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LAUNCHING IN CITIES:  ANYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG, WILL

BETWEEN ECLIPSES REMOTE CONFERENCE:  

DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THE 1881 INSTITUTE

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RULE #1: CALL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL EARLY

BETWEEN ECLIPSES REMOTE CONFERENCE

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  • MSY Air traffic control contact was initiated two weeks prior to test launch.
  • CSA-101 was contacted
  • Houston was contacted
  • HIBAL form was filed. Daily predictions sent.

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  • Due to difficulty performing test launches inside a city, San Antonio Airport was notified 1 month out.  

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  • Team corresponded with SAT, AUS, ZHU, I90, Lackland Air Force Base and the local hospital.  
  • Paperwork filed, calls made, launch approved
  • We also bought some furniture

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Trouble is coming

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RULE  #2:  CALL THE HOTEL CONCIERGE 

BETWEEN ECLIPSES REMOTE CONFERENCE

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Ms. Aguilar handled everything we forgot

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  • Reserved hotel dining area to work and informed staff of our needs.
  • Secured launch site at nearby mall parking lot ensuring plenty of clearance and proximity to hotel.
  • Facilitated permits with both the mall and the incorporated city of Balcones Heights
  • Contacted San Antonio police, Balcones Heights police, sheriff’s office, fire department, and mall security
  • Provided access to office equipment
  • Kept the coffee brewed all night

Hero:  Ms. Priscilla Aguilar of the Mariott Balcones Heights with Dillard University, 1881, and Delgado students

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RULE #3 MURPHY'S LAW WILL WIN

BETWEEN ECLIPSES REMOTE CONFERENCE

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  • At 6PM on Friday night San Antionio International airport called a student and shut us down.
  • Team got on the phone calling every open business 35 minutes outside of town.  They were all closed
  • Management freaked out and called a priest.

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SECOND LAUNCH SITE ONE STOP SHOP LTX

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  • Mr. Samuel Overton called a mechanic.  An emergency semi repair business.
  • The Arispe family at One Stop Shop LTX allowed us to use their lot as a launch site at the last second and provided power, access to a necessary, breakfast, and a domesticated deer you could pet.

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ARISPE FAMILY RESCUES NASA

BETWEEN ECLIPSES REMOTE CONFERENCE

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RULE #4:  IT'S GOING TO RAIN

BETWEEN ECLIPSES REMOTE CONFERENCE

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  • Due to intense cloud cover, we raced to find a more suitable viewing area for the eclipse.  
  • With only minutes before totality, we decided to land at the location picture.
  • Location? Some place in Texas. 

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TOTALITY: THANK YOU NEBP

BETWEEN ECLIPSES REMOTE CONFERENCE

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  • Thanks to Dr. Angela Des Jardins and Dr. Marissa Saad March for this amazing opportunity and for their leadership
  • Thank you to Dr. Jacobs, Emalee Hough and Zach Yap our Pod Leadership team
  • Thank you 1881 Institute, Dillard University, and Anna's Place NOLA our partners
  • Thank you to Montana Space Grant, Louisiana Space Grant, and Minnesota Space Grant and the BERC team
  • Thank you to  Dr. James Flaten for organizing this conference

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