WTFIIWNM?
Posted on 09/25/2006 6:55:24 PM PDT by CedarDave
UPHAM — An unmanned rocket that took off in the inaugural launch from New Mexico's spaceport crashed in the desert Monday, failing in its mission to reach sub-orbital space.
The 20-foot SpaceLoft XL rocket, among the first to be launched from a commercial U.S. spaceport, was carrying various experiments and other payloads for its planned journey 70 miles above Earth.
The rocket took of at 2:14 p.m. and was due back about 13 minutes later at White Sands Missile Range, just north of the launch site. Something went wrong shortly after takeoff, sending the rocket prematurely to the ground.
Officials with UP Aerospace, the Connecticut-based company that funded the launch, said it reached about 40,000 feet before falling.
It was not immediately clear where the craft landed, or what condition it was in. Launch logisital coordinator Tracey Larson said it was possible that the rocket and its payload could have survived the crash. ...
Among the experiments on board was one from Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School in St. Paul, Minn., which sent two students to watch the launch. Their experiment included two digital and two analog watches to analyze how the pressure of space launch affects timepieces.
Several other UP Aerospace flights are set later this year, including the Oct. 21 flight expected to carry the ashes of James Doohan, who gained fame as chief engineer Montgomery ''Scotty'' Scott on the original ''Star Trek'' TV series, and Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper.
The Upham site also is the planned home of a state-built $225 million spaceport. UP Aerospace's rocket was launching from a temporary pad.
Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, announced plans last year to base his space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, in New Mexico and to launch manned flights from the spaceport by the end of the decade.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
Is New Mexico buying rockets from North Korea now?
symbolic of Bill Richardson '08 chances ?
bummer about the launch
How do I get to Carnegie Hall?
WTFIIWNM?
LOL. Good one. New tagline coming up.
Richardson's got a track record of screwed up logic. This is going to harm the tax payers down there for a very long time.
A+Bert Fault......
The Minnesota students were disappointed, but that's how it goes in space science. Best they learn how to deal with it now.
Who is advising the high schoolers? The pressure of space launch? The question is whether the launch vibrations will destroy the watch, not whether or not they survive the vacuum. Either question can be answered on the ground -- in fact, they should have been answered if the payload was properly tested before launch.
Does anyone know what they launch vehicle is? There are lots of cool ones at WSMR, but I'm guessing it's a new vehicle.
There's a blast from the past.
Looked like a Hisbolla Katusha..........:)
Where did the rocket land? I hope it didn't land on the Scientologist thing they have out there in the desert.
I don't care about the politics of it. Anytime a rocket fails to launch or crashes on American soil it is a shame.
There are worse things to waste money on.
LOL!
Connecticut ping!
Please Freepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent Connecticut ping list.
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