Slashdot Mirror
Canadian Team To Launch X-Prize Attempt Oct. 2
FreeHeel writes "A second team of rocketeers competing for the $10 million Ansari X Prize, a contest for privately funded suborbital space flight, has officially announced the first launch date for its manned rocket. The da Vinci Project, led by Brian Feeney of Toronto, Ontario, said Thursday the group plans to loft its Wild Fire Mark VI spacecraft on Oct. 2, just days after the planned launch of another X Prize contender, the U.S-based SpaceShipOne. The balloon-launched Wild Fire event will be followed by a second launch within two weeks to snag the X Prize purse, according to the plan."
I'm Canadian....the only thing that seems to rocket upwards here are taxes, so this is good news.
PS. First Post? Perhaps not.
They're going to be pretty unhappy when they get the check and it's 10 million Canadian.
...it doesnt become a wild fire.
If it was me doing this flight, and I needed sponsorship, I would go for Viagra!
I would want to go up and stay there all night!
liqbase
On the shelf next to preparation A through G.
I haven't been keeping up on the Canadian team, have they even attempted a live fire testing of this launch platform? For some reason, I keep hearing the looney tunes theme and picturing Wiley Coyote whenever I think about this. Whoever the person/people are they plan on sending, your families have my condolences.
I disagree with what you say, but I'll defend your right to say it to the death - Voltaire
(Bite my maple-sugared ass?)
For descent as the balloon it was suspended from popped. The crewmen, Doug and Bob, were unharmed. However, they have been relieved from duty after the true cause of the incident was determined.
Here is the transcript of the incident from our on the scene reporter, Troy:
Troy: Close call out there today, ay?
Bob: {sip from beer} belch
Doug: Ay
Troy: What happened?
Doug: We had just opened some beers for our ascent when I remembered we did not sew our Wild Fire patch on our jackets.
Bob: {another sip from beer}
Troy: and?
Bob: Hoser {pointing to Dough} knocked over the beers while I was sewing on my patch. Luckily, some guy named Bert gave us some cool sewing kits. [shows off his Scaled Composites travel sewing kit]
Doug: Ay, swell, ay.
Troy: How did this cause the problem?
Doug: Well, Bob let one and I needed to get some air. I opened the door and a bird flew in. I swatted it out but knocked over the beers, ay.
Bob: Hoser. Burp!
Troy: But what caused the accident?
Bob: Hoser, dropped his needle and it popped the balloon.
Doug: Ay, but I was able to recove my beer.
End Story
Burt Rutan has suggested that the second SS1 flight could be as early as October 4. (Note the historical significance of the date.)
Which significant event are you referring to?
* 1992 - An El Al Boeing 747-200F crashes into 2 apartment buildings in Amsterdam, killing 120 including 43 on the ground.
* 2001 - A Sibir Airlines Tupolev TU-154 crashes into the Black Sea after being struck by an errant Ukrainian missile. 78 people are killed.
(From Wikipedia)
"They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
This message comes to you from far into the future. We have recently discovered ancient texts that indicate a horrible timeline of events is about to transpire:
1. Canadian team launches X-Prize entry due southeast.
2. US sees incoming Canadian ballistics; President orders retalliation strikes. Canada's government is overthrown by the US in the name of the War on Terror and replaces it with a "better" democratic government.
3. Canadian militias revolt and succed in a coup, overthrowing the new government and militia leaders take over governmental responsibilities. Quebec, on the other hand, grasps opportunity in the chaos and officially secedes.
4. US locks down its northern borders. Canadian military immediately and successfully invades the poorly defended state of Alaska.
5. Russia seizes opportunity to get foothold on the North American continent and invades Alaska; Canadian forces resist, and Russia deploys its nuclear arsenal.
6. US sees ICBMs launched by Russia toward the North American continent; fearing they have allied with Canada, US retaliates, firing its arsenal at Russia as well as all other Russian-allied or communist nuclear powers.
7. Global nuclear war sends civilization back 500 years of development. The upright macaque manages to survive and begins propogation.
8. The international space station is caught in a space-time fissure created by nuclear resonance and the astronauts are sent into the future.
9. Planet of the Apes
What do we learn from all of this? You must make every possible effort to stop this launch!
This message will self destruct in 7.5 seconds. Have a nice day.