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Stories and comments across the archive that link to erps.org.

Comments · 27

  1. Re:But for what reason? by A+non-mouse+Cow+Herd · · Score: 2, Informative · on Patent Pools and Pledges - Panacea or Placebo?
    Yet I still can't grasp what exactly is wrong with software patents.

    If you believe the fundamental purpose of the patent system is to promote innovation for the advancement of society as a whole, then it should be obvious that not only does the current system not work, but it does the exact opposite. This is not unique to software patents, but they are one of the grosser examples, and started us down the slippery slope which has lead to business model patents and even storyline patents

    If you think the purpose of patents is to enrich a few, at the expense of innovation and the population at large, then it obviously works.

    Without the ability to shield innovation through patents, the software industry would have less reason to research and advance, and less means to support its constituents.

    This is demonstrably false. Look at all the software innovation which happened before software was patentable. Now stop and think if every one of the technologies underlying modern computers and the Internet had been patented. Do you really think that, if every bit of software had been patented since 1960, there would have been more innovation ? The the PC and the Internet would be better than they are today ?

    Tim Berners-Lee recently posed the question (paraphrased) "what would the Internet be like today if I had patented http ?"

    ( I can't find the exact quote, but here's a link that conveys the general idea http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/1390 )

    I hope it is obvious that the end result would have been something much less useful than what we have now.

    Or how about the point of view of another software innovator John Carmack

    Actually, I do honestly believe the system is inherently flawed, not just that it is administered poorly.

    Damn near every product or idea of value has clear, traceable roots to things that have gone before, which a lawyer can easily argue are within claims filed with patents. If every innovation was protected by patent, and every product actually paid full heed to all the patents that could lay claim to it, you would basically not be able to build anything without spending far, far more time tracking down who you need to pay licensing fees to than you spend producing things of value. If a law looks absurd when applied with perfect enforcement, it isn't a good law.

    Relatively few great things would disappear without patent protection. Would I stop trying to come up with innovative software? Would Intel stop trying to come up with innovative hardware? There are probably some valid cases in drug research, but I contend that most of what drives the economy takes a net negative effect from the patent system. For large companies, it is a parasitic legal cost to keep a competitive set of trading cards. For small companies, it is a sword of Damoclese hanging over their heads.

    John Carmack

    source: http://lists.erps.org/archives/erps-list/msg05386. shtml

    Now stop and think. The above or two people who are the quintessential 'lone innovators' that the patent system is supposed to protect.

  2. Re:cash prize, like.. the X-Prize? by Winged+Cat · · Score: 1 · on NASA Eyes Cash Prizes Of Its Own

    There are some ideas out there as to how to structure it so it'll be profitable, at least for the first place winner.

  3. CA environmental stuff is wayyyy over the top by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 3, Interesting · on City Officials Almost Ban Foam Cups
    I heard a story from the guys at Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society who were playing with high purity hydrogen peroxide (85% compared to the 3% you typically get in chemists).

    Anyway the inspectors came around to check them out; and insisted on knowing what their cleanup method would be if they spilled the stuff.

    "We don't need one."

    At this point the inspector went into rant mode, threatening extensive punitive penalties if a cleanup methodology wasn't produced immediately.

    ... which was terminated only when the team pointed out that hydrogen peroxide, of this strength, when spilled on the local desert, immediately "pssssssssh" decomposed into a) steam b) oxygen... and they merely asked if they needed to worry about either contaminating the local groundwater. Upon careful consideration, the official waived this requirement, and elected not to penalise them.

    (Indeed so effective was the desert at catalysing the peroxide, the team were jokingly considering abandoning their expensive silver catalysts, and using desert instead... but I digress.)

  4. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  5. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  6. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  7. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  8. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  9. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  10. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  11. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  12. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  13. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  14. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  15. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  16. obligatory post-slashdot-effect posting by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1 · on Carmack Needs Rocket Fuel
    We are starting to get the distinct impression that FMC is fucking with us on the peroxide supply situation. We keep doing the things they say (spending thousands of dollars), and they keep coming up with some other reason we still can't buy peroxide (or just not return calls for weeks). They have strung us along for a long time now, and convinced us to stop talking to Degussa, but we still don't have peroxide.

    There was some talk about this a while ago, but I was a lot more hopeful about FMC, so I didn't pursue it -- maybe it is time to set up a new company on the scale of X-L Space Systems.

    I don't want to be in the chemical processing business, but I would probably be willing to be an anchor customer. I want to buy $100,000 worth of peroxide this year.

    One of Michael Carden's customers has one of his concentrators, and is willing to do some peroxide production for us, but I would really prefer to work with a company, even a small one, that is devoted to peroxide, and really cares about all the details, not just someone that can feed a machine.

    Would any ERPS people be interested in actually running a business to do this? I would be happiest working with a proven production system (one of Michael's), but I could entertain notions of paying for more development work on the ERPS concentrators.

    This is sort of a trial balloon here -- if FMC turns around and ships us peroxide, that is still my preferred solution.

    John Carmack


  17. Re:Doesn't look good for anyone by Winged+Cat · · Score: 2 · on DIRECTV Broadband Shuts Down

    As of yet, none of this is happening even though it is all very possible and we are just as capable of doing right now.

    Actually, it's almost all happening, or being worked on (that is, if you want it that bad, you can go help make it happen, for you and everyone else, and get paid while doing so). Taking your examples:

    I would also love free art,

    I don't know about those who try to make their living from art, but I know that most of what art I have created has been given away. Granted, it's low production value, but it's been good enough for the people I made it for. There are a lot of indie artists out there who just give away their art - some of it very good, if you know what you're into and where to look for it.

    obtainable medicines for those that need it,

    Being worked on. (Aspirin, for instance, once cost a lot more than it does now. Or do you claim that even aspirin is too expensive for the masses? Follow the same trend with other medicines, and give it enough time.)

    not charged to use the airwaves around me,

    Talk to the FCC. They're floating that very proposal right now. (For instance, if no one's using a certain TV channel in a given area, the corresponding bandwidth becomes unlicensed in that area unless and until someone buys it.)

    to be able to travel into space,

    Being worked on.

    and to be able to modify my own DNA at my whim,

    I suspect you'd prefer to know WTF you're modifying first. That's the approach those who are working on this are taking: first, make sure those who would do it know what edits will have what results, then make it easy/cheap/free for everyone to do it. In short, being worked on.

  18. Re:Keep trying... by Ninja+Programmer · · Score: 1 · on Armadillo Flies... Briefly

    I hardly think they are discouraged to the point of quitting. Read Carmack's first sentence from here.

    They need to learn all the hard lessons *before* they do any *really serious* testing (i.e., with pilots at non-trivial heights).

  19. More information... by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 5, Informative · on Armadillo Flies... Briefly

    Carmack makes quite a few posts to this Amateur Rocketry Board. Makes pretty interesting reading about the technical aspects of his rocket launches.

  20. Re:Calling John Carmack! by Longinus · · Score: 1 · on Amateur Rocket Launch a Failure; NASA Debuts Shuttle-cam

    Or better yet, how about the Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society, a bunch of Linux users who's entire project (unlike Carmack's extremely pricey endevours) are open source. You can check out their OpenVTVL software for "in-flight control of vertical takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) model aircraft using propellers or rocket motors in a differential-thrust configuration" at SourceForge as well as several cool videos of their launches at their homepage.

    These guys doing what Carmack is with a fraction of the money.

  21. Re:hahaha is this a joke - have you read his code? by Winged+Cat · · Score: 3, Informative · on Maverick Rocketeers Pursue Space Access

    Show me the real rocket and then we can talk.

    Low bandwidth: http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/sff_low.mpg and http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/sas02_low.mpg

    High bandwidth: http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/sff_high.mpg and http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/sas02_high.mpg

    And just to plug my own group's rockets: http://cube.erps.org/movies/.

  22. Re:Imagine if NASA spent some of their cash on thi by Winged+Cat · · Score: 2 · on Launching Spacecraft From Aircraft

    Funding: there's ways of developing it that don't cost too much money. They're slow, and they require volunteer time from engineers (which can be obtained for working on a cool project, so long as there's not too much pressure from management), but they can be done.

    Payload design: ok, so build your launcher to the same specifications as existing ones, and treat them as de facto standards. That's what standards are for: to allow people to build to then instead of vendor-specific specifications.

    Market: this is the most significant of these three challenges, though there are solutions even here. Space tourism, for instance, though you need to really get launch costs down (to below $100/lb) before this becomes viable. And if you've designed to, say, NASA"s specs and can outperform NASA, there may well be some US gov't contracts who wouldn't mind not dealing with another beauracracy - so long as you can put up with their beauracracy, of course.

  23. Loon. by BooRadley · · Score: 1 · on To the Moon, Alice
    I've been looking at his designs at http://www.rocketguy.com and there are some little details that say this guy's headed more for an early grave than any suborbital flight. For one thing, he's using sewer-grade 12" PVC for his "Fuel Tanks." Sounds great, right? This stuff will crack from the force of rolling off of a truck, and he wants to use it as not only a storage container for a highly volatile and reactive chemical, but also as a gravity-fed fuel delivery system. On a rocket-propelled craft travelling at MACH-4!

    I'm really hoping he doesn't actually try to store the distilled 90% pure hydrogen peroxide anywhere on his property. He will move from the status of "Local Character" to "Community Menace" very quickly.

    I think amateur rocketry is a helluva lot of fun, and properly engineered rockets can even deliver satellite payloads. This guy's efforts are more of the "tinfoil helmet" variety, and shouldn't be confused with what some folks are actually doing to improve actual steam propelled rockets. Check out http://www.erps.org for a few interesting sidenotes on this engine type.

  24. ERPS planning distributed flight simulations by ikluft · · Score: 2 · on Donate Spare Cycles for Climate Prediction
    The Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society (ERPS) of Silicon Valley has been planning some similar distributed environments for flight simulations of its amateur rocket designs ever since it was announced that SETI@Home didn't have enough work for all the cycles offered to them. We expect a much smaller audience of people who will volunteer to help us but it should still be better than entirely running them on our own machines.
    Ian Kluft
    ERPS Flight Control System team leader
  25. Re:GPS on a rocket is *very* difficult by ikluft · · Score: 1 · on Exoatmospheric Kill Vechicle Test Successful
    > It's just that GPS would be far easier, cheaper, and more accurate.

    Not true. Until this past May, it was believed by professional rocket scientists that a rocket has too much acceleration to re-acquire GPS satellites while in flight. At least that's what they were saying in public.

    It was amateur rocket experimenters (from JP Aerospace of Sacramento, California) who proved that GPS in-flight re-acquisition could be done, during a high-altitude test launch at the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada on May 23, 1999. They were attempting to get the first amateur rocket to an altitude considered space, 50 miles or 264,000 feet. Though that wasn't achieved, they did make these accomplishments:

    • the first-ever FAA Space Launch Permit for an amateur rocket
    • a new amateur rocketry altitude record
    • proved that GPS can be used for navigation by a rocket

    I was there to help with the launch and recovery operation. I'm not officially a member of the JPA organization but was there representing another amateur rocketry organization. We usually encourage each other to push the envelope.

    See also CNN's coverage of the JPA launch, though they didn't mention the GPS accomplishment because it's probably too obscure a fact for their audience.

  26. SFF is not "mostly aerospace companies" by ikluft · · Score: 1 · on NASA Administrator Calls for Space Privatization
    A correction for the background info for this Slashdot article... the statement in the intro is incorrect when it says the Space Frontier Foundation is "mostly aerospace companies".

    I haven't attended any SFF conferences (such as the one wrapping up today in Los Angeles) but from what I hear from people who have, the organization is mostly individuals, who may be space activists, aerospace engineers, entrepreneurs, amaeteur rocketry enthusiasts (including competitors for SFF's CATS Prize), and just about anyone else who wants to push beyond today's status quo. Of aerospace companies represented, startups trying to develop new ideas seem to be much bigger SFF participants than the big military-industrial-complex companies.

    Most of my contact with people who participate with SFF is from my participation in an amateur rocketry project which is competing for SFF's CATS Prize.

    To me it seems both a surprise and a good sign that NASA's Goldin even agreed to speak at the SFF conference.

  27. Schedule delays can be expected by ikluft · · Score: 1 · on NASA's X-37
    In most previous X-planes, they've been testing primarily one new technology per plane. The X-33 selection process was muddied by politics and now they're re-learning why they used to do that. They bit off more technology than they can easily chew... aerospike engine, large internal fuel tanks, large-scale lifting body, and tests applicable toward a future single-stage to orbit reuasable launcher. None of these things have been done before.

    Expect delays. Unless NASA cuts off the funding, don't lose hope that they'll get X-33 off the ground eventually and learn something from it. But also don't forget there are other reusable launcher developments in the industry...

    And even a few ambitious projects by amateurs (non-government, funded out-of-pocket)...