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A Space Junkyard

Posted by kdawson on from the one-giant-heap-for-mankind dept.

Today's Los Angeles Times has an article about a North Hollywood junkyard that stocks a huge quantity of used aerospace parts, from valves to rocket engines. Norton Sales Inc. got started in the early 1960s. The junkyard had fallen on hard times, with the collapse of the Los Angeles-area aerospace economy in the 1980s, but it's making something of a comeback now with NASA's new plans for moon and Mars missions. The customers used to be rich Hollywood types; nowadays they are as likely to be private space entrepreneurs. "It's dangerous coming to a place like this," said Dave Masten of Masten Space. "It's like shopping on an empty stomach."

12 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  2. Space junkyard, eh? by cy_a253 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Watto: How are you going to pay for all this?
    Qui-Gon Jinn: I have twenty thousand Republic dataries.
    Watto: Republic credits? Republic credits are no good out here. I need something more real.
    Qui-Gon Jinn: I don't have anything else
    [waves hand]
    Qui-Gon Jinn: but credits will do fine.
    Watto: No, they won't-a.
    [Qui-Gon waves his hand more firmly]
    Qui-Gon Jinn: Credits will do fine.
    Watto: No, they won't-a. What? You think you're some kind of Jedi, waving your hand around like that? I'm a Toydarian, mind tricks don't work on me. Only money. No money, no parts, no deal!

    1. Re:Space junkyard, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Just when I was starting to think the dialog in that movie couldn't have been as bad as I thought you come along and remind me it was.

  3. Pontiac all the way! by HillaryWBush · · Score: 1, Funny

    The junkyard had fallen on hard times, with the collapse of the Los Angeles-area aerospace economy in the 1980s, but it's making something of a comeback now with NASA's new plans for moon and Mars missions. Can't wait to take my first shuttle flight to Mars in that case.

  4. Is this the place... by shmlco · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is this the place where all of the Farmer's go to buy their parts?

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  5. Wow.... by Nemus · · Score: 2, Funny
    I'm just surprised that some of this stuff is legal. I mean, I have no problem with the idea of a Saturn rocket engine being sold, or any of this other stuff, per se. But, one would figure that the same people who brought us bans on 20 oz. cokes and gel shoe inserts on planes would have freaked the @#%! out if they found out you could get workable rocket parts at some dive in California. I seem to recall a few years ago N. Korea trying very, very hard to figure out how to make their own version of the Saturn V work, and failing horribly. I guess they just didn't know how to shop around right =/

    I imagine this is just one of those quirky things that has managed to escape the notice of the hyper paranoid Homeland Security people. One would think though that since many of the parts NASA used that wound up in this junkyard are considered 'military grade' that this place would have wound up on some kind of list. Oh well. Someone pick me up a friggin' space laser while they're over there, please.

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    1. Re:Wow.... by rhyder128k · · Score: 2, Funny

      You have to remember that many of the people who read a board like this will give the appearance of a man hiding a space shuttle in their jeans after visiting a electronics/aerospace surplus place of that sort.

      --
      Michael Reed, freelance tech writer.
  6. Big screen to real life by Strained+Brain · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now we're going to have a bunch of astronaut farmers building rockets in their barns, now that they know where to get parts .. thanks Hollywood.

  7. Re:Yeah right. by Mercedes308 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I go to junkyards a fair bit to get bits and pieces and what you said is so bloody true. No matter how much they gloss that turd it is, at the end of the day, just a shiny piece of shit. Also when talking down a part I often say "It's not a bloody space shuttle part, it's just a [insert name here]" That could actually catch me out at Norton Sales and end up looking the complete Muppet.

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    And no, I couldn't give a shit what my karma is.
  8. JATO by Greg+Lindahl · · Score: 3, Funny

    I wonder if they have any JATO rockets?

  9. I betchya... by catdevnull · · Score: 2, Funny

    I betchya Joel could build a bad-ass robot out of all that!

    Tom Servo 2.0! :D

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    I might know what I'm talkin' about, but then again, this is Slashdot...
  10. The ACME corporation can help you out... by BertieBaggio · · Score: 3, Funny

    I suggest you consult a Mr Wile E. Coyote, who has experience in these matters.

    --
    If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar