Posted on 07/12/2004 4:31:00 PM PDT by KevinDavis
The race to get an astronaut and privately-owned rocket into space is hotting up. The Ansari X-prize will give $10m to the first team who can get a spaceship able to carry three people into space - defined as 100km above earth. They must return safely and repeat the feat within two weeks.
Last month Mike Melvill was the first mere mortal in space aboard SpaceShipOne and it looked like the prize was his. But problems meant they were unable to go up again within the two weeks specified by the prize. And now there's someone on their tail.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.co.uk ...
Space Ping! This is the Space Ping List! Let me know if you want on or off this list by freep mail!
"hots up"?
But problems meant they were unable to go up again within the two weeks specified by the prize.
The writer doesn't have his facts straight. A competeing team has to FIRST give 60-day notice of intent to try for the prize. Rutan's team hadn't yet given notice, and in any event, there was only one person aboard when they reached the altitude requirement. IOW, the last launch was a test, and only a test, and not an attempt at the prize itself.
Glad I'm not riding in that Canadian entry.
Spam in a can.
Mine, too.
You're right in that this was only a test. However, as I understand it, they don't have to have 3 "real" people on board. They can use ballast to simulate the other two.
So the rules stipulate!
In any case, they hadn't given 60 day notice of intent when they flew the last flight, and I heard no mention of them carrying ballast for the "other two" crew. IOW, the last flight couldn't have qualified as an "attempt" on the prize.
<< My money is still on Burt.
Mine, too. >>
And mine!
Not a bad track-record, eh?
One Hundred Per Cent lifetime success.
Wow -- B A
If only you knew the half of it. I'm a member of the Canadian Rocket Society (http://www.crsnet.ca) and one of our executive (we'll call him JHB) was shown the documentation for the entry from the group in London. He told us the details and none of us anticipate survivability- even if the thing comes back in one piece the g-force on liftoff will purée anyone on board. There were also issues related to failure modes and ability to control the descent adequately for a safe landing away from populated areas.
The biggest laughs of all came from the group's efforts to secure government approval for the launch. First he went to Transport Canada. TC had no expertise in the field, so they forwarded the documents to our very own JHB for assessment, which he gave with two words: "No way." Undaunted, they decided to try the National Research Council. The NRC forwarded the request to... wait for it... JHB and asked him to comment, and again JHB said, "No way." Finally, they talked to the military. The contact at National Defence dutifully passed on their request to... you guessed right, JHB again.
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