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Freefalling From The Edge of Space

Apr9th
2017
Written by admin

By Peter W. Merlin
Special to Aerotech News
April 7, 2017

What is it like to freefall through the airless void more than 100,000 feet above the Earth?

free-falling1

Visitors to the recent Los Angeles County Air Show at Fox Field in Lancaster had the opportunity to find out from people who have done it. Speakers at one of several history panels included retired Air Force Col. Joseph W. Kittinger II, the first man to parachute from the stratosphere in 1960; Art Thompson, technical project director for the Red Bull Stratos project, in which Felix Baumgartner broke the speed of sound in freefall after jumping from 128,100 feet in 2012; and former Google senior vice president Alan Eustace, who set the record for the highest jump two years later after being carried aloft by a balloon to an altitude of 135,890 feet.

Kittinger told the audience how he was only a young captain when was assigned in 1958 to the Escape Section of the Aeromedical Laboratory at Wright Air Development Center in Dayton, Ohio. There, he became test director for Project Excelsior, an investigation of the use of parachutes for escape from spacecraft or high-altitude aircraft. In November 1959, he traveled to New Mexico with a team of about a dozen Air Force researchers and began preparations for stratospheric balloon flights including high-altitude parachute jumps from above 63,000 feet, the altitude at which fluids in the human body begin to “boil” or vaporize at normal body temperature.

This meant Kittinger would require a pressure suit for protection as he rode in an open basket beneath the helium-filled balloon. But a more pressing problem was the tendency of human bodies falling through ultra-thin air to accelerate into uncontrollable flat spins, producing centrifugal forces sufficient to cause cerebral hemorrhage and death. “We dropped dummies from high altitudes and they spun at around 200 rpm,” Kittinger recalled, “which was enough to kill a person.”

He credited Air Force technician Francis Beaupré with solving the problem through the use of a multi-stage parachute system that featured a stabilizing drogue chute. It was the forerunner of the type of equipment used in emergency ejection systems for high-speed and high-altitude aircraft. “Today, every ejection seat in the world uses a small drogue chute for stabilization,” said Kittinger.

On Nov. 16, 1959, he rode the Excelsior I balloon to 76,400 feet and jumped. His initial freefall was nearly flawless, but Kittinger’s stabilizer drogue deployed early and wrapped around his neck. He began to spin uncontrollably at 120 revolutions per minute and soon lost consciousness. Fortunately, his emergency parachute opened automatically at 10,000 feet, slowing his descent and saving his life. Despite this temporary setback, Kittinger made a second attempt with Excelsior II on Dec. 11. This time, he jumped from an altitude of 74,700 feet and fell approximately 55,000 feet before opening his chute.

On Aug. 16, 1960, Kittinger ascended to 102,800 feet in Excelsior III, surpassing an altitude record set by Maj. David Simons, who had climbed to 101,516 feet in the Manhigh II balloon three years earlier. Floating above 99 percent of Earth’s atmosphere in temperatures as low as minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit, Kittinger was too occupied to savor his achievement. Loaded down with parachute gear and life-support equipment that nearly doubled his weight during the 90-minute ascent, he also endured severe pain in his right hand due to a leaking glove. This fact he kept to himself for fear the mission would be scrubbed before achieving peak altitude.

Some 12 minutes after the balloon leveled off, Kittinger stepped off and began his long freefall. “There was no sense of motion whatsoever,” he recalled, “and it was perfectly silent because there weren’t enough air molecules to transmit sound.”

Plummeting through the stratosphere for 13 seconds, he reached a maximum speed of around 614 miles per hour, or 0.91 Mach, just below the speed of sound. He slowed as the atmosphere became denser and felt a great sense of relief when his stabilizer chute deployed. Four and a half minutes later, a standard 28-foot parachute opened at about 17,500 feet, allowing him to float to a safe landing at White Sands Missile Range near Alamogordo, N.M.

Although Kittinger was subsequently credited with three world records; the highest open-gondola balloon ascent, the longest freefall and the longest parachute descent, he emphasized that these milestones were merely an incidental byproduct of a military research project.

“We weren’t trying to set any records,” he said. “To me, this was just a test flight with only two objectives: to put a man into the space environment, and to design a system to provide a means of escape from very high altitude.”

Kittinger noted that proving a human could function in near-space and that parachuting from the stratosphere was technically feasible required teamwork and operational discipline. “It takes three things to do a program like this,” he said. “You have to have confidence in your equipment, confidence in your team, and confidence in yourself, and I had all of those.”

More than half a century later, Kittinger assisted the Red Bull Stratos team’s successful bid to make an even higher jump, an effort spearheaded by engineer Art Thompson, who co-founded Sage Cheshire Aerospace, Inc., in Lancaster, Calif. During the recent panel discussion, Thompson described how he conceptualized and drove the design, engineering and fabrication of the flight vehicle, life support systems and flight-testing. He said the project was inspired by a phone call from Austrian skydiver and daredevil Felix Baumgartner in 2010, asking how he might break Kittinger’s records. The ensuing effort eventually received sponsorship from the Austrian company that makes Red Bull Energy Drink.

“I pitched it to Red Bull as a full scientific program,” said Thompson, “not merely a stunt.” The Stratos project included manned and unmanned balloon flights, evaluation of different kinds of pressure suits, and design of a pressurized crew capsule. “We wanted that secondary safety [envelope] of a capsule,” he said, adding that, otherwise, “if the suit failed at altitude, Felix would be dead in 14 seconds.”

The suit ultimately selected was essentially the same as that used by pilots flying the U-2 and SR-71 at altitudes above 70,000 feet. It was modified for greater mobility, which provided valuable lessons for use in the manufacture of future space suits. Additionally, the capsule was designed to maintain a cabin pressure equivalent to an altitude of 16,000 feet, or 1,600 feet lower than conditions experienced by climbers at Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Baumgartner would, therefore, not have to be exposed to the stratospheric environment until the last 10 minutes before jumping.

To reach the upper stratosphere, Baumgartner rode in a helium-filled balloon made of 40 acres of ultrathin plastic no thicker than a typical dry cleaning bag. When fully inflated, it was as wide as a football field, making it the largest balloon in the world. As testing of the system progressed Baumgartner made two practice jumps from altitudes of 71,581 and 96,650 feet. He soon discovered that his greatest challenge was staving off an intense feeling of claustrophobia from being confined within his pressure suit during the long slow ascent. Additionally, according to Thompson, the Austrian was used to working alone and had some difficulty adjusting to a situation where he had to rely on his fellow team members.

Finally, on Oct. 14, 2012, exactly 65 years after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier flying in an experimental rocket powered airplane, Baumgartner ascended to a peak altitude of 128,100 feet. He depressurized his capsule, opened the hatch, and stepped out into space. Approximately 50 seconds later, he was at 91,316 feet and falling at a speed of 833.9 miles per hour, or Mach 1.24. He had become the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power. Additionally, he broke world records for highest freefall exit altitude and highest manned balloon flight, though he left the longest freefall record to project mentor Joe Kittinger.

During his initial freefall, without a drogue, Baumgartner began to spin but quickly regained control. His speed caused a small sonic boom that he never felt, but which was heard on the ground. After deploying his parachute, he landed on his feet in the desert near Roswell, N.M.

Around the same time the Red Bull team was beginning their project, Alan Eustace conceived an idea to develop a self-contained commercial spacesuit that would allow human beings to explore high-altitude regions of Earth’s atmosphere as easily and safely as scuba divers explore the depths of the ocean.

To tackle this challenge, he hired Paragon Space Development Corporation to lead a project he dubbed the Stratospheric Explorer, or StratEx. With additional help from spacesuit manufacturer ILC Dover, it took 18 months to prepare Eustace for his historic jump. Unlike earlier projects, there would be no capsule or gondola. Eustace planned to simply hang suspended in his suit beneath a balloon containing 35,000 cubic feet of helium. “My project was kind of a stepping-stone along this path of high-altitude exploration and escape systems,” Eustace said. He explained that the self-contained suit simplified the task immensely. “You don’t have to worry about two environments, the suit and a capsule.”

There was another difference, too. Unlike the Red Bull Stratos project, which was undertaken with a great deal of publicity before and during the event, Eustace and the StratEx team labored in utmost secrecy for almost three years and carried just two GoPro cameras to capture his jump.

At dawn on Oct. 24, 2014, Eustace ascended from an abandoned airport runway near Roswell. He climbed at a constant rate of 1,100 feet per minute for a little more than two hours, ultimately reaching an altitude of 135,890 feet — a new world record. At a signal from the ground, a small explosive device released Eustace for his 15-minute descent. Plummeting toward the ground, he managed to make two backflips that allowed him brief glimpses of his balloon. “The view was amazing,” he said. “I saw the darkness of space and the curvature of the Earth.”

Eustace broke several records including national record for highest exit altitude, world and national records for freefall under a drogue chute, and national record for vertical speed. Additionally, with a top speed of 822 miles per hour, he became the second person to break the sound barrier outside an aircraft. Baumgartner still holds the records for vertical freefall distance without a drogue and vertical speed without a drogue.

Eustace explained that his feat was simply part of a larger effort to explore the upper atmosphere and solve the problems of stratospheric freefall, building on the work of pioneers like Kittinger. “We all faced the same problem but everybody solved it a different way and we all learned from each other.” He noted that using a self-contained life-support system meant it was possible to use any type of vehicle — sailplane, rocket, etc. — to reach the stratosphere and return safely. “By separating the question of how you survive from how you get up there, it opens up some possibilities.”

Art Thompson pointed out that more than three billion people viewed the Red Bull Stratos mission via television and streaming media. “It inspired many young people to consider careers in science and engineering,” he said.

Kittinger emphasized value of teamwork and demurred, “I was just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.” He said he was proud to be a part of both Project Excelsior and the Red Bull Stratos team, and praised the StratEx project as well. “We all worked to improve our scientific knowledge for the good of Mankind.”

Full article and photos can be found on Aerotech News.

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Skydive Talk Inspires Discovery Students

Nov10th
2014
Written by admin

By JULIE DRAKE
Valley Press Staff Writer
Antelope Valley Press, Wednesday, November 5, 2014
jdrake@avpress.com

LANCASTER – “Rock stars” for Discovery School‘s science, technology, engineering and mathematics students are people like Art Thompson, CEO of Sage Cheshire Aerospace, the Lancaster company behind the record-breaking Red Bull Stratos skydive from the edge of space.

About 230 students in Discovery’s STEM Academy, as well as some fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Gifted And Talented Education program, heard Thompson’s first-hand account of the planning and testing leading up to the moment Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner stepped from a capsule nearly 128,000 feet high on Oct. 14, 2012.

Art Thompson 1Above, Art Thompson, founder of Sage Cheshire Aerospace and designer of the capsule used by daredevil Felix Baumgartner in his record-setting jump from the stratosphere, at right, talks to Discovery School STEM Academy students Monday afternoon.
RUBY ALVARADO / Valley Press

Sage Cheshire designed and built the pressurized capsule that carried Baumgartner aloft beneath a giant balloon.  More than 3 billion people, nearly half of the world’s population, watched video images of the jump.

Baumgartner reached Mach 1.25, or 843.6 miles per hour, during his four-minute, 20-second supersonic free fall. The jump came 65 years to the day that pilot Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in the X-1 at what is now Edwards Air Force Base. Yeager traveled at Mach 1.05 in his aircraft.

Besides building the capsule, Thompson and his Sage Cheshire firm were responsible for the modified spacesuit that protected Baumgartner during his dive.

Thompson, with Mike Todd, life support engineer for the project, showed a video of Baumgartner’s jump, with the voice of retired Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger guiding Baumgartner at the start.

Baumgartner’s jump broke an altitude record set by Kittinger in 1960 as part of an Air Force program to study and solve problems of escaping aircraft at high altitudes.

Thompson said Kittinger and test pilot Bill Weaver, who survived the midair breakup of an SR-71 Blackbird spyplane, inspired him.

The students gasped the moment Baumgartner stepped from the capsule and fell silent as he sped toward earth and a safe landing. The students applauded the film.

Thompson’s message resonated with the students.

“We all got to learn about how they built the aircraft and what inspired them … and how much work and inspiration and how much hard work and dedication that they had toward accomplishing this big event,” eighth-grader Sara Brice said.

Sara, 14, added she learned how much dedication she will need to accomplish her goals, “and to always have faith in what we want.”

The teen, who wants to be a medical engineer, said Thompson inspired her.

“He just pretty much told us to take wanting, no matter how many people say it’s impossible, you can make it possible,” she said.

Eighth-grader Jalen Gumayagay, 13, most enjoyed learning about the different mechanics that went into the capsule and the space suit.

“What I learned about this amazing event is how it was performed, all the hard work and dedication and enthusiasm that they put into this project, and how they were able to pull it off, and the results and the rewards that occurred afterwards,” Jalen said.

Art Thompson 4

RUBY ALVARADO / Valley Press

Sixth-grader Jordan Hayen, 11, liked watching the video.

“I learned that you shouldn’t let people discourage you, that you should relentlessly pursue your goals no matter how people try to discourage you,” said Jordan, who wants to be an inventor and build weapons to stop terrorism when she gets older.

Seventh-grader Isaiah Jones, 12, said he wants to work in aeronautics when he’s older.

“I was always very interested in stuff that flies,” Isaiah said, adding that he has tried to make Lego models fly. “Basically what I learned today is never let failure put you down. If you fail, try again.”

The Red Bull Stratos program was a privately funded space program.

Thompson showed pictures from the various stages of the project’s development and talked about the math behind Baumgartner’s jump and how to ensure the daredevil’s safety.

He explained why they chose the David Clark space suit, the same kind of suit used by U-2 pilots and space shuttle astronauts, and what can happen to a person’s blood when there is not enough pressure in the atmosphere to hold gas molecules in it.

Red Bull funded the scientific research with the understanding that Sage Cheshire could then collect and share the data with NASA, the Air Force and different private space organizations to help develop emergency escape systems for future space travel, improved space suits and a better understanding of human physiology.

Thompson’s background is in aerospace research and development. His work experience includes work in developing the stealthy characteristics of the B-2 bomber with Northrop Grumman. He was able to draw on his years in this field to assemble a team of experts for the Red Bull Stratos project.

His presentation also included pictures and a brief explanation of Arturo’s Desert Eagle, the world’s largest paper airplane at 45 1/2 feet long with a 24-foot wingspan. The plane weighed 800 pounds and used 20 gallons of wood glue.

Thompson built the paper airplane while the team was still working on the Red Bull Stratos project.

“This gives you an idea. You’re students, so when you’re told no, that it’s impossible, it can’t be done, this is an example of the thinking outside of the box. Think of the crazy things that you believe you can do and try to think that it’s possible if you want to do it,” Thompson said.

Todd showed off a spacesuit worn by space shuttle astronaut Charlie Bolden and explained the difference between Bolden’s suit and the one worn by Baumgartner. He also explained the science behind Baumgartner’s suit and how it protected him.

Prior to starting Sage Cheshire, Thompson was in charge of the radar cross-section – otherwise known as the stealth team – for Northrop Grumman’s B-2 stealth bomber program. His own company has developed and manufactured specialized products for NASA, Raytheon and Boeing.

Eighth-grader Marijane Garcia said she, too, learned that she can always pursue her goals no matter how impossible they seem.

“With the paper airplane, that was pretty cool,” Marijane said. “Me, myself, wanting to become a test pilot or an astronaut, this was very inspiring.”

Fifth-grader Michael Southworth, 10, learned that failure is an option.

“It’s not something that has to come. If you don’t want to put in the effort and the dedication, then go and pick that option. But if you want to succeed, if you want to do the amazing accomplishment that they did, then you have to push through it,” Michael said, gesturing toward Thompson and Todd.

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Press & Media, Red Bull Stratos, Special Projects - STEM

Stratospheric Exploration and the Records That Still Stand

Oct31st
2014
Written by admin

31 October 2014

FACT  SHEET:  RED  BULL  STRATOS  /  ALAN  EUSTACE

On October 24, 2014, reports indicated that American Alan Eustace completed a stratospheric parachute descent that topped the altitude record set by the Red Bull Stratos mission of October 14, 2012. This is a great achievement that deserves honest respect and acknowledgement. Red Bull Stratos was a scientific mission to prove that humans could survive accelerating through the sound barrier in free fall. Learnings are already being applied by organizations including the US Air Force and NASA and were intended to accelerate interest in aerospace science, engineering and medicine.
The two attempts were quite different in their approach. While little official data is available, the following information is based on current media reports.

Which Red Bull Stratos records were broken by Alan Eustace?

Official information may not be available for some time, as all record claims must be submitted to the world governing body, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) for review and ratification, a process that may take weeks or months. However, because Alan Eustace used a drogue/stabilization parachute to stabilize his descent, it’s expected that most of the categories in which he might be eligible for records will be different than those set by Felix Baumgartner.

Records of Felix Baumgartner that still stand:

• First person to break the speed of sound in free-fall, without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle

• Maximum Vertical Speed without Drogue or Stabilization Device (official FAI category): 843.6 mph / 1,357.6 kmh
Eustace’s effort would not fall into the same category because he did use a drogue/stabilization device. Further, the New York Times reports that Eustace’s top speed was 822 mph, slower than Felix’s top velocity.

• Vertical Distance of Free-fall without Drogue or Stabilization Device (official FAI category): 119,431.1 feet / 36,402.6 meters Eustace’s descent distance would not be eligible in the same category as Felix because, unlike Felix, Eustace used a drogue/stabilization parachute.

Record of Felix Baumgartner that appears to have been broken:

• Highest Exit Altitude (official FAI category): 38,969.4 meters / 127,852.4 feet above mean sea level
The New York Times reports that the altitude being submitted to the FAI for Alan Eustace’s descent is 135,890 feet (equivalent to 41,420 meters). It’s assumed that the Highest Exit Altitude category is not impacted by whether the subject used a drogue/stabilization parachute; if that is the case, Eustace’s exit will break Felix’s altitude record. It will be necessary to wait for FAI ratification to know for certain.

Why was it possible for Alan Eustace to complete such a flight without a capsule and much less “obvious effort?”

Throughout history, aerospace projects have built on the knowledge gained by those that have gone before. Red Bull Stratos benefited from the learnings of Joe Kittinger’s Excelsior III jump in 1960. In turn the Red Bull Stratos team hoped that the insights gained in developing Felix’s flight test program would inform future programs – making the experience safer and easier for those who followed.

Eustace’s effort benefited from knowledge gained during Red Bull Stratos: former members of the Red Bull Stratos team with expertise in meteorology, aerospace medicine and balloon flight appear to have been consulted.

As for why it was possible for Eustace to make his ascent without a capsule: Part of research and learning is trying out different approaches. Joe Kittinger didn’t ascend in a capsule either – he used an open gondola. The Red Bull Stratos team directed by Art Thompson and Sage Cheshire Aerospace insisted on the use of a pressurized enclosed capsule for safety. A pressurized capsule made it less likely that Felix would experience decompression sickness, and provided a backup life support system in the case anything happened to his pressure suit. The suit manufacturer, David Clark Company, approved the first sale of space suits to Sage Cheshire Aerospace because of the obvious scientific nature of the program and the capsule environment that was a prerequisite of the program flight test team.

And finally, the capsule enabled extensive data capture for research purposes and also enabled use of the camera systems that not only monitored Felix’s well-being throughout the flight, but also shared the historic event with the world. In fact technology from the capsule development and high altitude cinematography have in themselves been valuable on many levels in the aerospace industry. As just one example, Art Thompson, the program’s technical director, reports that after studying the atmosphere created in Felix’s capsule, the altitude pressure inside U-2 aircraft has been changed to reduce pilots’ decompression sickness. The size of the balloon is determined by the payload it has to carry, which directly effects the complexity of the launch procedure. The Red Bull Stratos balloon was 30 MCF, the largest manned balloon ever flown and capable of flying larger scientific payloads.

How was it possible for a 57-year-old who is not a professional athlete to make such a jump?

One difference between Eustace’s jump and Felix’s was that Eustace used a drogue parachute – a small stabilization parachute designed to reduce the tendency of objects to spin uncontrollably when falling from high altitudes.

To have the best chance of reaching the speed of sound, Felix did not want to use the drogue available in his parachute rig unless absolutely necessary. Even though the drogue would have made his descent easier physically, it would have slowed him. So in addition to the 20 years of experience he already possessed as a skydiver and BASE jumper, he trained specifically on how to use body movements to control spinning. Even so, Felix did enter a spin during his free-fall, and it took all of his skill and experience to stop it without using his drogue.

As a result, many experts agreed with Joe Kittinger when he deduced after Felix’s jump that “if a highly trained jumper with 2,500 jumps [Felix] is unable to prevent spinning following egress from extreme altitudes, an astronaut, pilot or space tourist could not overcome this spinning probability” and that “future exploration to qualify a drogue parachute for extreme altitudes is certainly indicated.”

The lift-off of a capsule to the stratosphere has to be just perfect to prevent spinning and tumbling right from the start. It has to be carefully integrated into the egress scenario extensively, and requires perfect coordination and planning.

Was all the time, effort and technology involved in Red Bull Stratos really necessary, or was it for the sake of marketing?

The Red Bull Stratos technical project director, Art Thompson, and the team felt that the effort was absolutely necessary to achieve the mission’s objectives, the most important of which was to keep Felix Baumgartner safe. In trying to break the speed of sound in free-fall for the first time, the mission was facing many unknowns and needed to proceed as a flight test program with a progressive scientific build up and procedures. Team members including Col. Joe Kittinger expressed interest in joining the program only if it was to be carried out with the highest safety standards, and Thompson has often said, “Even our backup systems had backup systems.” Further, in addition to protecting Felix, the project’s scope was extensive to provide the best possible scientific data in a variety of areas for future applications.

Will Red Bull Stratos challenge this new altitude record?

Red Bull Stratos was a pioneering scientific test program that fulfilled its purpose: By realizing his long-held dream of becoming the first person ever to break the speed of sound in free-fall, Felix Baumgartner and the team proved that it was possible to safely accelerate through the sound barrier without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle – important information that the scientific community had long debated. The mission provided useful data that other researchers at agencies like NASA and the U.S. Air Force are already building upon to improve aerospace safety, including researchers considering how emergency escape may someday be possible from aircraft at ultra-high altitudes. Felix Baumgartner and the program’s team of leading experts always hoped that the results of their five-year scientific flight test program would provide valuable new information and accelerate interest in aerospace science, engineering and medicine. Sage Cheshire Aerospace continues to develop systems for space safety and launching stratospheric payloads promoting scientific learning and STEM education.

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A Look Inside Sage Cheshire Aerospace

Sep12th
2014
Written by admin

Here’s a quick look inside Sage Cheshire Aerospace and what we do. This presentation was made for our September, 2014 appearance at the 58th Annual SETP (Society of Experimental Test Pilots) Symposium & Banquet in Anaheim, California.

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9th Physiological Support Squadron at Beale AFB

Jul10th
2014
Written by admin

On 26 June 2014 the 9th Physiological Support Squadron held a change of command ceremony at Beale Air Force Base in Northern  California. Lt Col Brian T. Musselman passed his command via Col. Jody L. Ocker, Commander, 9th Medical Group to the new and current commander of the 9th PSPTS Lt. Col. Lance Annicelli.

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Sage Cheshire Aerospace has collaborated with the 9th PSPTS on high-altitude projects and our technology is helping train a new generation of high-flying pilots anticipate and mitigate risk in the lethal environment in which they operate.

The 9th PSPTS does amazing work around the globe and we support their mission with practical lessons learned on Stratos as well as with realistic training mockups. The origins of physiological support of high-altitude reconnaissance can be traced back to the 1950s when the U-2 first went into service, venturing past the Armstrong line where humans cannot exist without the proper equipment.

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There are many specialty units like the 9th PSPTS in our armed forces and they don’t always get the credit they deserve. Congratulations to outgoing Commander Lt Col Brian Musselman on a job well done and sincere wishes to incoming Commander Lt Col Lance Annicelli for success in your new post.
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The U2 fuselage mock up built at Sage Cheshire Aerospace.  Studies from testing conducted on Red Bull Stratos with the Sage Cheshire Aerospace science and engineering team along with chief physiologist Dr. Andrew Pilmanis contributed to changes on high altitude flight profiles.  Operating with higher cabin altitude pressure as on the Red Bull Stratos capsule has reduced DCS decompression sickness for long high altitude flights.

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How Do You Relate to Outer Space?

Jul1st
2014
Written by admin

One of our friends is the meteorologist at CBS 8 in San Diego, and a classy one at that. Natasha Stenbock posted this blog entry on their web site and we appreciate it very much.

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Will You Help Preserve Aviation History?

May8th
2014
Written by admin

If you’re aviation nuts like we are, or even if you’re not, the opportunity to learn some factoids about our favorite planes is always thrilling.

This is the primary reason we love and support the Flight Test Historical Foundation (FTHF) and its efforts on behalf of the Air Force Flight Test (AFFT) Museum, currently located on Edwards AFB near Lancaster, CA.

museumphoto

What kind of stuff does it take for planes to take flight? The right stuff.

What kind of stuff does it take for a museum to honor our flying heritage and the brave men and women whose flight testing took us to the clouds and beyond? More of the same.

We at Sage Cheshire Aerospace, the creative, technical and mission-crititcal team behind Red Bull Stratos, have devoted some of that stuff to helping FTHF build the right facility to carry out its core mission.

For us, it’s the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the planes that we built as models when we were kids or that kept us up at night dreaming of being able to fly them and what that would be like.

Did you know they have a “Blackbird” SR-71, and that you can walk up to it and see what made it so cool? Did you also know that on occasion pilots who flew these planes are available as a docents and can answer your questions about them?

sr71-2

Did you also know that you could personally sponsor this plane and have your contribution to FTHF memorialized in front of the plane?

Sure, it seems like we’re asking a lot of rhetorical questions, but some of our friends honestly didn’t know that there is such a collection of aircraft and where such a collection was. And that happens to be right here in the Antelope Valley of California’s high desert, square in the heart of aerospace country.

Our neighbors are Lockheed Martin’s Skunkworks, Northrop Grumman, NASA Dryden and lots of innovative start-ups that are developing the next generations of aerospace technology to take us to the stars and beyond.

These are exciting times. And we need to look back as much as we look forward to make sure we remember the lessons learned by those who came before us and whose work and sacrifice gave us the tools on which to build the future.

There are lots of ways to help FTHF, big and small, from shopping at Amazon.com to making the kind of gift that helps the foundation attract matching funds from larger foundations. In fact, stage one of their campaign is nearly complete and if they reach their current goal by July 1, really good things will happen for them. Wouldn’t you like to be a part of that success?

We know you do, that’s why we made this little appeal. Some of the easiest ways to help are simply staying in touch with the Foundation on their social media channels:
FTHF on Facebook
FTHF on Twitter

Hey, as long as you’re shopping online, use their AmazonSmile link which will kick back funds to the foundation seamlessly and at no additional cost to you while you shop. What could be better?

You can buy some really clever items from their store –>>

You can also “get friendly” with the Museum (as we have) –>>

If you are passionate about flying or if you’ve flown some of the planes in their inventory, please consider making a meaningful gift to FTHF so that these planes can be enjoyed by everyone and the museum can become one of the most important tourist attractions in the area.

There is an urgency to our appeal. We need to help the Foundation raise about $100k between now and July 1 in order for them to receive a significant bonus from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. There are lots of tangible rewards for your tax-deductible gifts. If you can’t help, perhaps you know someone who can. Let us know if we can help you help us help them.

FTHF logo 640

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Sage Cheshire and Emory Motorsports Develop Hybrid-Warp Space Vehicle for NASA

Apr1st
2014
Written by admin

April 1, 2014

Experimental Warp DriveCiting advances in theoretical physics and warp-drive propulsion systems, Sage Cheshire Aerospace announced today a joint venture with its partner Emory Motorsports to develop a hybrid high-speed transportation platform for NASA. Taking lessons learned from Red Bull Stratos about space suit design and life support systems in hostile environments, the team has developed all-new tools, procedures and a vehicle which will keep astronaut-explorers safe as they warp space-time.

Art Thompson, president of Sage Cheshire Aerospace said, “This thing is gonna be so cool, in more ways than one.” Using a modified Porsche power plant and the newest warp-drive technology, the vehicle, code-named “Huevos,” will be able to transport a small family to the outer reaches of the galaxy in no time, with some luggage.

Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports commented, “This is a design that stems from the first outlaw ‘Special’ constructed in 1998 on the occasion of Porsche’s 50th Anniversary. We want to explore space, but we want to do it in style.”

The announcement comes at the same time that a new exhibit featuring the Red Bull Stratos capsule and space suit opens at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

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Sage Cheshire-built Red Bull Stratos Graces Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

Mar25th
2014
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On April 2, 2014, a special exhibit featuring Red Bull Stratos will open to the public inside the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The capsule and spacesuit will eventually be on permanent display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Please support the museum and visit the exhibit. Take photos of yourself by the capsule and post them to our Facebook page.

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International Media, Press & Media, Red Bull Stratos

Sage Cheshire’s Red Bull Stratos Featured in Breathtaking New Video

Jan31st
2014
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