Ecliptic’s RocketCam to Capture Commemorative Flight of Wright Flyer Replica
Ecliptic’s RocketCam(TM) imaging
system will provide onboard video of the commemorative flight of Utah State
University’s full-scale modern replica of the Wright brothers’ historic
aircraft, the Wright Flyer.
RocketCam is the popular imaging system that provided the unprecedented
onboard video televised live from NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis in October, as
well as the real-time images transmitted from the debut of Lockheed Martin’s
Atlas 5 rocket in August and Boeing’s Delta IV rocket in November.
The USU Wright Flyer was constructed by Logan-based Utah State
University’s College of Engineering (Mechanical and Aerospace and Industrial
Technology departments), the USU Research Foundation and the Space Dynamics
Laboratory as part of the nationwide celebration of the 100th anniversary of
powered flight, which kicked off today in Washington, D.C. Formal rollout of
the craft occurred at the Logan Airport on August 24 this year. Initial test
flights are scheduled to start in late January 2003.
Plans call for employing RocketCam systems during each phase of the
airplane’s test program next spring and on the demonstration flight in July at
the Centennial of Flight premiere event in the Wright brothers’ hometown,
Dayton, Ohio. Initially, RocketCam video of the plane’s operation from the
pilot’s point of view will be recorded onboard for later playback and
analysis. As experience with the craft builds, options will be assessed for
adding additional RocketCams to provide alternative onboard views and for
enabling live video-transmission capability.
To date, RocketCams have performed with 100 percent success on nearly two
dozen launches since 1997 including (in addition to the three above) Boeing
Delta II and Delta III rockets and Lockheed Martin Atlas 2, Atlas 3 and Titan
IV models. This past summer, a RocketCam was also successfully integrated
with the first rocket-powered airplane built in recent memory — the XCOR
Aerospace EZ-Rocket — providing onboard views similar to those expected from
the Wright Flyer replica. Video highlights of these launches and projects may
be viewed at http://www.eclipticenterprises.com/gallery_rocketcam.shtml .
Available exclusively through Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation in
Pasadena, CA, the RocketCam product line has been successfully extended this
year to such other platforms as high-altitude balloons, experimental aircraft
and specialized testing facilities — with plans underway for applications on
spacecraft, other types of aircraft, remote science stations and boats.
About Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation: Ecliptic provides data-transport
systems and onboard imaging systems for use with rockets, spacecraft and other
remote platforms operating in extreme environments. Its technical staff has a
broad range of direct experience on over eighty space missions, including
several recent deep-space missions and numerous low-cost missions involving
small satellites. The privately held firm’s core competencies include space
systems engineering, space telecommunications, aerospace avionics and
instrument systems. Its popular RocketCam(TM) product line is used on a
variety of host platforms in markets involving space systems, airborne
systems, ocean systems and test support systems. See more at
www.eclipticenterprises.com .
About the USU Wright Flyer Project: In celebration of the 100th
anniversary of powered flight, Utah State University’s College of Engineering
(Mechanical and Aerospace and Industrial Technology Departments), the USU
Research Foundation and the Space Dynamics Laboratory have constructed a
modern replica of the Wright Flyer using state-of-the-art composite materials
in a unique blending of the historic and the present. Following a community
celebration with associated activities and an extensive flight-test program,
the USU Wright Flyer will travel along a historic route for display and
demonstration flying during the official US Centennial of Flight gatherings
and ceremonies. The project has involved students from almost every college
at the campus. A design team composed of senior mechanical and aerospace
engineering and industrial technology students built the USU Wright Flyer.
Public relations, marketing, education and history students have also been
participating in the project. See more at http://www.usuwrightflyer.org .
RocketCam(TM) is a trademark of Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation.
Notes to editors:
Find RocketCam(TM) background, images, video clips and upcoming launches
at: www.eclipticenterprises.com/products_rocketcam.shtml
Check the latest progress reports and images from the USU Wright Flyer
effort at: http://wrightflyer.usurf.usu.edu/project/progress
Find information on the 100th anniversary celebration of powered flight is
available at: http://centennialofflight.gov/index.html
Contact: Marketing, Jim Cantrell, Business Development, Ecliptic
Enterprises Corporation, +1-435-757-9940, jcantrell@eclipticenterprises.com;
or Media, Lyla Foggia, Foggia+Associates, +1-661-259-6561,
lfoggia@sbcglobal.net
