Oak Middle School Payload Exercise

The Lunar Rocket & Rover Co., Inc teamed with Astrotech Space Operations, Inc, out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to conduct a payload integration class and exercise with the students of Oak Middle School.

The integration class and exercise was held on October 24, 2003, at Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos, California.

Approximately 130 students from 6th Grade, in four different periods, participated and dressed in full disposable clean suits and gear, which they were allowed to keep following the exercise. The suits were donated by Astrotech Space Operations, Inc and Astrotech donated their time and expertise as well.

The students dressed in the clean suits were divided into teams to insert the payload from Stanford University into the new Lunar Rocket & Rover Co., Inc PWN-10X upper composite stage for the Shadow IB Rocket System

The students had the opportunity to write their names on the blue clean paper that is used in clean rooms and inserted the paper into a special canister.

The canister with their names inside was then inserted by the students into the bottom of the PWN-10X body.

The students removed the tail fin assembly
by first removing the shear screws and then inserting their payload into the rocket dart. They then reassembled the composite body to the tail.

The canister will help to balance the PWN-10X since the payload from Stanford University is less than the maximum allowable weight.

The students finished by attaching the Stanford payload to the antenna in the nose cone and secured the nose cone with shear screws.

Once the new PWN-10X Upper Composite Stage is approved for flight by Cape Canaveral AFS Range Safety, the Lunar Rocket & Rover Co., Inc intends to launch the payload, packaged by the students, from Launch Complex 47 to approximately 200,000 feet.

This exercise fits well into, and is part of, the Lunar Rocket & Rover Co., Inc Rocket System Launch Program which involves student participation and education. We are also very grateful for Astrotech's participation.