@johnmpowell.bsky.social
Dad, spaceship and submarine builder, balloon flyer, violist and lover of old black and white scifi.
New Video! youtu.be/HRiFf-lxc-s?...
This is an under 2-minute montage of our entire program. Hang on!
Capcom and Checklist.
We have formal roles when we run balloon, airship or sub operations.
Some more pics from Tuesday's submarine test #4.
30.10.2025 16:46 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
We're back from the 4th water test of Bellavia, our submarine. It was a huge success. There were so many changes in sub since our last test. We did a complete system run through & 4 semi dives, (blow tanks to deck awash, hold, surface, repeat). A few exciting moments thrown in.
29.10.2025 17:52 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Bella all bundled up and ready for a road trip.
28.10.2025 13:50 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0On checklist.
We're getting ready to take our sub Bellavia out for 'in water' test #4. She's a pretty complex machine and the checklist always starts about 72 hours before hand.
Close hatch life support test.
Everything went great & the sub is now ready for the next in the water test.
Video: youtu.be/wCF7wpMA8_A?...
I'm always studying reentry for our airship to orbit program. This is a great one minute clip out the window of a Gemini capsule reentry. Up close and personal with plasma. I narrated some of the basics.
Dark Sky Station Short: youtube.com/shorts/NG2gU...
24.10.2025 18:40 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
One from the Archive. This is Away 47 up top gathering data, testing systems and showing another way.
24.10.2025 16:38 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Late night at JP Aerospace.
John V in the sub installing CO2 scrubbers for a life support test.
New Video: youtube.com/shorts/T9nf6...
This is a quick short of one of our more spectacular balloon bursts at 100k feet.
MHD thruster work.
This was one of those "maybe we need a bigger test stand" moments.
Working the program.
Away 131 at 100,000 feet.
New Video: youtube.com/shorts/JatO8...
A YouTube Short about our little Ellipse airship.
YouTube: youtu.be/N96MJbuKRNY
Touchscreens on a submarine.
From the Archives: This is a quick peek at our first 36 mission. We at 207 now with more to come.
19.10.2025 01:37 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
1st pic: 40,000 volts
2nd pic: What 40,000 volts looks like when in the core of a hybrid chemical/electric rocket engine.
Ascender 9 airship climbing out.
Love the 'V' shadow below.
Testing Bella.
Deck awash.
Last night we conducted life support tests on the submarine. Here's Bryan patiently waiting during a cabin flush between test runs.
17.10.2025 16:43 — 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Hercules over the Grocery Store this morning.
YouTube: youtube.com/shorts/arAef...
New Video! youtu.be/N96MJbuKRNY?...
Our submarine gets an upgrade. We added a touch screen command interface. Feels a bit like the Enterprise.
New submarine cockpit touch screen. There are over 800 commands for the sub, the touch screen is a just a "short cut" for 45 of them. There are 4 command screens so far.
15.10.2025 16:50 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Moment after balloon burst.
Working the edge of space.
JP Aerospace
JP wrote a poem, be afraid, very afraid...
13.10.2025 01:14 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Want to upset your rocket friends? Rock the Airship to Orbit Program Shirt! Now at the Dark Sky Market: dark-sky-market.myshopify.com/collections/...
13.10.2025 01:13 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Banth at sunset.
Things you see at Area 42.
Last week I had the privilege of being a judge for NASA's Space App Challenge student competition. I was blow away by the level of knowledge and ability of the students.
11.10.2025 18:09 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Reaching back into the archives. Airship work in the parking lot 2003. We worked at night when the air was still. Hey, hangars are expensive...
09.10.2025 17:55 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
