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BALLS 19
September, 2010
*The following is an an excerpt from an article appearing in Rockets Magazine, December, 2010
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If some of the other fliers who wander
back out to the Black Rock desert for
the Balls events year after year can
be considered synonymous with Black
Rock, then Jeff Jakob is Black Rock.
Jeff was back with anther "R" and he
called it Rocket 4:20. It was 350 pounds
when loaded with 200 pounds of nitrous
oxide. It was 8 inches in diameter and
stood 23 feet tall. Each year Jeff's pit
area looks like something outofthe Indy
Racing Series. Technicians are always
busy attending to their responsibilities,
and the flurry of activity usually runs
about two days, prior to setting the
rocket on the pad.
Jeff explained the launch: "Prepping
the rocket went in record time. Setting
up the launch pad and related hardware
went together like clockwork and, again,
in record time."
Then came the time for the launch,
which Jeff clearly remembers: "Shortly
after ignition the rocket skewed slightly
off the pad, and I knew we didn't
have the tank pressure the rocket
was designed for, and after nearly a
twenty-four-second burn, my belief
was confirmed. We had GPS lock for
most of the boost, and at 45,094ft AGL
something bad happened." The rocket
was totally lost from sight, and the GPS
was the team's only hope of recovering
the vehicle.
The rocket had vanished at over
45,000 feet and could be anywhere.
Did the main deploy and nobody saw
it? Did it crash and bury itself in the
Playa or, worse yet, in the surrounding
mountains? All Jeff knew at this
point was the reality of Rocket 4:20
being lost, like so many others in the
Nevada wilderness. Jeff was beyond
disappointed. The launch started as
such a high and ended on such a low.
He told the team, "If we do not recover
this time, we will be hard pressed to be
back next year, with the economy and
unemployment being like they are; it's
affecting me deeply." Jeff even hired a
small plane whose owner was at the
launch for the weekend. They looked for
hours, all to no avail. "I was confident we
could not have searched any harder, so
I had to deal with the situation the best
I could, and I was very happy with the
performance of my team. The rocket
now lies with the lizards."
Just when all hope had been drained
from his being, and Jeff had experienced
the worst of the worst, salvation was
knocking at his door. "When we were
at Bruno's for our 'victory meal' all the
team was being pretty silent, knowing
how I felt. It was then our newest team
member, Don Burmingham, stood up
and handed me a personal check to
cover the cost of next year's vehicle. I
still get tears in my eyes remembering
the moment."
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Rocket "4:20" Launch
Black Rock, Nevada
September, 2010
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Despite the challenges over the years,
Jeff's team stood in solidarity behind
him. The road they have traveled has
been long, and they are not about
to give up when they are so close to
total success. Twenty-five-year team
veteran Bill Colburn has been through
the SORAC Project 12 years ago, from
which the Hybriddyne design evolved
from the AeroDesign and Hybrid
Propulsion. He expects next year's
launch to scratch 100,000 feet with a
perfect recovery. Bill's personal code is
"Gravity is a stern mistress."
Chip Dryden has been with the team
for over five years. "Being one of a
couple licensed ham radio operators
on the crew, I have provided systems
for transmitting live video back to the
ground while the rocket is in flight. I
provided additional support for the
wiring of telemetry systems, tracking
systems, and general assembly and
prep when in the field at Black Rock.
Sadly, as with previous years, our
attempt to fly a live video system did not
work this year. All aspects of the project
are discussed well in advance of our
arrival at the Balls event. If something
proves to be a challenge, we work the
issue until it is proven to work or not. If
something doesn't work, we move on
without it."
Team member George Delli-Santi, who
worked on team SORAC hybrids since
2000, brought materials-engineering
expertise to the Jakob team from his
days as a composite-materials process
engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works.
George is looking to the future: "I would
like to make all electronics systems in
the payload section modular, i.e. 'plug
and play,' to make preflight integration
easier."
Team member Kim Cook is a machinist
at SLAC and an optomechanical
designer. "I've known Jeff for ... well,
longer than I want to admit. I designed
and build the nitrous injector for his 8-
inch beasty. Amongst my other duties, I
occasionally give Jeff a slap to the back
of the head when he needs it."
Todd Ackert has been Jeff's friend for
the last twenty-five years and has seen
and has helped on some of his over
the-top projects. "I'm not really a rocket
guy and to be introduced to it at the R-
10,000 size rocket is pretty cool."
Rick Maschek, who is a semi-retired
science teacher and heads up the
Sugar Shot to Space project, has been
on Jeff's team since 2005. Rick is a
jack of all trades on the project; he is
there when you need him. Rick, like
the other members, is putting the past
behind him and looking forward to the
next launch.
Don Burmingham is the newest
member of Jeff Jakob's Team 2010.
"I'm new to rocketry, and I've only
been in this sport one year. My job
and contribution to the project are not
defined as yet, but so far, I've provided
financial, logistical, and moral support.
From my observation of the Balls 19
event, I would recommend that our
team double up on the GPS tracking
systems. My expectations for next year
are higher, further, faster, and recovery.
I don't think that is too much to ask
for."
Jeff continues to learn and apply the
lessons of his attempts and the results
of the flights. "After two weeks of
running simulations and recalculating
equations, we were able to duplicate
the flight results based on the GPS
data. At 45,094 feet, when the rocket
was at maximum velocity, we had
a drag separation of the nose cone
followed by a rapid return. Two land
based and one aerial search efforts
failed in locating the vehicle. We have
learned so much in the last couple of
flights, and now, with the motor burning
for well over twenty seconds, we know
it works without a doubt."
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