Posted on 08/27/2003 6:06:29 PM PDT by KevinDavis
MESQUITE, Tex. — Russell Blink is squeezing into a spacesuit. It is the real thing, made for Russian astronauts. John Carmack, his fellow dreamer, bought it for $5,000. Like the technologies for making rocket engines that showed up in industrial catalogs, it was, simply, out there.
"Isn't it amazing what you can get on eBay these days?" Mr. Carmack says with a wicked smile.
If the past of spaceflight lies with NASA, which is bracing for the Aug. 26 report into the Columbia shuttle disaster, the future of spaceflight may be starting here, in a cluster of office parks east of Dallas near body shops, heavy-equipment rental yards and flooring stores. In a high-ceilinged warehouse, a small group of dedicated hobbyists led by Mr. Carmack, a software millionaire, is trying to build a rocket from largely off-the-shelf components that the members fully expect will take Mr. Blink into space on the cheap.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.