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LAUNCH Magazine at Black Rock |
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For high power rocketry enthusiasts, Nevada's Black Rock Dry Lake is unmatched in its sheer vastness—400 square miles of barren, flat lake bed and shadowed by distant mountains. The site is so imposing, in fact, that it’s one of the few places in the continental United States where even the largest rockets are dwarfed by the scale of the terrain. As such, its remoteness makes it the perfect location for what is billed as the nation’s premier experimental rocket launch—BALLS16.
LAUNCH Magazine was not only at Black Rock to cover the event, we also sponsored one of the most challenging projects there—the attempt by Team-SCAM of Indiana to reach 84,000 feet altitude (just over 16 miles) with a two-stage rocked dubbed “Little O.” Did they make it? You can find out in the January/February issue of LAUNCH, on newsstands the last week in December. Included in our comprehensive coverage of BALLS16 will be Team-SCAM leader Joe Isca’s behind-the-scenes account of this truly extraordinary high altitude challenge.
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As Joe reports, even after the launch, the team was still marveling at the incredible Black Rock site: “The launch had ended, but our adventure was not yet over. That night was an eerie one. We watched as all of the campers and motor homes left, as one might expect at the end of a launch. As evening approached we noticed we were completely alone in this massive desert, except for a single motor home at the far end of what had been the flight line. We were enjoying the solitude, taking in the beautiful view, watching the sun set, and cooking some burgers on a disposable grill. While they were cooking, the wind started to pick up. Before the burgers were done, we found ourselves in the midst of another full-blown dust storm. Can you taste those burgers? Hmmm!”
Enjoy this sample of photos taken by LAUNCH photographer Ken Brown during the BALLS16, and be sure and pick up a copy of the January/February issue for a full report. |
