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Rockets To Race Over Wisconsin Skies
Iron Condor writes with a reminder that that the first race of the Rocket Racing League (last mentioned here in April, after its 2005 founding) is set to take place later this month at Oshkosh AirVenture 08. This race, says Iron Condor,
"is exactly what it sounds like: NASCAR 1000m above ground in rocket-propelled airplanes. Created by X-prize founder/CEO Peter Diamandis, this is 'the next evolution of racing' (at least according to the promo video, which is definitely worth watching)..."
To use the Answers.com definition of a rocket, which is pretty much what I think of when I hear the word rocket:
A reaction engine that contains all the substances necessary for its operation and is not dependent on substances such as atmospheric oxygen, drawn from the surrounding medium, and thus is capable of operating in outer space. Also called rocket motor.
If the engines of these vehicles are drawing in air from their surroundings, they're not using rockets, they're using jet engines.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
I know what defines a rocket, and I didn't see any noticeable air intakes on the planes in the pictures, that's why I asked.
Having looked a little closer it seems that they're burning kerosene and carrying liquid oxygen as an oxidiser, so they really are rockets, not jets.
Armadillo Aerospace is providing the RRL with rockets for their planes, so yes, they are rockets. http://armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=358
something clever
They are using rocket engines.
The engines are supplied by Armadillo Aerospace.
John Carmack posted news about the deal a while back: http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=358
Speaking as a European, I have, and really no offence, found US cheese to range from bland for the better stuff, to disgusting for the most mass-market ranges.
Speaking as a life-long Wisconsinite who's marrying a French woman, and has lived near London (Twickenham) for a while and spent more time in/around Paris than I care for, you opinion is actually fairly valid. Wisconsin is know for it's cheese in the U.S., but that pretty much covers cheddar. Sure there's emmental (aka swiss), mozorella, Blue and parmesan but it's really not much variety at all.
I'm exaggerating a little bit and there are some quite good stuff out there, but it's also not cheese you're going to normally buy and enjoy with a dinner because it's 10-year aged cheddar or some other awful expensive stuff.
As it were, I learned that it's due to the Federal law against non-pasteurized cheeses. Apparently it's illegal to sell the stuff, according to some other French people my fiancee has befriended who own a cheese shop in the Green Bay area.
Yup, even that "import" stuff like Brie is all pasteurized. The goat cheese (which only seems to be one kind of variety with mixed in herbs or spices) is pitiful at best.
England and France have a much larger assortment of cheese thanks to not having this law. Of course, the only difference is that the English love to eat their cheese on crackers (at the butt of many jokes in France) while the French refuse to eat it with anything other than a baguette.
So, while the French discovered Wisconsin (probably where our cheese history started, and was once spelled Oisconsin, as in "Oi", French for 'yes'), it seems the British had gave us the cracker. =P That's if you still have room left from all the beer and brats the Germans gave us!
And if you haven't tried, New Glarus and Capitol Brewer beer is some pretty great micro-brews. Don't be fooled by the recent popularity of Stella Atois, in the US. It's just the "bud" of Europe. Cheapest stuff I could get at any disco in the UK. Not to mention the parent company recently buying out Budweiser.
opps. On topic... I came here wondering what could put WI in the /. news, I should have figured it was either the Oshkosh EAA or Road America.
"The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
And finally, one word: smoke! These engines don't burn nearly as clean as the nice CGI suggests, ever seen a Shuttle launch? There will be tons of smoke, making it hard to see much, and increasing the safety distances even further.
Funny I don't see any smoke in the pics of the real thing running..
http://www.xcor.com/products/engines/4A3_LOX_alcohol_rocket_engine.html
The rocket planes run on LOX and Alcohol..
Do you know what the shuttle main engiens burn? Hydrogen and Oxygen.. Hmm what does that make?? Oh yeah. Water! loads of water vapor.. The solid fuel booters are another thing alltogether and make a bit of smoke..
If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. --Red Adair
Smoke won't be a problem for these rockets. The engines are no where near the size of the ones on the shuttle and they use different propellants. As a matter of fact there are plans to add some dyes to the fuel so that the rockets each have different color plumes to make them easier to distinguish from each other in the air.
A couple of links for you:
http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/2008_04_14/seededPlume.jpg http://media.armadilloaerospace.com/2008_05_12/greenPlume.jpg
Also, the size of the turbulent wake left by jets is determined by the size of the plane and the relation isn't linear so airliners have bigger turbulent wakes than pretty much anything else out there. On top of that the reason other planes have to stay out of that wake is not just because its bumpy but also because it disrupts airflow into their engines which can be dangerous but isn't something rocket planes need to worry about as they carry their own oxidizer.
I really hope that the Rocket Racing League does well enough to support itself. It will help pay for the development of better rocket engines which could have the effect of making space exploration cheaper.
Cheers,
Greg
All men are men, all women are men and the children are FBI agents.
I like Humboldt Fog, Old Chatham Camembert, Vermont Shepherd, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Roth's Private Reserve is also nice.
Fiscalini Bandaged Wrapped Cheddar from Modesto beat out all the English cheddars in London last year (first time Wyke Farms Trophy has ever been awarded to a non-English cheddar).
Flagship Reserve is a nice cheddar made up in Seattle.
Have you been to a good cheese shop? This country makes a lot of bad cheese, but there are some fine cheeses if you know where to look.
FIB refers to F** Illinois Bitch or F** Illinois Bastard. It comes from seeing 80% Illinois automobile license plates up in the North Woods of Wisconsin in the middle of summer and them buying up all the property. (Sorry if that was meant to be funny and my sarchasm-meter is broken today.)