Stratofox
The Stratofox Aerospace Tracking Team is an all-volunteer group often invited to assist with high altitude rocket launches at the Black Rock Desert. All of Stratofox's services involve radio communications expertise. Before the launch, Stratofox assists with FAA-required clearing of the downrange areas. Post-flight assistance includes search and recovery.
Stratofox has been part of all the space launch attempts at Black Rock since it was formed in late 2002. At the successful CSXT Space Shot 2004, which was launched on May 17, 2004 to an altitude of 72 miles, Stratofox recovered the avionics (nose cone and computers) 25 miles away in the Granite Range the next day. The booster section re-entered the atmosphere separately and was damaged, unable to transmit its position. CSXT and Stratofox searched together several times that Summer. Though they came very close, credit for finding it goes to a BLM helicopter crew who were surveying for wild horses in mid-November. Stratofox recovered it on Nov 26, 2004, also in the Granite Range about 4 miles from the avionics landing site. The the two parts of the spacecraft are reportedly planned to go to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC.
- Stratofox home page
- Stratofox page about the CSXT Space Shot 2004
- Stratofox page about recovery of CSXT booster, Nov 2004
http://www.stratofox.org/pics/csxt-spaceshot-2004/ian_0978-med.jpg http://www.stratofox.org/pics/csxt-booster-2004/img_3664-med.jpg
