The Vinyl Frontier

My fascination with vinyl is fueled by the product’s capabilities and possibilities. The only limits for its use are the ones we place on it. A well-known signmaker once said that nobody could make vinyl stick to untreated wood. The next day, I attended one of his seminars with an unpainted two-by-four with a grid pattern of vinyl adhered to the board’s rough end. I presented this piece to the speaker and encouraged him to place it on his shop’s roof to see how well it would perform. I never heard back from him regarding its performance.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise to learn that I accepted a challenge to reach the "final frontier" with my vinyl applications — affixing them to a rocket that could potentially soar over 100 miles high. This provides a real test for vinyl because space travel requires exposure to unusual elements.

JP Aerospace (JPA), Sacramento, CA, an amateur organization dedicated to providing inexpensive access to space using existing technology and simple materials, created the rockets using my graphics. The 22-year-old organization’s members represent a wide variety of backgrounds, from aerospace engineers and physicists to computer programmers. $image1

The organization’s objective is launching small satellites into Earth’s orbit. JPA’s program pales in comparison to existing government programs. The organization’s mission is to demonstrate that reaching space need not be a government monopoly (read: "expensive taxpayer-funded programs"), and that private groups can do the job more efficiently and economically.

JPA President John Powell notes how private business has impacted airline travel. According to Powell, if the government had a monopoly on airlines, it might cost several thousand dollars to buy a plane ticket. Fortunately, because two bicycle repairmen named Wright beat the U.S. government into the air, the domain became relatively accessible. JPA hopes to do the same for space access.

If successful, JPA’s scheduled Oct. 7 launch will be a flight into space. The JPA team hopes to make history and win the Cheap Access to Space (CATS) prize of $50,000 for reaching an altitude of 72 miles, or $250,000 for reaching 120 miles. The takeoff will employ a balloon-lifted launch platform designed to reach an altitude of 100,000 ft. The launcher rocket, constructed mainly with carbon fiber and propelled with solid fuel, will then burst from the high-altitude platform and thrust itself into space. Speeds of Mach 5 and greater are expected. $image2

During a July test-launch, my stripes and graphics withstood speeds exceeding Mach 1.1 (775 mph), posing no problems. Knowing this, I can easily reassure any customers who fear their vinyl graphics will blow off their vehicles.

I became involved with JPA when Vice President David Brock came into my shop and inquired about some signage for the organization’s rockets. Impressed by the team’s orderliness, I became one of JPA’s sponsors. Since then, I’ve provided the graphics that decorate and identify the program’s ground and launch vehicles, equipment and sponsor endorsements.

I encourage visiting JPA’s Website at www.jpaerospace.com. It’s amazing what can be done when a team of determined people set their minds on achieving a common goal with uncommon challenges.