Logotype

Here is the LAPLander logotype.
Enjoy!

Update from Esrange!

Hi!

An update from Esrange, Kiruna:

LAPLander is assembled and mounted in the Rexus 8 rocket. In the photo you can see the LAPLander team in front of the rocket. To prepare for the launch a test countdown was performed today. The preliminary time for launch of the rocket is tomorrow at 9. 30. A recovery helicopter will search for the rocket and LAPLander after the launch. If the helicopter fails to find it, the backup plan is to search for it with a snow mobile.

By the way, here is a clip from the launch of Rexus 7!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyhKTRb1YsM

Team LAPLander in front of Rexus 8

This mornings video post. Click the video so you can see it full size.

/LAPLander

You may not now it but we are in Kiruna sweden at Esrange for the Rexus 7/8 Launch Campaign. It's a bit hectic with a lot of tests and test deadlines so I don't have time to write a lengthy post. But we have been recording some short daily videos.

Yesterdays update. Click the video so you can see it full size.

We love comments. :)

/LAPLander

Helikoptertestet genomfört / Helicopter test performed

På grund av rådande väderförhållande, så sköts falltestet upp tills den allra sista tillståndsdagen. Resultatet kan ses på bloggen av vårt uppföljarprojekt SQUID. Stöd SQUID-projektet genom ett dagligt besök till deras blogg (www.kthpainsidan.se/blog4).

Due to weather conditions the drop test was postponed to the very last permission day. The result may be seen at the blog of our follow-on project SQUID. Support the SQUID project by a daily visit to their blog (www.kthpainsidan.se/blog4).

Följ dessa länkar för resultatet / Follow these links for the result:
Helikoptersläpptestet genomfört!

Rapport från helikoptersläpptestet

Bilder från helikoptern under släpptestet/Pictures from the heli during the droptest

Rapport från fredagens helikoptersläpp-letande/Report from drop-test searching

/Christian Westlund

Falltest av LAPLander / Drop test of LAPLander

På fredag kommer LAPLander att kastas ut ifrån en helikopter. Detta kommer att ske över ett militärt skjutfält några mil utanför Stockholm. Syftet för testet är att utvärdera hur LAPLander klarar av den slutliga inbromsningen och nedslaget. För tillfället utför vi de slutliga förberedelserna inför testet. Må vädergudarna vara med oss!

The coming Friday, LAPLander will be thrown out from a helicopter. This will be done over a military firing range a few miles outside Stockholm. The aim for the test is to evaluate the final airbraking and the impact for LAPLander. At the moment we are making the final preparations for the test. May the Weather Gods be with us!

/Christian Westlund

LAPLander på Wikipedia/LAPLander on Wikipedia

Nu kan även våra kinesiska vänner läsa om LAPLander på Wikipedia. Artiklar finns nu på engelska, franska, kinesiska, spanska och svenska.
Klicka på länkarna ovan för att läsa de olika versionerna.

Now may also our Chinese friends read about LAPLander on Wikipedia. There are articles in English, French, Chinese, Spanish and Swedish.
Click on the links above to read the different versions.

/Christian Westlund

Integration test at DLR

We are now in München, or more precise in Oberpfaffenhofen. A small picturesque village deep in the Bavarian wilderness. Our purpose here was to go trough a series of interface tests at the nearby DLR site in order to confirm that our experiment was compatible with the rockets service system, and to check that no interference existed between the experiments.

We passed all these tests with flying colours. Data was received from, and we could talk to the experiment from the very moment it was connected and powered by the service system, it was more or less plug and play : )

LAPLander inside the nose cone and LAPLander beside the nose cone.

Tank Manufacturing

Now is the video of the tank manufacturing available on Youtube. It may be seen by following this link:

Tank Manufacturing Video

In order to make the manufacturing visible, the cutting fluid was switched off. This is not recommended under normal circumstances. As seen in the video, the manufacturing process is pretty fast after the machine has been programmed.

Many thanks to our tank sponsor, A-Mek.

/Christian Westlund

Vibration test photos

The big vibrator and LAPLander. The black part is the rocket fuselage, then an adapter for LAPLander with clamps, and LAPL on top. LAPLander is ejected into space by cutting the steel wire by a pyrotechnic device. The red cables goes to acceleronometers.

Vibration test tomorrow!

To ensure that LAPLander will manage the loads during launch, the payload will be assembled and shaked. This will be done tomorrow in Bremen, Germany.

For more videos of previous tests see youtube and search for "LAPLander KTH".

photos

This is how it will look like when it is deployed:
Hatches and the lander with recovery system folded inside:

Group photo, from left: patrik ahlén, joakim sandström, christian jonsson, johan juhlén and johan thelander, on floor erik sund. LAPLander hanging on a string (as the swedish saying...).

en bukett ventiler

Får åka upp i rymden- får inte åka upp i rymden - får åka upp i rymden - får inte åka upp i rymden...