HOMER

High-altitude Ozone-Measuring and Educational Rocket

HOMER is a Colorado Space Grant College sounding rocket which is providing valuable new measurements of the processes and mechanisms contributing to ozone creation and depletion and which advanced ozone measurement technology by utilizing state of the art CCD imaging electronics.

Project Inception: August 1994
Project Launch: August 12,1996

Special Notice:

If you would like a HOMER T-shirt, we're running one more batch. Email Jennifer Owens to place your order. (If we can order 30, they will be $10 each.)

HOMER status, spring 1997:
Post-flight operations continue
Preparation for the next mission begins

Flight data

• Data received during HOMER's flight was transferred from analog tape to two CD-ROMs by NASA Wallops Flight Facility, then provided to CSGC for study. The data has been under analysis by project scientists Tony Colaprete, Jack Faber, Diana Mann, and Dan Rodier. Initial results look very good, especially from the CCD Spectrograph (which used new sensor technology provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Analysis of Photometer and ADS data is ongoing. Results will be published here and in papers shortly, watch this space for details.

• The onboard Video Camcorder Experiment worked very well, recording the entire flight and most of the parachute descent (the camcorder battery failed shortly before splashdown). Nevertheless, the footage is spectacular and never fails to impress audiences at the many talks we've given on the HOMER mission. Click here to see some images from the onboard video.

Team members publish papers

• HOMER team members have been busy presenting papers they've written on the HOMER mission. Ellen Riddle and Jennifer Owens' paper: "The HOMER Mission: Building a NASA Sounding Rocket in a University Setting" recently won awards at the 1997 Colorado Space Grant Symposium in Boulder, and the AIAA Student Paper Competition in St. Louis. (At the AIAA competition, Jennifer also won an award for her paper on the HOMER power subsystem, giving her awards in both the Graduate and Undergraduate divisions!) In December, Jennifer and Ellen will present their paper at the national competition in Reno Nevada.

• Jennifer also recently went to Washington D.C. to present HOMER at a poster session for members of Congress. Jennifer's description of the HOMER mission was very well received at the session, which showcased student research from around the U.S.

• CSGC projects were also well received at the spring Design Expo, which was held at the opening of the new Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory (ITLL). The expo allows CU engineering students to show off their work (usually senior design projects). HOMER shared a labstation with another CSGC project, DATA-CHASER.

HOMER's next flight

• HOMER is currently awaiting it's next flight opportunity. The next generation mission will be named HERO (Hands-on Educational Research Opportunity). The rocket will be refurbished with a lighter structure, faster computer, and new instruments (relatively simple tasks due to its modular design). Also new to the HERO mission will be interstate cooperation with the Wyoming and Montana Space Grant Consortia, who will provide new instrumentation for the flight. Jennifer Owens has been appointed project manager for the HERO mission, and Linda Cuplin is working as deputy project manager.

• Ironically, HOMER's success has made its reflight more difficult; an application to the same launch opportunity which HOMER used was turned down due to the large number of worthy applicants. (When HOMER applied there were only a few applicants, this time there were over 40!). Although disappointed, the HERO team will continue to apply for rocket launch opportunities (after all, they have a perfectly good rocket sitting on the bench). In the meantime, members of the HOMER and HERO teams are helping out on CSGC's Small Satellite effort.

Etcetera...

• A video documentary of the HOMER mission is currently in preproduction. Mike Grusin is logging the many hours of video he shot during the entire 2-year project. Hopefully editing will commence this summer for a fall release. Watch this space for details.

• Watch for the launch of space shuttle Discovery on August 7th. It will be carrying CSGC's DATA-CHASER payload, part of the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker II experiment platform. HOMER owes at least part of it's success to the expertise, encouragement, and equipment which the DATA-CHASER team freely provided, and we wish them smooth sailing on their mission.

• Congratulations to HOMER team member Linda Cuplin who graduates this spring! Besides doing an outstanding job on the HOMER structure (sometimes more than once =), she was a good friend and the voice of reason which kept us sane during the more chaotic periods of this mission. We wish her all the best in her new career.

Recent Quotes of the Day:

"Every future Space Grant payload should have some sort of imaging system aboard"
(Jack Faber commenting on the educational and PR value of HOMER's flight video.)

"I'm off like a bride's nightie"
(Jennifer Owens as she left on one of her many trips to present the HOMER mission and findings.)

Click here to see previous HOMER status messages including launch operations

HOMER Project Information:

	under renovation, check back soon

• HOMER Mission Overview
• HOMER Design Info
• The People behind HOMER

HOMER Graphics and Picture Galleries:

• Leak Test photos (6/23/96)
• Flight operations at Wallops Flight Facility (7/96 - 8/96)
  (Many pictures, fast link recommended)
• MPEG movie of the launch (8/12/96)
  (Experimental! may have some glitches, note that this is a 3.4M file)
• Images constructed from frames of the on-board video (11/7/96)

Congratulations to HOMER team members spreading their wings:

	Patrick Adam Structures team guru, "passenger management"
	Wes Bradley C&DH advisor, licensed pyrotechnician
	Linda Cuplin Structures team guru, CAD goddess
	Sean Dougherty Co-project manager, structures team lead
	Matt Leoni TM team lead
	Linden McClure C&DH advisor
	Scott Poppers GSE team lead
	Brian Stuebe C&DH, Science team guru
	Rich Volp All-round electronics guru
	Leon Friend, mascot, passenger, troll

Page last updated on May 23, 2001
mail or visit michael.grusin@colorado.edu for HOMER web information
mail or visit shepperd@rodin.colorado.edu for CSGC web information
Originally developed and maintained by Linden McClure

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