Hooray!
Can't wait for the pictures!
PARIS nursing mother of all hangovers
The Paper Aircraft Released Into Space team is this morning nursing the mother of all hangovers following yesterday's triumphant conclusion to our audacious space plane mission. For those of you looking for a once-in-a-lifetime moment, try recovering a paper aircraft which has flown from 60,000 feet to a gentle touchdown in …
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Friday 29th October 2010 12:14 GMT MrCheese
Now that's some real engineer's talk
"Jose Manuel deserves a special mention for his balloon-handling technique, which involved calmly smoking a cigar with his free hand while noting: "Well, it's not hydrogen, is it?""
Awesome, just awesome :D I can't believe PARIS appears to have missed all obstacles on her descent, baffling!
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Friday 29th October 2010 13:44 GMT ldeffenb
Congratulations!
Extensive preparation almost invalidated by customs delays, launch logistics in a foreign country, concerning lack of signals from the plane, and in the end, full recovery (at least, when the hangover clears). All in all a great day's fun!
Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Watching for the next launch!
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Friday 29th October 2010 14:17 GMT Anonymous Coward
OK...time to start the conspiracy theory
MrCheese makes an interesting point that the craft seems to have avoided all obstacles. It looks to be in very good shape for its ordeal, and where it appears to have landed. That, and the absence of telemetry/location data during the "flight" does make me start to wonder if this happened at all.
That "we've lost her", "we think we've picked up a signal", "got to her" thing was almost as per a movie script
Looking forward to seeing some evidence
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Friday 29th October 2010 15:07 GMT Lester Haines
Re: OK...time to start the conspiracy theory
Yes, we just loaded the plane in the van, went for a couple of beers and then planted it in the woods. En route, though, we came across a UFO crash site, killed all the locals who witnessed the prang, and then flew the remains of the intergalactic casualties to Area 51 on our black helicopter.
We did, of course, have to spend two days faking the PARIS launch photos, as well as those of the plane construction, because neither of those ever happened.
All we have to do now is rub the memories of the people who know the whole thing was a pathetic set-up aimed at getting page hits, and we're sorted.
I don't exist either, actually, and I simply invented an imaginary PARIS project to feed an imaginary internet feedback loop of deception.
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Friday 29th October 2010 15:08 GMT Bill B
Set-Up
I agree. The photo is quite clearly staged to make it 'look' as if the happy rescuers have spied the aircraft and are running towards it. However, it's obvious that the cameraman has just put the plane on the ground and told them to walk away a bit and then run joyfully towards the camera.
In addition its completely impossible for the aircraft to have come down in a thick pine forest without bouncing off some branches and sustaining more damage than a small hole. There is no trace of skid marks on the ground. The 'loss of telemetry' is suspicious (yeah right) and anyway the shadows are all wrong.
It's plainly obvious that this is a fake and anyone who disagrees is an idiot and in the pay of the government. and probably a Thetan as well.
Damn this tinfoil hat scratches
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Sunday 31st October 2010 10:11 GMT Mephistro
A suggestion:
Instead of a plane, the LOHAN project could be a rocket.
Ms. Lohan + several weeks in only-beans diet + ignition source = The cheapest rocket design EVER!!!
You'd only have to add some structure to keep her upright, and a restraining system for her legs, so that when they are released they can act as aerobrakes.
The scientific benefits of this project would be immense. The human mean IQ would raise several % points, and that has to be good for Science!
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Friday 29th October 2010 14:40 GMT Tim #3
Rather impressed
by such a safe landing of all parts. For that plane to come down from about 12 miles up & land in that state unaided (except by the brave pilot) is a stark contrast to my brother's radio controlled ones descents from maybe 30 feet.
The photos/vid of Paris's moment of release is as eagerly awaited as ever.
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Friday 29th October 2010 15:23 GMT Andus McCoatover
I told you...
...the conspiracy merchants would pop out of the woodwork.
I note they don't use their real name, unlike me*.
AC didn't use the 'troll' icon as I suggested. I think "he's not the Messiah, he's just a very naughty boy"
As an aside, I think QinetiQ and Blue Tree Travel Services (the sponsors, IIRC) would possibly have monitored this rather closely, as they seem to have stuck quite a bit of wedge , effort and time in this project - esp. QinetiQ.
So, I think the Conspiratory crowd can sod off and stay there.
(OK, I asked a previous manager of mine from a different company - now in - QinetiQ, if they had a hypobaric chamber loafing around, and why, at the time Lester and his motley crew were looking for one. He told me that they were quite short of folks at the moment, but maybe he chatted to a few colleagues about PARIS , and they decided to put a few extra hours their of spare time into it).
*Oops....Well, at least I'm consistent.
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Saturday 30th October 2010 12:06 GMT SteveD
Plane landing site
For those of you who want to see, the plane landing site is now showing on APRS as an object. Will sort the payload site tomorrow, I have had a long trip back home (12 hours)
And for the person who thinks it's ok to pull personal messages from the APRS system and post them in the comments sections of the Reg, without asking if it was ok, it's not it's bloody rude. And as they were out of context misleading.
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Monday 1st November 2010 12:48 GMT Anonymous Coward
APRS
Seems a bit harsh/tetchy complaining about privacy when you are using a system that broadcasts your comments worldwide to anyone with a radio or a PC. (licence not required)
Looks like there was nothing misleading and nothing out of the PARIS context reposted.
I think Ham's should think twice about their use of the internet it's not like the radio club (licence required). Unless you secure it, it's a big open (usually friendly) world.
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Saturday 30th October 2010 12:08 GMT Captain DaFt
Great job!
And Kudos for all involved!
Now, just waiting for the pics from the balloon, and a postmortem of the planes gear.
Frankly, I'm amazed that what amounts to a prototype craft performed as well as it did, and the pilot/playmonaut's a brave bugger for going up in a crate like that! (BTW, I never did catch his niame... )
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Saturday 30th October 2010 20:49 GMT A Known Coward
Video @ 25s and 52s - hole already in wing?
In the release video at both 25s and 52s as the left wing briefly enters view there is a blemish/reflection off a point which appears to exactly coincide with the hole shown in the photograph. Could it be that the damage occurred during release as the plane banked sharply to the right bringing the left wing into contact with the underside (corner?) of the release mechanism box?
So maybe the damaged was caused either before release or during release and not upon landing?
Either that or they used the damaged plane to hastily fabricate the release footage ;)
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
