Anyone else seen this? Amateur rocket fired into space

Nicholas Dinh wrote:
This only shows that it is very possible the commercial space industry
is gaining on government funded space research.

Maybe on your planet. On *this* planet (Earth) the commercial space
industry has been building and flying high altitude sounding rockets
for decades.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

??? Who are you talking about? Loral, Lockheed, TRW, Boeing? They are
all working under government contracts.

OK, to make you understand, we are not interested in government
achievements. We all know what they are. But for a group of civilians
to put a rocket into space, that is something. Can you do it Mr. High
Almighty?

Nick

BTW - Go outside and waste some oxygen on yourself and come back to this
alias when you can provide something intelligent and constructive.



Derek Lyons wrote:
Nicholas Dinh wrote:

This only shows that it is very possible the commercial space industry
is gaining on government funded space research.


Maybe on your planet. On *this* planet (Earth) the commercial space
industry has been building and flying high altitude sounding rockets
for decades.

D.

Nicholas Dinh wrote:
Derek Lyons wrote:
Nicholas Dinh wrote:

This only shows that it is very possible the commercial space industry
is gaining on government funded space research.


Maybe on your planet. On *this* planet (Earth) the commercial space
industry has been building and flying high altitude sounding rockets
for decades.

Incorrect, and ignorant, top posting corrected.

??? Who are you talking about? Loral, Lockheed, TRW, Boeing? They are
all working under government contracts.

A variety of companies selling services to a variety of customers.
(Mostly universities of various sorts.)

OK, to make you understand, we are not interested in government
achievements. We all know what they are

You'd have a point if we were talking about government achievements,
but we are not. (What we 'all know' is that you seem to be
incorrectly assuming that unless a launch is done by a small company,
it's by default non-commercial.)

But for a group of civilians to put a rocket into space, that is something.

If you use such a low bar for 'space', then yes it is something,
sorta, maybe. But that's the attitude of a drooling fanboy more
interested in fan service than reality.

Can you do it Mr. High Almighty?

Could have done it any time in the last twenty that I had a few tens
of thousands of dollars laying about. The task isn't particularly
technically demanding, but few have done it because there isn't a
market for it. The amauters have only recently got around to it with
the growth of the high powered rocketry hobby and the resulting
interest in setting records.

BTW - Go outside and waste some oxygen on yourself and come back to this
alias when you can provide something intelligent and constructive.

ROTFLMAO.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

OK. Now look at who just came back to the table? Now this is a more
stimulating response from you, don't you think? Let's continue along
these lines.

You'd have a point if we were talking about government achievements,
but we are not. (What we 'all know' is that you seem to be
incorrectly assuming that unless a launch is done by a small company,
it's by default non-commercial.)

You are correct. I incorrectly labeled this small group for lack of
better terms.

My point is, look at the cost of this "small group" compared to the
Billions poured into NASA. Sure, both achievements are relatively
different but to put it in perspective, the magnitude of rocketry
achievements lately per cost is more remarkable. True, advancement in
high powered rocketry helped but overall, these small projects are more
cost effective.

You can't tell me you'd rather wait for NASA to put regular civilians
into space than a small firm with a handful of engineers like Scaled
Composites. Look at what these guys can do.

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tiero...a/flt_data.htm

Thanks,
Nick


Derek Lyons wrote:
Nicholas Dinh wrote:

Derek Lyons wrote:

Nicholas Dinh wrote:


This only shows that it is very possible the commercial space industry
is gaining on government funded space research.


Maybe on your planet. On *this* planet (Earth) the commercial space
industry has been building and flying high altitude sounding rockets
for decades.


Incorrect, and ignorant, top posting corrected.


??? Who are you talking about? Loral, Lockheed, TRW, Boeing? They are
all working under government contracts.


A variety of companies selling services to a variety of customers.
(Mostly universities of various sorts.)


OK, to make you understand, we are not interested in government
achievements. We all know what they are


You'd have a point if we were talking about government achievements,
but we are not. (What we 'all know' is that you seem to be
incorrectly assuming that unless a launch is done by a small company,
it's by default non-commercial.)


But for a group of civilians to put a rocket into space, that is something.


If you use such a low bar for 'space', then yes it is something,
sorta, maybe. But that's the attitude of a drooling fanboy more
interested in fan service than reality.


Can you do it Mr. High Almighty?


Could have done it any time in the last twenty that I had a few tens
of thousands of dollars laying about. The task isn't particularly
technically demanding, but few have done it because there isn't a
market for it. The amauters have only recently got around to it with
the growth of the high powered rocketry hobby and the resulting
interest in setting records.


BTW - Go outside and waste some oxygen on yourself and come back to this
alias when you can provide something intelligent and constructive.


ROTFLMAO.

D.

Nicholas Dinh wrote:
My point is, look at the cost of this "small group" compared to the
Billions poured into NASA.

Let's also look at the achievements... NASA has achieved much, and
the small group... Nothing really of note. Some promising first
steps, but what they represent in the long run is questionable.

Sure, both achievements are relatively different but to put it in perspective,
the magnitude of rocketry achievements lately per cost is more remarkable.

That's the claim. But since none of these small groups have actually
operated in revenue service, indeed their craft are utterly unsuited
to it... The claim remains unresolved.

True, advancement in high powered rocketry helped but overall, these small
projects are more cost effective.

Small projects are certainly cost effective for small goals. When
they attempt a larger goal that's actually difficult, then we'll see.

You can't tell me you'd rather wait for NASA to put regular civilians
into space than a small firm with a handful of engineers like Scaled
Composites. Look at what these guys can do.

I've looked. And when it comes to space access, I'm not impressed.
SpaceShip One, despite it's bold name, only gets into space on a legal
technicality. It's an exciting first step, but there is a long,
steep, slippery, land mine strewn slope between a X-Prize craft and an
orbital craft.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote:

"Mark" wrote in
:

"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Frank Scrooby" wrote:
Hi all
Is this significant at all?

Not really.

Not jealous are we? You yanks are unbelievable, if it had been an
american who'd done it, my god, the whole world would've heard about
it.

Umm, it *was* an American who'd done it. Did you actually bother to *read*
the article?

--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

Ky is from Minnesota, and with the posible exception Moosylvania,
Minnesota was still part of the US the last time I checked . If
you saw Discovery's Rocket Challenge last November, he was the one
who also built the flying portajohn.
See (watch the wrap)
http://www.rocketryonline.com/Search...s&db _id=1169

Reaching orbit and the stars are two different things,but would be fun
to launch your self into space and then parachute down.

Mike

A Yank getting more news/press in the UK than in the US. Sad.

Makes ya wonder about our news media.

Mike
Alaska


Frank Scrooby wrote:

Hi all

Is this significant at all? So far only the BBC is reporting it (as far as I
can see).
Amateur rocket fired into space

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3724841.stm

Quote from BBC website:

" A 14-second burn allowed the rocket to reach an altitude of more than
100km - the official boundary of space - in about three minutes. It
reportedly spent several minutes in space before beginning its descent.
The rocket and the payload came down on separate parachutes. "

Anyone?

Regards

Frank Scrooby

Interesting perspective. I remain hopeful. You don't. So we'll just
have to wait and see like you said.

Thanks,
Nick


Derek Lyons wrote:
Nicholas Dinh wrote:

My point is, look at the cost of this "small group" compared to the
Billions poured into NASA.


Let's also look at the achievements... NASA has achieved much, and
the small group... Nothing really of note. Some promising first
steps, but what they represent in the long run is questionable.


Sure, both achievements are relatively different but to put it in perspective,
the magnitude of rocketry achievements lately per cost is more remarkable.


That's the claim. But since none of these small groups have actually
operated in revenue service, indeed their craft are utterly unsuited
to it... The claim remains unresolved.


True, advancement in high powered rocketry helped but overall, these small
projects are more cost effective.


Small projects are certainly cost effective for small goals. When
they attempt a larger goal that's actually difficult, then we'll see.


You can't tell me you'd rather wait for NASA to put regular civilians
into space than a small firm with a handful of engineers like Scaled
Composites. Look at what these guys can do.


I've looked. And when it comes to space access, I'm not impressed.
SpaceShip One, despite it's bold name, only gets into space on a legal
technicality. It's an exciting first step, but there is a long,
steep, slippery, land mine strewn slope between a X-Prize craft and an
orbital craft.

D.

Is this significant at all?

Not really.

well, how many backyard rocket scientists have ever duplicated the feat?

This is significant. Theoretically its very easy to design and make a
solid rocket engine in your grarage. It doesn't cost much either.

But practically, it's another matter.

Sure, the payload here achived less than ten percent of the energy
needed for orbit. But with engine design and manufacturing techniques
worked out, half of the difficulty of reaching orbit is overcome.

Building on this for an amature satallite launch system now requires
three more stages and better guidance.