Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

A Grand Day Out For British Rocketman

Posted by timothy on from the low-grav-high-tea dept.

Instine writes "Salford University, in the UK, is showing an article suggesting that Britain's biggest ever rocket has been unveiled, by an academic planning a space tourism offering by 2013. 'Nova 2 qualifies as the biggest rocket ever created and flown from the UK mainland,' says Steve Bennett, Head of Salford's Space Technology Laboratory The current offering is said to amount to 20 minutes 'flight' and 3-4 mins floating. I'm not sure how much, but I'd pay for that."

15 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Umm...what's the point..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    of launching rockets from the UK Mainland?

    If you want to get into orbit, you need to launch as close to the equator as possible. That's why we launch from Florida, and the Europeans from Africa.

    This is like talking about the biggest rocket to be launched from Vermont. Guess that's not too big, either!

    1. Re:Umm...what's the point..... by AaronLawrence · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not necessarily. You can launch from anywhere, it just costs you more to accelerate (slightly less starting speed than at the equator) and possibly more to get into the orbit you want.

      Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome is further north than most of the UK and they certainly launch lots of stuff from there - though they prefer Baikonur, its politically more difficult....

      --
      For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke
    2. Re:Umm...what's the point..... by Silver+Sloth · · Score: 3, Informative

      At the risk of being overly pedantic the tube train usually refers to the London underground rail system. Salford is up-north (next to Manchester) and not on the underground. Apart from driving (M60) you could use the Manchester tram system, British Rail, the Manchester Ship canal, or various buses.

      --
      init 11 - for when you need that edge.
  2. Re:Obligatory Nick Park Comment by fermion · · Score: 2, Informative
    Here is the background, for those not in the know.

    More importantly, on the way up they forgot the parking brake, not to mention the crackers. If you have not seen the show, it is a beautiful thing to watch.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
  3. Comma Police by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    This is the third or fourth summary today with an absolute disregard for the usage of the comma and/or proper grammar. That is all.

  4. Cost of the trip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Original post opined "I'm not sure how much, but I'd pay for that."

    From the Starchaser website (http://www.starchaser.co.uk):
    "The price of a sub-orbital spaceflight aboard a Starchaser vehicle is currently expected to be £98,000."
    (i.e. about $193k)

  5. Biggest British Launch by Kingston · · Score: 4, Informative
    If anyone was wondering about the rather tortured use of words:

    Nova 2 qualifies as the biggest rocket ever created and flown from the UK mainland

    It's because Britain used to have a rocket program in the 50s and 60s. All the launches of the large rockets were done from Woomera in the Australian outback. The biggest of these was Blue Streak developed as an ICBM. There are some pictures here

  6. Re:I thought... by Goffee71 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Its only government money that goes to ESA. That has to be used for robotic/satellite missions. Boring sods that they are! If the private sector puts up the cash (Richard Branson for one) then anyone can have a go at manned flight.
    But, being British, we're happier working in sheds and old WWII hangers with bits of old bathtub and wire. If our government tried to run a manned space program today, it would be the biggest waste of space, time and money in all human history.

    --
    If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
  7. Here he comes again ... by rjbrash · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is the same guy who ran Starchaser Industries, claimed all sorts of records and pissed off a lot of amateur rocket people in Britain. He crops up every couple of years with another "NEW AND EXCITING DEVELOPMENT IN ROCKETRY". Never produced anything.

  8. Re:Superhuman children? by fprintf · · Score: 2, Informative

    It seems none of the mods has heard "Rocket Man" from Elton John... awesome post in response to the "scientific" analysis of chucking kids out the back of a rocket. Well done.

    --
    This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood MBA.
  9. Re:Biggest ever? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Look up the Sea Dragon. It could carry the whole zoo.

  10. Re:Starchaser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    NO, they are emphatically ***NOT*** the same people.

    The Reliant Robin Space Shuttle was built by the UK Rocketmen, led by Damian Hall. Both groups are based near Manchester, UK Rocketmen in Stalybridge, Starchaser near Salford, but that's the only significant link.

    I know this, because I spent a week in France last year getting drunk with Damian and a bunch of other miscellaneous rocketry nutters (including ex-Starchaser folks). Great fun :)

  11. Re:Eccentrics? by jez9999 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yet another reason the wife and I would love to move there

    Be prepared to be surveilled a lot, especially if you live near London. Don't try and speed, there are speed cameras everywhere. You have to pay for a TV licence to watch broadcast TV, put up with a very socialist authoritarian government... and those gun thingies you Slashdotters are always on about? Seriously illegal for virtually anyone to own over here. Carrying a knife in the street may also lead to a 4 year prison sentence.

    --
    == Jez ==
    Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
  12. Re:Well.. by SniffTheGlove · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not same guys at all. The TG Relaint Robin was done by "The Rocket Men" which is Damian Hall and Colin Rowe. Nova, Nov2 2 is by Steve Bennett. As for counting I would ride in a vehicle desgined by Damian/Colin but would steer well clear of Steve Bennett.

  13. Re:Eccentrics? by tehcyder · · Score: 2, Informative

    Be prepared to be surveilled a lot, especially if you live near London.

    You are walking down a public street and someone has you on CCTV. Wow, 1984 or what?

    Don't try and speed, there are speed cameras everywhere.

    Well, the cameras are mostly in 30 mph zones where you shouldn't really be speeding anyway, plus they are clearly marked and it's easy to download their locations for the most part.

    You have to pay for a TV licence to watch broadcast TV

    Yes, but you get watchable TV

    put up with a very socialist authoritarian government...

    the current government is not socialist by any non-American definition, somewhat authoritarian granted.

    and those gun thingies you Slashdotters are always on about? Seriously illegal for virtually anyone to own over here.

    Big deal, we also get relatively few gun murders and the main gun owning population of farmers with shotguns has remained pretty much the same.

    Carrying a knife in the street may also lead to a 4 year prison sentence.

    So? Don't carry a weapon around with you then. In Britain, going around tooled up has always left you liable for a murder charge if you ever use the weapon and kill someone in self defence, this goes for baseball bats, tyre levers or whatever.

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it