Three weeks ago several members of the Solid Propulsion team were at the 61st IAC in Prague, where we presented the development of the Alan-5 propellant, including the theoretical phases and the latest pressure test results. The presentation was very well received by the audience and a lot of supportive and inspirational messages were addressed towards the Stratos II project as a whole, which was very motivating for us. DARE was also invited to launch a rocket at the opening of the 62nd IAC, to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in October 2011, by the congress organizers. We were also told that we came very close to winning the teamwork prize for the student conference, in fact the committee debated for several hours, deciding between our project and the ESA-sponsored ESMO (European Student Moon Orbiter) project. In the end, the latter project won, but the judges were very eager for us to present again at the next conference, which is for us very motivating as well. Overall, it was a great week with unforgettable experiences, and we are now inspired to continue our research, present it at the next IAC, and win the teamwork prize next year!
Photo: John-John, Jorgis, Olga, Pleun, and Wouter in the center of Prague
Additionally, we had a mini DARE alumni reunion at the IAC, since our comerades Stratos I-veterans Mark Uitendaal and Christina Aas were also at the conference, now representing their respective companies. It was great to see them again, remember the good old days of Stratos I, and of course see that there is life after DARE in the professional world of astronautics.
Photo: Olga with DARE alumni Steven Engelen, Mark Uitendaal, and Christina Aas
Now the solid propulsion group is back to work with plans to conduct more pressure burn tests in the near future. In the meantime, we are busy with re-calibrating the sensor and modifying the pressure test system for nozzles of different diameters, so that we can achieve different pressures.
This week the final calibrations should be finished, and we plan to conduct the next pressure burn test very soon after the autumn exam period.