[ERPS] flight checklist

[John Carmack]

We are intending to fly the tube vehicle untethered on Friday in Oklahoma. With five gallons of peroxide, it should only reach somewhere around 1200' altitude, but that will get us a lot of data. The takeoff weight will be 350 pounds, and the acceleration will be under 1G, so this will look very different than an HPR launch. The vehicle tank is 60 gallons, but the current engine would only have positive lift with 15 gallons of peroxide. The next vehicle will use the same size tank, but will be more streamlined, and will have four 5.5" engines, allowing it to go supersonic.

We are going to attempt to get more rigorous with our flight procedures. We have done the basic fill-and-fly-the-vehicle many dozen times in the last two years, and we haven't had any real problems, but we have had the occasional good -- "Ok, PRESSURIZING! ... Huh?" (opens and closes valve a couple times) "Someone forgot to connect a nitrogen bottle!!!".

Here is my second cut at a sequence list for our launch this Friday:

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Fill tech - in full safety gear, also handles the LRS backup ignitor system (Russ)
Pilot - on computer (John)
Checklist manager (Neil)
Safety inspector - (Phil)
also in safety gear, with water supply, keeps an eye on everything
performs the parachute ignitor checks
also the flight apogee-observer

Matt will be taking video of everything.

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Pack parachute if not already done.

Assemble rockets/ignitors for parachute deployment

Wait until the wind is at a reasonable level.

Ensure the water supply is good -- fill buckets, test fire extinguisher.

Ensure everyone has eye and hearing protection.

Fill tech cleans the peroxide fill line and the area surrounding the peroxide containers.

If the launch is to be on dirt or asphalt, wet the area down and put the aluminum sheet over the launch position.

Erect the rocket, with the loading plug towards the trailer.

Fill tech checks that there is no pressure in the rocket tank.

Fill tech checks that the fill hose reaches the rocket.

Fill tech checks that the valve on the fill hose is closed (bar perpendicular to line).

Fill tech checks that the trailer tank is purged.

Fill tech checks turns the trailer regulator all the way counter clockwise (0 psi).

Fill tech checks connects a fresh nitrogen bottle to the trailer regulator.

Fill tech opens the high pressure valve on the regulator manifold, ensure there is at least 1800 psi.

Fill tech checks begin drawing a vacuum in the trailer tank.

Fill tech and safety inspector temove the rocket nose.

Fill tech slides the parachute tower into the nose, insure it does not bind.

Fill tech connects the ignitor plugs on the nose

Pilot boots the control laptop.

Pilot straps down the flight computer with the handle on the side of the rocket with the gauge and fill port.

Pilot connects the cables for the attitude engines, main engine, and pressure transducer.

Pilot powers on the flight computer.

Pilot Telnets to the flight computer from the control laptop.

Safety inspector lifts the nose and tower up, fill tech connects the parachute riser straps to the airframe recovery harness, and the cables for the GPS and parachute actuators.

Fill tech bolts the nose to the rocket.

Pilot starts "flightcom -daemon -parachute 20", the vehicle should not be touched during the gyro zeroing process, and if there is excessive wind effecting the vehicle, it may need to be repeated.

Pilot exits the Telnet session, so there is no chance of a TCP block during telemetry problems.

Pilot starts rprog.exe on the control computer, select file->RemotePilot
Altimeter light should be red
GPS may start red, but should go green within a couple minutes
Battery voltage should be green
IMU should be green
telemetry should be green
There should be no obvious drift in the gyro orientation.
The auto-parachute timer should read 20 seconds
The pressure should read approximately 0 psi.

Pilot verifies attitude engine connections by clicking each solenoid in manual (button 3) mode with fill tech feeling the solenoids at the rocket.

Pilot and fill tech verify that the main engine opens and closes.

Safety inspector holds a tester to the parachute actuator terminals, there should be no current on either the computer actuator terminals, or the LRS backup terminals.

Pilot holds button 8 on the joystick to send current to the parachute actuator, safety inspector verifies.

Fill tech activates the LRS backup system, and safety inspector verifies.

Clear any spectators to a safe distance.

Fill tech connects the parachute rocket igniter plug.

If the vacuum in the trailer tank is good, the fill tech and the safety inspector vacuum load five gallons of peroxide into the trailer tank.

Fill tech gently blows the suction line clear.

Fill tech slowly turns the regulator clockwise until the trailer tank reaches 300 psi.

Fill tech connects the fill line to the rocket.

Fill tech opens the valve on the fill line, propellant will begin to pressure load, then the tank will begin to pressurize.

Fill tech steps away from the vehicle to a safe distance.

Pilot puts on the anti-static wrist strap.

Wait for the pressure to stabilize, as seen by telemetry. May not be exactly 300 psi due to gauge / transducer variance.

Pilot presses button 4 to freeze the laptop display, and again to start a fresh log.

Pilot warms each of the engines in manual (button 3) mode, again checking for proper attitude engine orientation.

Pilot press button 4 to freeze the laptop display and save the accumulated log.

Fill tech approaches the rocket and disconnects the fill line, returning it to the trailer.

Fill tech turns off the high pressure valve on the regulator manifold.

Fill tech purges the trailer tank.

Everyone clears to safe position with the pilot.

Apogee observer stands behind pilot and fill tech, so a verbal and touch signal can be given during the flight.

Safety inspector checks that the wind is at an acceptable level.

Safety inspector check the sky for aircraft.

Safety inspector gives the go / no-go call.

Don hearing protection.

Pilot presses button 4 to begin a fresh log file and display. Ensure that it is visually updating.

Flight begins. Pilot engages stabilized control (hold button 1), and smoothly throttle up to maximum over approximately one second, so as not to overshoot the valve speed if an immediate down-throttle is necessary.

If the vehicle is immediately unstable, continue holding button 1, but bring the throttle all the way down. The vehicle will fall back down, but should land straight if the instability was due to a main engine or CG misalignment.

If the vehicle becomes unstable during acceleration, reduce throttle as appropriate.

After burnout, continue to hold button 1 and leave the throttle open, allowing the tank to vent completely.

On signal from the apogee-observer, pilot presses and holds button 8 to fire the parachute rockets, verbally calling "parachute". Everyone watches out for the flying parachute tower. The fill tech triggers the LRS backup system if the rockets haven't fired in two seconds. If telemetry has been lost and the LRS backup fails, the computer will automatically fire the rockets 20 seconds after liftoff.

After the canopy is out, the pilot checks the current tank pressure level, continuing venting if necessary.

Everyone tracks the rocket position and parachute tower position.

On ground impact, the pilot presses button 4 to terminate and save the current log file.

Pilot attempts to establish another Telnet connection with the vehicle and issue a "halt" command, so the computer can be safely powered off.

Fill-tech and safety inspector (still in safety gear) are driven to the landing position.

Collapse and secure the parachute.

Reach into the parachute coupler and disconnect the parachute

Reach into the coupler and power off the computer. The switch is opposite the pressure gauge / fill port.

Secure the rocket from rolling.

Bring the trailer to the rocket, and load it up.


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