearl) material immediately to the right of my foot.
Detail present on several specimens showing interior chambers and suture pattern. Based on these details, the species has been identified as Placentceras meeki.
both the dinosaur and mountain biking capital of western Colorado as the terrific sign on this grain elevator proudly suggests!
apparently shook the local region at 2:11 am MST, but the minor earthquake was entirely unnoticed by me, fast asleep in Castle Valley, Utah. But there are in fact 16 “felt” reports at the USGS website. So here’s the technical information about the less-than-eventful event: M 4.3 - 28 km E of La Sal, Utah
Map from the U. S. Geological Survey showing epicenter. Red symbol indicates Castle Valley, Utah.