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Amazon Boss Shows Off Spacecraft (Bezos' Blue Origin Flight Test)
BBC News ^ | January 4, 2007

Posted on 01/04/2007 9:21:28 AM PST by anymouse

The billionaire founder of Amazon.com has released the first images of the launch of a private spacecraft that could bring space travel to the masses.

A video of the cone-shaped Goddard vehicle shows it climbing to about 85m (285ft) before returning back to Earth.

The test launch took place in November 2006 in a remote part of Texas, but details have only now been released.

The images mark the first time Jeff Bezos has broken his silence on the work of his space company, Blue Origin.

Writing on the company's website, Mr Bezos said: "We're working, patiently and step-by-step, to lower the cost of spaceflight so that many people can afford to go; and so that we humans can better continue exploring the Solar System."

"Accomplishing this mission will take a long time, and we're working on it methodically."

Short trip

Mr Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the intention of developing a vertical take-off and landing vehicle, called New Shepard, able to take passengers to the edge of space.

No timescale for commercial trips has been announced but documents released by the US Federal Aviation Administration suggest they could start as early as 2010.

The latest videos show there is still a lot of development work to do before the company reaches that stage.

The footage shot on 13 November 2006 from a site about 200km (120 miles) east of El Paso in Texas shows the first craft to launch under the New Shepard programme.

Called Goddard, the retro-looking development vehicle is shown standing on four legs before blasting off in a cloud of smoke from thrusters on its base. The vehicle continues to ascend for approximately 10 seconds, reaching a height of nearly 300ft (90m).

It then starts to descend before making a controlled landing back on its feet approximately 25 seconds after take-off.

The launch, described by Mr Bezos as "both useful and fun", was watched by friends, family and a team of engineers.

"My only job at the launch was to open the champagne," said Mr Bezos.

The website message does not say whether the vehicle contained any passengers or why there was a delay between the launch and release of the footage.

Commercial space

Mr Bezos now hopes to recruit a team of engineers to the New Shepard programme to develop the design and increase the altitude and duration of flights.

In particular, he is looking for "experienced propulsion engineers" and people with "experience on large, modern vehicles such as Delta IV or Atlas V".

Blue Origin is one of several private companies vying to open up space to the public.

US-based Space Adventures has already taken four space tourists to the International Space Station, while in September 2006, Sir Richard Branson unveiled a mock-up of a rocket powered vehicle that will carry six passengers and two pilots to an altitude of about 140km (85 miles).

His Virgin Galactic design is based on SpaceShipOne, the craft designed by Scaled Composites that won the Ansari X-Prize in 2005. The first passengers could take off in 2009.

Other entrepreneurs jostling for their place in space include hotel tycoon Robert Bigelow who launched Genesis 1, an experimental inflatable spacecraft, in July 2006.

Mr Bigelow hopes the water-melon shaped craft could form the basis of a future space hotel.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; Technical; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: amazon; bezos; blueorigin; jeffbezos; space; spaceexploration
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Blue Origin flight photos and video
http://public.blueorigin.com/index.html


1 posted on 01/04/2007 9:21:32 AM PST by anymouse
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To: KevinDavis; Shuttle Shucker

Cool commercial space ping


2 posted on 01/04/2007 9:22:17 AM PST by anymouse
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To: anymouse

I got one already!.......

3 posted on 01/04/2007 9:23:32 AM PST by Red Badger (New! HeadOn Hemorrhoid Medication for Liberals!.........Apply directly to forehead.........)
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To: anymouse

"Blue Origin" - great name for a space travel program (would also work well for a garage band...)


4 posted on 01/04/2007 9:23:38 AM PST by Hegemony Cricket (When music is banned, only the bands will have music.)
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To: anymouse
Will I get free shipping to the Moon if I order $25 or more?
5 posted on 01/04/2007 9:24:43 AM PST by KarlInOhio (Baker's Iraq Surrender Group - warming up the last helicopter out of Baghdad.)
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To: Hegemony Cricket; AntiKev

ping


6 posted on 01/04/2007 9:24:45 AM PST by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name after Harper's election?)
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To: anymouse

We approve!......

7 posted on 01/04/2007 9:25:26 AM PST by Red Badger (New! HeadOn Hemorrhoid Medication for Liberals!.........Apply directly to forehead.........)
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To: anymouse

How strange! I wish them the best.


8 posted on 01/04/2007 9:26:57 AM PST by Sam Cree (absolute reality)
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To: KarlInOhio
...Called Goddard, the retro-looking development vehicle...

So does that mean it's a Retro-Rocket?........

9 posted on 01/04/2007 9:27:30 AM PST by Red Badger (New! HeadOn Hemorrhoid Medication for Liberals!.........Apply directly to forehead.........)
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To: Hegemony Cricket
""Blue Origin" - great name for a space travel program (would also work well for a garage band...)

Yeah, they could have painted it blue and named it blue organ, lots of bad names for groups out there today.

10 posted on 01/04/2007 9:29:43 AM PST by #1CTYankee (That's right, I have no proof. So what of it??)
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To: Red Badger

285ft. WOW.


11 posted on 01/04/2007 9:30:31 AM PST by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: anymouse

Looks like they are getting close to stability with this model. I have seen this design fail a lot and really don't trust it yet. I still like Burt Rutan's group design - Spaceship One. Simplistic and already got to space.


12 posted on 01/04/2007 9:31:07 AM PST by toeknee32
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To: anymouse

COOL VIDEO OF LAUNCH!.........


13 posted on 01/04/2007 9:31:09 AM PST by Red Badger (New! HeadOn Hemorrhoid Medication for Liberals!.........Apply directly to forehead.........)
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To: anymouse

Shades of Delta Clipper.


14 posted on 01/04/2007 9:31:26 AM PST by alnitak ("That kid's about as sharp as a pound of wet liver" - Foghorn Leghorn)
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To: Westlander

Watch the video.......Click on the pic of the craft sitting in the middle of the pad at the website......scroll down about halfway........NEAT!.....


15 posted on 01/04/2007 9:32:43 AM PST by Red Badger (New! HeadOn Hemorrhoid Medication for Liberals!.........Apply directly to forehead.........)
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To: anymouse
Called Goddard, the retro-looking development vehicle is shown standing on four legs before blasting off in a cloud of smoke from thrusters on its base. The vehicle continues to ascend for approximately 10 seconds, reaching a height of nearly 300ft (90m).


16 posted on 01/04/2007 9:35:50 AM PST by Semi Civil Servant
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To: RedRightReturn

PING!!!!!!!!!!


17 posted on 01/04/2007 9:37:57 AM PST by SouthernBoyupNorth ("For my wings are made of Tungsten, my flesh of glass and steel..........")
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To: anymouse

Mission Control is the Blue Man Group?


18 posted on 01/04/2007 9:39:14 AM PST by Deaf Smith
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To: anymouse

I'm sure it's all real, but I almost want to call bulls*t on the video. Kinda grainy and cheap, no? And the website looks homemade and low-rent as well. And there's no real visible thrust after the first displacement of the dirt on the video. And the picture from the craft straight down to the launch pad shows no dust clouds.

No tin foil here, just....weird.


19 posted on 01/04/2007 9:42:22 AM PST by Jhensy
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To: alnitak

I suspect I know some of his engineers working on this and they used to work on DC-X and Rotary Rocket. Now I know why I haven't heard much from Gary Hudson recently - he's been busy.


20 posted on 01/04/2007 9:42:45 AM PST by anymouse
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