LAUNCH CAMPAIGN

LAST DAY in KIRUNA

Last day in Kiruna. Tomorrow morning at 7 we will have our flyback. In this Rexus / Bexus programm we had a lot of fun, a lot of new friends, a lot to learn. If I say that I have no words is reductive. Thanks to all Stuff of Rexus / Bexus, thanks to ESA, DLR, SSC, SNSB, EUROLAUNCH, Thanks to all Rexus 11/12 Teams! We will never forget this days.


LAUNCH DAY AN OTHERS "BAD" DAYS

On Monday 19 we had our ride on Rexus12 rocket!!!! But unlucly Redemption was powered off exactly at the moment of lift off. This is very sad. We lost our telemetry just after the lift off of the rocket and was not possibile to say if was working in flight. Also the DLR-MORABA guys that launched effectly the rocket had some problems and the payload landed without parachute. Was a big crash. When at the end they recovery the payload we discovered that Redemption didn't start. Most strange is that, from the plot of power consumption we just had a power off at liftoff. This is visible and clear from the plot and we never had again a power consuption during the flight. From our point of view is strange as after the crash we recovered a lot of experiment (almost all) and all works, cable and mechanics. Also the electronic mainboard, that is almost destroyed, when you give some power has a power counsuption. Unlucly after the crash is almost impossible to investigate about service module. For the moment it is all. We are all very sad and with a very bad mood because we can't see a valid cause for the failure.

We are still try to understand what happen to our experiment. For now we can say that at the moment of lift off our experiment was shutted off from something. We don't know what it was. But we can say what for sure was not: was not a short as that could be visible from telemetry of rocket, was not an our power cable disconnected as that one was still screwed in the connector and it works also now as still the connector work. Our electronic mainboard still have a power consuption if you give to it a power also after the crash. All mechanical parts are working also after the crash and the condictions of fluids were nominally for the experiment.

The flight for us was little but strange from the beggining. We lost the TV channel at the Test Countdown. This camera after the crash is still working. Others cameras inside the module worked but in SD card there are not videos of shaking or of start of shaking. So cameras tuned off just before Lift Off or in exact istant of LO. Off course these cameras are still working also after the crash.

Unluckly without the possibility to investigate on service module of the rocket (that was destroyed in the crash) is very difficolt were problem is started.

We will continue to invastigate in what happened

We hope anyway to fly again in the next Rexus launch campaign as a backup experiment or in some other way.

Anyway in the next days I will try to upload photos and video form this incredible and beutyfull experience.

DAY 10
Ciao! An other day off for us! WE spend to go to see a fiordo in Norway just 3 hours of driving from kiruna. But of course was not a free day for crew and staff of Rexus / Bexus. They worked hard and now both rockets are ready. We will have our ride in Rexus12. The most important news THE LAUNCH CAN WILL BE TOMORROW AFTER 13. Maybe will be in straming also http://www.livestream.com/rexusbexus. SO stay tuned for very cool news ;)

DAY 9
Free day! We went to Kiruna to have a tour and we had a drink in the Ice Hotel! And this evening St Patrick party!!

DAY 8
The payload for Rexus12 is ready and full integrated! In the evening some beers with friends!

DAY 7
REDEMPTION was totally rebuilt, integrated and close in the skin. Experiment is ready for fly. This work take all the day and the night. We had an half heart attack as our PCB was not working... but we only forgot to do the reset :) so all was ok. And in the morning to time to sleep because we needed to done the banches tests and the countodwn. But this is nice. All worked. All is ready

DAY 6
Full work day. Just some minor work but that took time. Tomorrow for us will be a very busy day, we will fill the cartrdige with our fluids and we will rebuilt for totatl Redemption! This will take time and a lot of concentration... but we are also very exited. Today we also knew the data of the launch. Tuesday. So you can see the new "countdown" in the menu here in the right! Sorry. Not yet the photo... we will try to upload as soon as possible.. but you know now the time is not so much! But in the next days for sure you will have!

DAY 5
Today all the teams are arrived! So nice to see again so many new friends! And are arrived also Stefania and Federico!!! Now we are all togheter. This day we also just finished some works and from tomorrow the reassembling of Redemption will began "serious". We had also a instrument to check the umidity in our "clean room". Also we had the permission to put some more photo! So... follow us, tomorrow you will have some nice shots! Good night!

DAY 4
Hi! The work is going very good, we are faster than expetcted this means that we can make all things with calm, but also that probably tomorrow me and Antonio will finish the our work of deassembling, cleaning and preassebling. Tomorrow in late evening will arrive also Federico and Stefania and we will be ready for final assembling of Redemption :)
This evening are arrived also some others teams: ADIOS, RAIN and SUAINEADH. Welcome guys!

And this evening we also saw a incredible Aurora. And phto are much more better!

And yeah, about photos. I still didn't put image of base and so on, becoause for now seems it is forbidden. If I will can, for sure, you will have more stuff ;)

DAY 3
Full Working day! This morning we start to work serius on Redemption. We checked the experiment, if all was in order. We connected the experiment with Rexus simulator. And tryed some cicle. All was just fine. After we start to dissasmble for all day. We cleaned a prat of cartridge from old liquids. It's a difficult operation, quite long. We need to be very carefull to don't compromize the next experiement. We just finished. Rexus/Bexus staff is very nice with us. The give to us a chemical room for our stuff with controlled umidity. Very professional.


DAY 1-2 TRIP AND ARRIVAL

Redemption (half)team is in Kiruna at ESRANGE base. We had a plasure to watch the aurora from the plane. Just impossible describe it! Today we checked the liquids of our foam and its are here safe! Very good! Just a little problem with our "space bag". It is arrived tottaly destroyed. We are checking our tools to see if all work. As soon as possible some photo here and in the blog!


Today are arrived also Mark and Mark with the rocket! So we take our module to start to work on it. And during the evening we saw a very powerfull and nice Aurora! Amaizing. I tried to make some photo but unlucky i need to learn more about such kind of foto... anyway this is the result :)