Civilian Space Launch Imminent

rossjudson writes: "Looks like the Civilian Space Exploration Team has gotten clearance from the FAA and the Bureau of Land Management to attempt the first amateur flight into space. That's pretty cool. Maybe one of you space-mathematics types out there can educate us on just what 0-Mach 5 in 15 seconds really means! Is this thing gonna just blow up?"

Comments

Missing the big source of error.

[MarkusQ]

about 10 Gs? ... speed of sound = 1100 f/s, so 5500 f/s in 15 s = 1100 f/s in 3 s = 367 f/s^2. 10 Gs would be 322 f/s^s. Close enuf. Increased accuracy is welcome.

I think the big source of error in our calculations here will be our uncertanty of the acceleration profile. While constant acceleration is certainly a reasonable solution, it isn't the only possibility. For example, we could have:

• First second: no accelleration
• Second second: no accelleration
• Third second: still no accelleration
• Fourth second: no accelleration continues
• Fifth second: dito
• Sixth second: deep rumbling sound is heard, but no accelleration
• Seventh second: a very small amount of side-to-side accelleration, but it never amounts to anything
• Eighth second: rumbling stops; accelleration does not start
• Ninth second: everything is disturbingly quiet, and quite stationary
• Tenth second: no accelleration II, the dance mix
• Eleventh second: a very small amount of upward acceleration is detected, but it is well within the error bars for the instruments
• Twelfth second: no accelleration, but what might be a hint of smoke
• Thirteenth second: no accelleration, and that is definitely smoke
• Fourteenth second: no acceleration, but the smoke is building up nicely
• Fifteenth second: a great deal of acceleration, accompanied by a lot of smoke and a very, very loud "bang".

I sure hope this isn't what happens, but it could fit the numbers as well as "constant accelleration at 10.5G +/- a fudge."

-- MarkusQ