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Amateur Rocket Reaches Space
PatMouser writes "An amateur rocket carrying a ham radio avionics package reached the edge of space May 17. Launched from Nevada's Black Rock Desert, the 21-foot Civilian Space Xploration Team (CSXT) GoFast rocket quickly attained the 100 km altitude to make Amateur Radio and amateur rocketry history. Two earlier CSXT attempts to reach space--the last almost two years ago--were unsuccessful. A jubilant Avionics Team Leader Eric Knight, KB1EHE, called the successful launch 'a phenomenal experience.' The full ARRL article can be read here. There's nothing on CSXT's site yet..." (See this pre-launch story for more details.)
Alright....next step is to add a couple extra pounds of propellant, and 3 guys. j/k
wants to retain its amateur status so it can compete in the olympics.
I'm sure it can make its costs back in sponsorship though.
How long before someone creates the first amateur ICBM. Then moves on to become the world's first amateur nuclear power?
I really hope that when they reach the landing site they don't find any petunias or sperm whales.
Hmmm... the ham dialect of l33t Speak?
I'm usually not one to reply to my own post but I've seen here way too many posts that basicly say "It is amateur because you are not being paid", while this rule does not explain this anomaly.
If I were to spend 10 years learning and praticing ballroom dancing would I not become a professional ballroom dancer?
Im dreaming ofa big bndwdth, That can resist the
Anyone that could launch a radio into space could launch a re-entry vehicle full of bio-engineered, which could upset the entire eco-system. Those damn terrorists would love to get in on something like that. Imagine........just one rocket full of bio-engineered corn over the corn belt could bring the entire country to it's knees as every farmer in middle america got sued for copyright infringement by the patent holders. :-)
Today's show is brought to you by the number 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0: 25
The difference is simple, and you see examples of it everywhere: The basic variation of anything is "amateur".
Now if you take that, add a couple of small features targeted at business users, and then jack up the price by 70%, it becomes "professional".
hey!
did anybody "claimed", they definitely saw an UFO,
in that area?
So, they didn't actually launch an Amateur Satellite into orbit (darn!).
To be precise, they did place their satellite into an orbit, just a highly eccentric one with a path that happens to intersect the Earth.
Still a fantastic achievement, in any event...
Ok I'm just out of bed but I read, "An amateur rocket carrying a ham..." And immediately thought of the Muppets' 'Piiigs Iiiiiin Spaaaaaaaaaaace!' (sorry)
If they can put a ham radio into space, maybe someone will build an amateur Mars probe. We definely need someone to investigate this new face on Mars.
Is Opportunty watching Late Night when NASA isn't watching?
By the taping of my glasses, something geeky this way passes
Yeah, but show me the part about the balloon that got there within 2 minutes.
*pop* "AAAIEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" *splat*
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
I get the worm and fuzzies
My wife gets a worm and fuzzies when I do to her what NASA does--put a load into space.
Like what I said? You might like my music
That's not even close to being correct. The space-time curvature is a myth. A body in orbit is purely imaginary because the earth is flat, the heavens are anchored in one place and do *not* move. The earth spins like a fan blade, because it is attached to a huge fan, the center of which is the Sun.
Like what I said? You might like my music
A guy who was clinging to the side of the rocket when it was launched has been awarded the X-Prize postumously.
(Spudley Strikes Again!)
This seems like a big, big event. WHY wasn't it picked up by, oh, the New York Times? The Los Angeles Times? The Times of London? The Washington Post?
It seems that those presently in power (as a broad class of self-interested individuals, not some shadowy "conspiracy") have a vested interest in keeping the public convinced that only large corporate entities and governments can get any real work done. Perhaps that is why they don't want to broadcast the news that a group of amateur geeks launched a freaking rocket into space? It might start people thinking...
Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin
no no no, i got a 32oz big gulp coffee cup, but as we all learned again a few days ago, DD == E, sheesh . actually im not even sure of estes sells those missiles any more. friggin things were outta sight. dynomite!
|plastic....or gasoline?|
What really happened: The parachute opened early and it was caught by a gust of wind, the rocket ended up in a pine tree down the block and they had to throw sticks and a frisbee at it to get it back. A fin was damaged by the frisbee but can be repaired with some elmers glue. A frog has been captured to be the payload for the next flight.
Every time theres an amateur radio story posted to /., either about morse code or BPL, all these haters show up and start saying ham radio is dead and that its a waste to give all these airwaves to these "hams".
:P
Where are the haters in this thread? Oh OHHH its because we launched a ROCKET INTO SPACE. Has your hobby done that? HMM!? What about dozens of satellites, space station experiments and space shuttle experiments? What about being a vital part of our nation's emergency communications network?
I didn't think so. To all the rest, thank you for the resepect. I'm not trying to say ham radio is the best hobby, I'm just saying the haters need to recognize.
...unfortunately no one can be told what The Mat^H^H^HGoatse is...they must experience it for themselves...
>To be precise, they did place their satellite into an orbit, just a highly eccentric one with a path that happens to intersect the Earth.
The orbital calculations probably just simplified the Earth's mass and gravity to a point source. It makes the math lots easier. Unfortunately, Planet Bloat (tm MS) spoiled an otherwise excellent orbital launch.Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.