Placing eight Olympus i-SPEED 3 high-speed video cameras around the largest rocket to have been fired in the UK in 25 years was always going to be a challenge.  Add difficulties such as the fact that the test was to be run in a sealed bomb-proof hangar, communications and control was to be run 350 metres to a second command hangar and that the test by it’s very nature was a one-off all combined to make this one of the most challenging tests conducted by Olympus.

Cameras were set to record at 500 frames per second with a 400 microsecond shutter speed and an exposure of F16.

The cameras were set, record mode activated 2 hours prior to the test and nerves frayed while waiting for the “go” signal.  Once set there was no going back as the hangar was in lock-down.  On firing, the rocket produced a plume some 15 feet long and a corresponding noise to match!  Despite melting the lenses on some of the i-SPEED cameras due to their close proximity to the plume all eight recorded stunning slow-motion video footage which will prove invaluable to the rocket team for the analysis of their rocket burn.  Slow-motion footage can be seen at the following links:

http://www.vimeo.com/50768435

http://www.vimeo.com/50769185