Update on Blue Streak Rocket crash site post 17792

Submitted: Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 18:14
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I found the co-ordinates as measured by Warren Bonython and Charles McCubbin, who crossed the Simpson on foot from Atula Station to Mt Gason on the Birdsville Track in 1973. Quite an epic walk.

The co-ordinates are 24 degrees 12 minutes South and 136 degrees 56 minutes East. This rocket has not been recovered from thge desert as far as I know and should still be out there for you who may want to go and have a butchers hook.
I was only 2 minutes in distance out on my original calculations.(not sure how far exactly 2 minutes is on the ground though).
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Reply By: Member - John (Vic) - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 18:35

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 18:35
Willem got this info from the latest Toyota Landcrusier Club Magazine hope it is of help.

Lat S 24 deg 08.3'. Lon E 136 deg 56.8' (WGS84)

They state that they found quite a few pieces but had to hunt for them.

Assume they found lots of small bits.

They also speak about 45 km's of cross country driving and they installed a star picket with a plaque to mark the spot.
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Follow Up By: Willem - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 18:46

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 18:46
G'day John..........Dunno where they went as we only did about 4km offroad from the station track. Mind you it was a long time ago and some of the tracks could have faded away. They could have come in from the Hay River which would involve X country driving.
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 19:31

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 19:31
Willem they say they traveled from Mungerannie via Poepells Corner and up the Hay River to Jervois Station with a detour half way up to the site of the Blue Streak Rocket crash site.

So I think you are quite correct about the cross country driving bit.

I only know one couple who was on the trip and will speak to them at next months meeting to ask how much of the rocket was left.

The lat / longs you listed are very close to the ones they obviously got from there GPS.
But nobody is exact I guess.
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Follow Up By: Wazza (Vic) - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 05:17

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 05:17
G'day John/Willem,

I plotted it out on Oziexplorer. Here is an image of the map around the immediate area.

http://geocities.com/cruiserpics/bluestreak/

The two points are 6.7km apart.

Hope this helps with the memory Willem ;)

May be best to right click and "save link as" so you can bring it up in a graphics editor. Makes it easier to zoom in and out as Internet Explorer does not handle zoom to well...

Wazza.
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 14:09

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 14:09
Thanks Wazza
6.7 km thats really good for Willem.
He can just park his truck in the middle and walk around for 6.7 km's until he fall's over it.
Why drive around and burn up diesel looking for a rocket that may well be parked in William Creek. LOL.

I think I said it above "Nobody is exact I guess"
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Reply By: Bob of KAOS - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 19:16

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 19:16
Willem,
I think 2 minutes is 2 nautical miles. No doubt a Navigator will correct me.
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Follow Up By: Willem - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:27

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:27
Bob here we go

At the equator earths circumference is 40,076km
Circumference divided into 360 degrees = 111.32km/degree
Each degree is divided into 60minutes = 1.855km/minute
Each minute is divided in 60 seconds = 0.030km/second

But this is at the optimum angle. So what is the distance at the poles?

I am confused lol

I seem to remember that is stored away somewhere in this dimming human computer that there are 15km to a degree. Can't seem to find anything sensible on the net.
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Reply By: Bonz (Vic) - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:03

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:03
Willem,

I reckon thats close enough, 2 minutes is 2 nautical miles to my knowledge, but actual distance on the ground is a difficult thing as its a different distance at different lattitudes. Wazza is the man, left him a note to sort out this dilemma hahahahah. by the way, Imogen's sad she only got to see Willem once at Robe, so next time you're around where we are you bettermake more time available hahahahah j/k
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Follow Up By: Willem - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:33

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:33
Bonz

But you warned me not to scare the youngsters hence my low profile at Robe..hahahahaha. No doubt we will be down in your neck of the woods sometime next years and will make a point of it......
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Reply By: Member - Rick (S.A.) - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:22

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:22
Willem,

here goes......I could be horribly wrong.....but hell, it won't be the first time. This is from memory, and as you know, I have killed a few of those little grey cells.

I understand that one degree 60 nautical miles which = approx 70 miles. Therefore, as there are 60 minutes in a degree, then one minute = 1.16 mile. Therefore two minutes = 2.33 miles = 3.73 Km.

hope this clarifies things....after reading the other responses, I recall they mention 4 km, which is pretty bloody close on the ground to 3.7 theoretical km.

Cheers,

Rick

Yeesss...just checked a reference.
One nautucal mile is one sixteith of a degree (i.e. a minute) measured at the equator, which = about 2025 yards.
Now i'm getting rusty. If there are 1760 yards to a mile, a nautical mile =1.15
'land' miles. So two minutes = 2 x nautical miles = 2 x 2025 yards = 2.3 miles = 1.6 x 2.3 km = 3.68km.

Rough enough! I tend to use my eyes for the last few hundred metres of navigation.

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Follow Up By: Willem - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:36

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 20:36
Thanks Rick

You still seem to have retained some grey cells...they are stubborn aren't they lol

Thanks for the info...I am enlightnened.
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Reply By: duncs - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 21:09

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 21:09
I believe this is why they invented GPS and put a "go to" button on the thing.

Duncs
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Reply By: Member - 'Lucy' - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 23:13

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 23:13
B L O O D Y Hell Willem

Just had to get the HEMA paper out and have a look.

It's in the middle of nowhere man. What were you doing way out there.

However it did give me an idea for a future trip.

Birdsville, Poepels, French line to Coulson intersection. Turn North and follow the Coulson to Alice Springs.

Anyone done that lately.

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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 23:26

Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 at 23:26
Ken Isn't that were we all want to be "Middle of nowhere" ?
I would say lucky Willem, next time he better ask me to go with him to hold his hand, or maybe my hand.
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Follow Up By: beenabout - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 19:58

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 19:58
did the coulson in 89 or 90 any way It was "BC" (before kids), it was not a difficult trip compaired to the french line, very pretty on the top end.

But I am sure that the local tribes closed it in 94, ie permits not granted
as you do require a permit to enter some of our land!

would not hurt to check things out though.!

cheers
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Follow Up By: Willem - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:31

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:31
Hey fellas...You can see pic of the remains of the rocket on my website, Go to 4x4 and then click on The Spinifex Trail.

PS I am not prone to holding 'blokes' hands.

The Colson Track is a non event these days as permits are hard to come by because of local politics and bloody mindedness by the Central Land Council. If you drove out there on your own you will most likely see no one and nobody but yourselves will be any the wiser.
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Reply By: Wazza (Vic) - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 04:21

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 04:21
As a Navigation Data QC, I can tell you 1 minute = 1.852km

2 minutes = 3.704km (rough enough)
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Follow Up By: Willem - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:33

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:33
Thanks Wazza....In the end I wasn't too far out of reckoning. It is still confusing however. :o)
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 22:10

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 22:10
Wazza is that figure applicable for degrees of longitude at the equator.
Whats the formula for diminishing distance as you head north or south to the poles ?
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Follow Up By: Wazza (Vic) - Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004 at 05:56

Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004 at 05:56
Yeah, John, use it for degrees of longitude at the equator as well as degrees of latitude.

As you head away from the poles, 1852m is still used for a minute of change in latutde. However for longitude the formula is:

1 minute of Longitude = 1852m x cos(latitude at that longitude)

Example, at the equator:

1' Longitude = 1852 x cos(0) = 1852 x 1 = 1852m

At the Poles:

1' Longitude = 1852 x cos(90) = 1852 x 0 = 0

At 38° South (Port Phillip Bay):

1' Longitude = 1852 x cos(38) = 1459m

Bit of theory here:
http://www.ga.gov.au/nmd/geodesy/datums/distance.jsp

Lot of theory here:
http://www.icsm.gov.au/icsm/gda/gdatm/gdav2.2.pdf
Check Chapter 4

Have a play around with real example on here:
http://www.ga.gov.au/nmd/geodesy/datums/vincenty_inverse.jsp
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Reply By: Nudenut - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 08:26

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 08:26
3.73 or 3.6 or 3.74 or rough enough..... if you were trying to get to the moon you'd miss it miles er kilometres with those figures...its not good enough!!!
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Follow Up By: Willem - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:39

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:39
Why should you worry.......you never go offa da bitumen...anyway who said anything about the moon,huh?
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Follow Up By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004 at 07:51

Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004 at 07:51
well... mars then!
at the very least you should miss that by a million klicks or so using those rubbery figures of 'rough enough'

if we bring that back to earth time ....you havejust lost the very first cent you ever earnt Willem mmmm okay, make that the second as your first is still in your pocket ...yep i know that too ...still in the orignal pay packet....., you'd have a a bloody big area to search

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Reply By: Member - Luxoluk - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 20:40

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 20:40
I am absolutely lost!! Can somebody please help me understand why the world is not cylindrical if the earlier maths is to be accepted?? Surely these distances must vary per degree/second/minute as one moves from the equator to the poles??
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 22:01

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 22:01
Yes good point Leigh, I thought the same maybe Wazza can enlighten us all.
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Reply By: Muddy 'doe (SA) - Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:41

Monday, Nov 22, 2004 at 21:41
By the time you get down to the poles the distance between longitude lines disappears to zero. You can do a "round the word trip" by walking around an actual pole! (if your feet are not frozen to the ground!!!)

Latitude lines are of course more constant in distance.

Muddy
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