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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)"

9 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Dangerous... by antirename · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Go fuck yourself. Troll.

  2. Re:Tom Ridge Don't Care by qubit64 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    It may be fairly simple to bring into the country. I don't know for sure, but if drug dealers can smuggle in ridiculous amounts of coke and so on in many different ways, someone may be able to smuggle in a shoulder propelled rocket.

    --
    "Save me jebus!" - Homer Simpson (btw, I'm probably talkin out of me arse)
  3. Ignore this post. by Performer+Guy · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Erasing screwed up moderation selection.

  4. Re:Silly European Tricks... by Australian+werewolf · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Never been to Japan? Australia? New Zealand?

    Sounds like you only take note of places you have been educated about. Which is not very many, judging by your comments.

  5. Re:I curse the US weight & measurement system by KiwiEngineer · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    that would require admitting that the rest of the world might have been on to a good thing after all for the last - oh - fify or so years though. Can't see the yanks ever admitting that

    --
    Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!!
  6. Re:First Post as an Adult! by Richard_at_work · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    yeah you can have sex, havea baby, get married, get addicted to cigerrettes, and watch violence, but you cant celebrate anything with a drink. what gives?

  7. Re:Better than NASA I hope by The+G · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I have no idea how the 5280' mile got its length.

    Blame the Romans. Lacking the technology to measure minutes of arc like us modern-types, they had to make do with low-tech measurements like "one thousand paces."
    --G

  8. Re:Silly European Tricks... by JayAndSilentBob · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    This tubby bitch always tells that fuckin' amy story. But he never says anything else! Snoogans.

    --


    Love,
    Jay and Silent Bob
  9. 46 nano-meters would be a short launch. by Paul+the+Bold · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    Damn, I hate the english system of units.

    When I first read your post, I was confused as to why somebody would shoot a rocket 46 nano-meters. Then I noticed that 280,000 ft. is not 46 nm, so I thought maybe you meant km, but that would be 85 km. Then I figured it out: nautical miles. I did a google search, and found that n.m. is the correct abbreviation for nautical miles. I hate the english system.

    Only the english system of units would have so many different measurements of length. Stupid footlongs, chains, fathoms, feet, inches, miles, and nautical miles. I hate it that we still use those units in this country.

    To repeat, I hate the english system of measurement.

    I'm off my soapbox for now.