http://www.members.shaw.ca/hagorath/rocket.jpg (http://www.members.shaw.ca/hagorath/rocket.jpg)

http://www.members.shaw.ca/hagorath/rocket2.jpg (http://www.members.shaw.ca/hagorath/rocket2.jpg)

Four friends from Calgary made history Saturday with the successful and near-perfect launch of the most powerful amateur rocket ever built in Canada.

Under blue skies, Team O Canada -- David Buhler, Wayne Gallinger, Ian Stephens, Scott West And James Fowler (ME)-- watched as eight months worth of work, fun and, in the last moments before launch, serious butterflies, unfolded above them.

With a hiss, a flash of light, a blast of heat and a stream of smoke, their 16 1/2-foot-high, 21-inch diameter, 300-pound rocket -- a replica of the Dauphin, a late 1960s meteorological rocket launched in France -- blasted off and managed to survive the flight relatively unscathed.

"I can't describe the feeling -- relief and elation. The launch couldn't have been better," said Gallinger, minutes after watching the launch over a rock quarry south of Taber.

"We're going to absorb this, live in this moment," added Buhler.

While one of the rocket's four parachutes didn't fully deploy, the other three worked to drop the rocket to the ground in its intended vertical position. It then tipped over resting on its side with the four tailfins intact.

The cone, which separated from the body as planned, fell about 30 metres away. The rocket landed about 100 metres from its launch pad, leaving a crater between 20 and 30 centimetres into the ground.

"That's eight months worth of work in four minutes," said Buhler, the flight director.

About 300 people watched the launch from a knoll above the rock quarry, about 500 metres away and cheered and applauded as the rocket fired into the skies.

"Now that this has been done, it will encourage other people to get interested in the next challenge," said Max Baines, the range safety officer at Roc Lake VI, the weekend-long event for hobby rocket enthusiasts. "Higher, farther, faster, that's the credo of space (exploration)."

With 2400 pounds of thrust, powered by three motors, the rocket hit an estimated seven or so G-forces as it left the earth behind and reached 5,500 feet, at its highest point, or apogee, before arching back down.

A video camera mounted to the side of the nose cone captured the take off and will become part of a Discovery Channel segment documenting the feat. That program is expected to air in September or October.

Another camera sat about 20 feet away from the rocket on the ground and was donated by Calgary geologist Don Hladuik, who didn't care if his machine bit the dust during blast-off.

"This is an historic event going on here so I want to capture it," said Hladuik, who retrieved it safely afterwards.

The event attracted people from around the country. Rocket neophytes stood alongside the diehards who weren't shy about expressing their love for all things rocket.

"I would say there are two significant moments in my life -- the birth of my child and watching the Shuttle launch," said rocket lover Marcus Leech, who came from the Ottawa area for the weekend.

Meanwhile back in camp O Canada, the success means something a little different for one person close to the team.

"I get my parking spot back," said Buhler's wife Michele with a laugh.

The family sacrificed their two-car garage for the better part of eight months as the rocket overtook the space. It will now find a new home at the Calgary Aerospace Museum.



[This message has been edited by warweed12 (edited 07-12-2003).]

Damn that's awesome man! Grats!

That's pretty awesome. You get a gold star.

So what kind of motors did that thing have? Homemade or commercial?

Nice man. Congrats. Tell us when the thing is airing on TV. No offence man, but i was just searching for articles on it and i don't seem to see your name on it?

[This message has been edited by K9 (edited 07-01-2003).]

K9 brings up a good question... Anyway, that's pretty cool.

21 inches in diameter... does anyone know of commercial engines that big? i dont but im not quite "well versed" so correct me if im wrong but im gonna say homemade

http://members.shaw.ca/team-o-canada/team.html

under the team section warweed is not listed nor in articals (canoe or rocketry news.com) but in other articals they only list the founding members and it may be that the team o canada site is out of date (last update was june 8, 2003 but that was to announce that they had crap to sell you) so dont count warweed a liar yet

(please exuse the spelling for articals, however you spell it)

[This message has been edited by pRiMo_PyRo (edited 07-01-2003).]

Good job man! That's fantastic news. I hope you had some fun .

I wasn't calling him a liar, I just think that his name should be up on the sites. Give credit where it's due. Shitty deal not to give someone credit for what they did.

also i asked for it not to be on the site due to the fact that at that time i was still under strict probation and was not allowed to handle any explkosives at any time nor any precurers and information such a launch like this has a very large amount of explosives for ejection charge propellent and so on

great job!!!!!! where did you launch it?

i must say.. bravo

One thing suprises me alot more than the rocket itself - The fact that you used commas, periods,capitalization, spacing and even paragraph format!

I didn't think you wrote that at first.

Sweet!

warweed, your the man. to be part of something that cool, i got to say i'm jealous.

quote:Originally posted by themagmasher:

One thing suprises me alot more than the rocket itself - The fact that you used commas, periods,capitalization, spacing and even paragraph format!

I didn't think you wrote that at first.



i didn't write it at all it was a news article i copyed

David Buhler is my best friends dad and i saw this thing up close and it was soooo sweet.

Damn, big rocket, congradulations on your success.

So when does this thing air on tv? I would quite like to see it.

And i wasn't doubting you, just wondering. Nice job though. Nice thing to get into.

quote:Originally posted by brad_kicks_ass:

David Buhler is my best friends dad and i saw this thing up close and it was soooo sweet.

you the kid i was setting gas mines off with and M-80's , M-100's with at roc lake to inpress the drunken team o canada and the BC group or you the kids frined that he was telling me about



Tell Davids kid (can't remember his name) if he's the one to get in contact with me i would like to talk to him

"pyrus at shaw dot ca"

thanks man

[This message has been edited by warweed12 (edited 07-22-2003).]

quote:Originally posted by K9:

So when does this thing air on tv? I would quite like to see it.

And i wasn't doubting you, just wondering. Nice job though. Nice thing to get into.

December some time i will let you know the exact time and date as it comes up

That is possibly one of the sweetest things ever to happen to a pyrotechnist. And you're going to be on T.V. for it. Job well done, job well done.

By the way, what was your propellant?

[This message has been edited by deadsexy (edited 07-22-2003).]

it was a standard composite engine on a larger scale i shall pull up the stats and post it hold up

http://www.pro38.com/curves/O5100.pdf



Pro150 White Thunder Reloads

29990O5100-P

this project was very very expensive to the point were i don't think you guys would be able to build it also very very complex

yeah yo i am David Buhlers son, i saw this rocket in the making and when it flew. It was a great launch. And the propellent that is used is the same stuff they use in the solid rocket boosters on the shuttle. This rocket was also quite expensive, as well the ammount of propellent used is impossible to get without special clearence/cetification. (and yo Wassup warweed?)

quote:Originally posted by psykopyro666:

great job!!!!!! where did you launch it?

The rocket was launched June 29th around 10:00 AM in Canada, Alberta, 45 minitues from lethbrigde and about 3h and 45 min from Calgary. The loacation was farmland + a gravel pit (very remote). but even still about 500-600 spectators in the middle of no where.

actually it was 45 min south of taber alberta but yeah same idea it was launched atr 10:23 AM and i think we really wowed the huderight collonie (sp?) plus all th beer we drank that night plus the explosives lol it was great fun

Hey man tel your dad thanks for bringing the BUBBA kegs