Re:Very Cool.
by
JabberWokky
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
So in other words, they have split the project into flight control (testing that with the lower power, but presumably safer and cheaper simple peroxide rockets) and propulsion (the heavy thrust engines). Makes sense to me - you can test the flight control stuff cheaper, meaning more trials, and the experience and refinement there will clearly apply to when they use the flight controls on a heavy thrust rocket.
So, how much longer before they stop issuing new news, and Carmack suddenly shows up as having a security clearance and rank in the Air Force - but nobody hears anything public from them? (*cough* Rocketplane *cough*).:)
No, I'm not actually a conspiracy theorist - this stuff is honestly hard enough to do without some shadowy supression program. But the tin foil hat writing makes for entertaining reading simply because it does make sense if taken at face value.
Ahem... as long as the Green Party doesn't get in control and we don't enter an Ice Age... wait... aren't we due for one of those?
--
Evan
-- "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
Re:Pretty stupid...
by
foolish
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
The lander testing was done out of the "business park"/wharehouse location. It appears that is where they've done all the lander testing to date. The test area looks like it is between the different parking spaces for each building.
While I agree doing the test near the curb was apparently dangerous, they had the lander tethered, and I *believe* that it was tethered so that it wouldn't end up on the curb.
IIRC, they do all of the larger flight vehicle engine testing out at the OK "Space Facility"/ bunkers.
It sounds like they'll start doing more work on the tube vehicle now, and testing more for the 4 main engine model now.
Waiting for the weekly update is always exciting... it is a marvel that these guys share their findings so openly when a lot of other groups are fairly close mouthed about their process/progress.
Radiation hardening?
by
TheLink
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
The X prize target is 100km up (or even normal airliner altitudes) where there's lots more ionizing radiation. The radiation can cause electronic devices to malfunction.
Seems there are radiation hardened i486 based single board computers. But it is not clear on the site if the PC/104 they are using is one of them.
I suppose they could do initial tests using the cheaper SBCs and then migrate to a radiation hardened one.
Maybe they won't need the computer by the time they reach that height - only critical for the initial phases?
Slashdot Mirror
So, how much longer before they stop issuing new news, and Carmack suddenly shows up as having a security clearance and rank in the Air Force - but nobody hears anything public from them? (*cough* Rocketplane *cough*). :)
No, I'm not actually a conspiracy theorist - this stuff is honestly hard enough to do without some shadowy supression program. But the tin foil hat writing makes for entertaining reading simply because it does make sense if taken at face value.
Ahem... as long as the Green Party doesn't get in control and we don't enter an Ice Age... wait... aren't we due for one of those?
--
Evan
"$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
The lander testing was done out of the "business park"/wharehouse location. It appears that is where they've done all the lander testing to date. The test area looks like it is between the different parking spaces for each building.
While I agree doing the test near the curb was apparently dangerous, they had the lander tethered, and I *believe* that it was tethered so that it wouldn't end up on the curb.
IIRC, they do all of the larger flight vehicle engine testing out at the OK "Space Facility"/ bunkers.
It sounds like they'll start doing more work on the tube vehicle now, and testing more for the 4 main engine model now.
Waiting for the weekly update is always exciting... it is a marvel that these guys share their findings so openly when a lot of other groups are fairly close mouthed about their process/progress.
The X prize target is 100km up (or even normal airliner altitudes) where there's lots more ionizing radiation. The radiation can cause electronic devices to malfunction.
Seems there are radiation hardened i486 based single board computers. But it is not clear on the site if the PC/104 they are using is one of them.
I suppose they could do initial tests using the cheaper SBCs and then migrate to a radiation hardened one.
Maybe they won't need the computer by the time they reach that height - only critical for the initial phases?
Link.