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Amateur Rocket Heads Into Space
scubacuda writes "Space.com has an article on a group of amateur rocketeers (the Civilian Space Xploration Team) hoping to send the first amateur rocket, Primera Spaceshot 2002, into space by the end of June from the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. If all goes well with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the team will send a rocket stands about 17 feet tall (5.18 meters) and weighs 550 pounds (249 kilograms) 62 nautical miles (114 kilometers) in the atmosphere (12 miles higher than the 50-mile altitude largely regarded as the boundary of space). (MSN version here)"
Hasn't anyone been to a drag car race at the local drag strip? Bunch of d-i-y hot rods made from strewn together junk racin away trying to mimic the pros .... inevitably, at least blows up every night ... or horribly malfunctions .... but hey ... at least they aren't rockets! This cannot be a good thing,
Now, if this thing works, and if enough slashdotters got together and funded another orbital launch, I wonder whether we could get a functioning 802.11b node up there in space.
:-)
From it, we could then run nultiple streaming radio shows without paying a cent to the RIAA.
Of course, since it would be in a LEO, it could be configured to provide total global coverage -- albeit just one area at a time.
Add a webserver and we'd finally have total freedom of speech -- Until Georgie boy shot it out of the heavens with one of his THAAD missiles at it that is
After all, it's bound to be a threat to national security -- at least that's what the RIAA would probably say.
On a side note, the article says:
Michaelson said his team, made up of people from around the country, had an original launch date of Sept. 26, 2001, but pushed it back to June following the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11.
How much are you willing to bet that Tom Ridge's folks are keeping a keen eye on their team? Whatever they learn about rocketry must give the feds the willies.
Linux at home
Well, as I remember Goddard did okay using the primitive technology and limited knowledge and experience he had. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that a bunch of determined and knowledgable amateurs could build a working liquid rocket. A bunch of amateurs have done things at least as complex before, and will continue to do so in the future, whether you like it or not.
Not likely, 62nm works out to 114.8km according to:o nvert / onv_e.htm
http://hemsidor.torget.se/users/b/bohjohan/c
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