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Win the X-Prize Cup
fitten writes "CNN is reporting that the X-Prize competition may become an annual event. From the site: 'Hoping to build on the momentum sparked by a private rocket plane's dash into space, supporters of opening the heavens to civilians are turning the winner-take-all race into an annual competition that might further fuel imaginations.'"
That's because it was posted here last week.
Develop a zero emmisions vehicle able to travel 1,000 miles, carrying 4 people, minimum distance between stops being 200 miles.
Excellent idea. Pushing the boundaries of engineering and science at the same time.
All while driving a stake through the Oil companies hearts.
You have just defeated yourself.
The light-weight composites that you rely on for building your zero-emmissions car are derived from petrochemicals.
There is only one "oil" company left - Texaco. All the rest have been in the chemical market for decades.
"Rocky Rococo, at your cervix!"
Star Trek != Our Reality
BTW, matter-antimatter engine would take forever to create using current methods, as has been described before by many people. Anti-matter is simply too costly to produce.
Jerry Pournelle has long advocated the establishment of contests for various space related goals. (he also was at the spaceshipone launches - story and pictures here) Peter's vision of annual space-related contests is slightly different - Each "meet" will have different, specific, goals, each year. At the same time the organization will provide consistency in place, time, and rules that the participants will function under. NASA's goals are so hopelessly fragmented by internally competing projects and ever changing budgetary reality that they are still mired in finally flying designs mired in 60s thinking. We are entering a new era. Space advocates can "vote with our feet" - and our new technologies - and our wallets - for whatever we feel is the best way to enter space.
Carmack's monoprop (which he keeps changing all the time) with under 200 ISP, could never get to orbit without a preposterous size and number of stages. Sorry. Even SpaceShipOne, with its heavy tanks and 250 ISP would have an incredibly hard time scaling up to orbit while not making the White Knight grow bigger than a Cossack. You just don't get orbital craft with such lousy engines.
You know why they're using such lousy engines? Because they're cheap and easy to build and operate. They limit their performance potential, essentially, to a run at the X-prize. These are not craft that are designed to scale.
What, exactly, are they going to carry over - The ship's computer? I mean, seriously, few people ever state *what* they expect to carry over, apart from "experience". Yeah, experience with an epoxy craft burning rubber are really going to help you design a turbopump-driven biprop (or whatnot) with a thermal protection system.
"She was out of her depth in a shallow pool." -- Peggy Noonan on Sarah Palin
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer721/
Some other ethanol crops such as sugar cane work better, however sugar cane is limited to growing in semi-tropical conditions.
I have a positive modifier on Troll. When I mod someone Troll their karma should go UP!
Not sure if this is a joke. Isn't excape velocity the minimum speed an object without propulsion needs to leave Earth? But these rockets have propulsion, they could move at 10MPH as long as they keep going for long enough.
Read Epic the first RPG novel.