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Volunteers Needed for Space Launch
BradNeuberg writes "The Ansari X Prize needs volunteers to help at the Scaled Composites and da Vinci Project's launch attempts in the next few months! I've digitized and created BitTorrent's of an Ansari X Prize video that is pretty cool and can tell you more about what we are doing. Want to be a volunteer? Sign up here. I've also set up a carpool and rideshare list for those who can offer or want a ride down to Mojave, CA to see history made."
I looked at the volunteer page. They want people to deal with crowd control, ticketing, hospitality, etc. Where's the check box for "I'd like to ride into space"!?!
Craig Steffen
http://www.craigsteffen.net
falls under MISSING OPTION to me. You should make a poll.
Hmmm.
I can think of a few ppl I'd like to volunteer for a trip into space... What's that? Round-trip you say? Bah! Nevermind.
If you can't play in the Super Bowl then why not get a great view of the action!
--When it's my time, I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather -- not screaming like all the passengers in his car
I mean, the winning of the X Prize will certainly be a significant event in the privatization of access to space, but the first private flight already took place, which is very significant in itself.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH I hope they email me back!
-Randy
When in the neighborhood be sure to check out the huge wind farm on the western side of the Tehachapi Pass, the Tehachapi Loop and all the mothballed aircraft parked outside of Mojave. There's also camping up at Red Rock Canyon State Park (a great place to watch for meteor showers =)
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Look under Carpooling.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
What, ballast?
Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
I totally understand that volunteers can't fly on the actual flight.
But can ya open up a few "BIG RED BUTTON" pusher slots? I mean -- there's gotta a be a few "BIG RED BUTTONS" to push.
I'm your man for the following "BIG RED BUTTON" volunteer spots:
I look forward to applying for volunteer status on one of these "BIG RED BUTTONS." In the meantime, good luck!
IronChefMorimoto
These things are being done in the unpopulated desert areas of the USA for a very specific reason... if these things misfire they want as few people and things in the area. Afterall, we just saw NASA drop a space probe they were hoping to catch, and nobody was in any danger because they intentionally did the operation over an unpopulated desert because landing into a creator in the sand was a very tolerable worst-case situation.
/. instead.
Crowd control shouldn't be an issue. There should be no crowds to begin with... let's watch these things from a safe distance here on
Checklist:Got life insurance (limited term), travel insurance (possibly leaving the country's borders), vehicle insurance (protects it against bumps and dents on the way down). Damnit, I can't be the pilot after all. Still, parking attendant could be a dangerous job...
Due to lack of disk space this user has been discontinued
Do they want folks who do well or crack under pressure? :)
Anonymous Kev
Proudly posting as AC since 1997
(Finally got a dang account in 2004)
I ask because it's relatively close to me. It's in Kindersley, Saskatchewan.
Random is the New Order.
I volunteer for blinking lights monitoring.
D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
I know some people who I would like to volunteer for this project... ...so, if I drop them off in a few gunny sacks on launch day, will that work?
If they make any noise or anything, just ignore them. Bunch of kidders... hehe.
m-
You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
cat foes > nominations.txt
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
They could afford to PAY people for doing their dirty work.
I would like to see some pictures of the rocket that the Da Vinci Project actually expects to launch in less than a month.
The pictures I see on their site just seem to be a fibreglass and plywood mockup from last year. At least I hope it's a mockup.
Maybe fibreglass is tougher stuff than I think it is, and maybe it will behave better than I think will under accelleration at low atmospheric pressures.
But then I'm am not a rocket scientist, but I do play doctor when given the opportunity.
-----
Pretty Bad Privacy (PBP) Public Key
6
I was there earlier this year when they launched SS1, and there were about 30,000 people standing around, and that was just a "test" flight. I have already signed up for one of these thankless jobs because I can't imagine how big this crowd will be 45k, 60k? Seriously, of you can spare two days to do it, it would go a long way to help I think.
"Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect."- Steven Wright
they will need the help, but not so much as other events of similar size.
I was present at the first SpaceShipOne manned spaceflight and I must say, the whole experience was so unique.
I've been to many large events/gatherings and I must say that the crowd that gathered for that launch was remarkable: unusual.
Probably the most obvious indicator that this was no ordinary crowd was the state of the portable bathrooms: they were spotless.
Go to any concert and the sanitary conditions of those things is horrific; but here there was nary a corner of toilet tissue on the floor.
Which brings me to the second observation: no litter. There was, seriously, no litter. Even in my extraordinarily beleaguered state I was taken aback at how spotless everything was as the crowd dispersed following the landings.
Another observation of note, the din: there was none. Not that one would expect hooting and hollering of Metallicaesqe magnitude; nevertheless the noise level was so peaceful you could close your eyes and almost believe it was you and a few dozen others - not thousands (well, at least until Paul Allen started speaking inaudibly over the loudspeaker).
Of course this state of pax may have been partially attributed to the fact that so many of us were running on fumes at that time of the morning, after having driven whatever distances we drove (myself 6 hours, northern cali).
And of particular note, the decency. I recall seeing a group of onlookers gladly making room for an elderly gentleman - right at the nylon rope meters from the runway. these half-dozen camera-wearing men simply picked up their chairs and created a spot. those around the perimeter gladly scooted a few feet to allow for this.
For a moment I thought how wonderful it would be to have a society consisting completely of people like this: a veritable techocratic utopia.
and then I wondered, why aren't all societies like this right now?
Only if I get a clipboard...
Gotta have my clipboard....
<mumble mumble> stapler <mumble>
Volunteer for the following positions:
1) The "Are We There Yet?" guy.
2) The Vulcan foam hand thingy vendor (what, like there won't be any trekkers in the audience)
3) The dude that calibrates the "Chairhead" on the moon laser.
4) The guy that ports their system software to Linux
5) The SCO volunteer paralegal that charges volunteer for #4 $699
6) The guy that yells "BOOM!!!" at random intervals.
7) The guy that beats #6 to a pulp
Volunteering for this kind of stuff makes the experience several magnitude more enjoyable. I know it's not the most logical thing, but by participating even just a little bit, you get a much bigger sense of being "part of it".
I speak from experience. For years I'd attend events and snicker at the poor volunteers who had to stand around in the sun and who missed half the show. But then I started doing it myself and I'm hooked. It's ten times better to be part of the show than to watch the show.
Really! I paid less for a ticket to the last concert I attended, which was a per profit enterprise and everyone who worked it got paid. Most events I've attended where they've had to park cars it was a more reasonable $4-8 per car to pay for parking attendants. I attended the last launch and parking was _free_. I do think they should attempt to cover their costs for crowd control on the launch but I think $35 is outragous and then to have the nards to ask for volunteer labor? Hah!
-- Greg
Slashdot, would a spell-checker for posting be too much to ask? It's not rocket science!
Ok you got me, I will push the big "red" button.
Click HERE
I'd love to see their insurance rider.
--
make install -not war
But how badly would it suck to get assigned the EJECTOR SEAT button and then have a completely successful flight?
<Shatner>Must... not... push... ejector seat button! Must remain... calm... but it compels me! Everything... fine... no need to push... the button. Must push the button!!!! It is... what makes us... human.</Shatner> (pushes button, sending screaming Ansarinauts into space, resulting in the loss of the rocket).
Your mind is squeezed by a blast of pain!
When I went to put the date on my calendar (not like I'll make it, but I can dream), I noticed that September 29 is also the date that earth-crossing asteroid Toutatis is scheduled to make its closest approach to Earth. The bizarrely-shaped object is the size of a "small city" (whatever that means), and is due to get no closer than four times the earth-moon distance.
According to the wsu.edu page: 'Toutatis (also called Teutates) was an ancient Celtic god of war, fertility and wealth worshipped in Gaul. His name means "the god of the tribe".' His name is invoked regularly by the French cartoon character Asterix, who also fears that the sky will fall on his head.
Certainly an auspicious day for anyone interested in the heavens. Let's hope what's already up stays up, and what goes up comes down safely.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
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