Photos Of Rutan's X-Prize Entry 125
burdicda writes "I think you might be interest in what Burt Rutan has been up to, out there in the Mojave Desert. Take a look at these pictures."
We are each entitled to our own opinion, but no one is entitled to his own facts. -- Patrick Moynihan
Very secret (Score:5, Funny)
Instant Slashdotting Bait (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Instant Slashdotting Bait (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Instant Slashdotting Bait (Score:5, Funny)
An MPEG of Natalie Portman with hot grits down her pants installing Debian in SpaceShipOne in preperation for including it in the LEO beowulf cluster?
KFG
Re:Instant Slashdotting Bait (Score:2, Funny)
public service for the clueless (Score:2)
just in case anyone's not clear, wikipedia is your friend:
Hot Grits [wikipedia.org]
and Natalie Portman [imdb.com]
Now how they ever got combined.. you'll have to ask slashdot for that.
proper terminology (Score:2)
Oh come on, you can do better than that.
How about: "before the server lost orbit, crashed and burned". Or, "before the server went down in flames faster than Mir Space Station".
Hmmm (Score:3, Funny)
this is news? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:this is news? (Score:2)
X-Prize isn't won yet. (Score:2, Informative)
Spaceship One: First successful flight into outerspace by a commercial company.
This thing: Pictures.
Re:this is news? (Score:2)
"You may have been wondering?!?!" No, no I have not, because it has been plastered across every major news outlet for at least six months.
But, erm, thanks for the "heads up." Geezuz.
Power (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Power (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Power (Score:2, Funny)
k.
Again, they're on the right track (Score:5, Insightful)
This is also probably the best way of getting the public interested in space travel again, by involving them as participants, not just spectators.
NASA shouldn't be abandoned, as there's still room for government involvement, especially in strictly scientific missions like launching satelites. In fact, I'd propose that NASA retain its size, form, and function, but that it be a small percentage of space travel, not the majority of it originating in this country.
NASA (Score:3, Insightful)
Getting into space might have taken longer without the whole NASA "before the end of this decade" mission statement, but once don
Re:NASA (Score:1)
Are big corporations too risk averse nowadays?
Re:NASA (Score:3, Interesting)
Would you invest it in some crackpot rocketship? There are a whole bunch of people who would.
And yes, NASA has directly restricted the development of private space vehicles, by using tax mo
Re:NASA (Score:2)
NASA has been a disaster for space travel
Yah, this is exactly what I think when there's 2 probes on Mars, one orbiting Saturn, and one to land on Titan in December. Who's been more successful in space than Nasa? No one.
I don't have any problems with private space launch, as long as it's well regulated. I do have a problem with badmouthing of Nasa. They've been enormously successfull on a comparitively small amount of money. Just for comparisons sake, how many billions of dollars did it take to cre
Re:NASA (Score:2)
After four decades of space travel, you can count the currently operative interplanetary spacecraft with one hand, and the number of manned interplanetary spacecraft with Captain Hook's lost hand. That is pretty pathetic, if you really think about it.
Re:NASA (Score:2)
After four decades of space travel, you can count the currently operative interplanetary spacecraft with one hand, and the number of manned interplanetary spacecraft with Captain Hook's lost hand. That is pretty pathetic, if you really think about it.
Pathetic based on what? In what context are you judging space travel? Historically 40 years isn't a hell of a long time for a drastically new technology. Spacecraft aren't just a new form of a cart with different power sources (horse, steam engine, inter
Re:Again, they're on the right track (Score:5, Insightful)
NASA's role is that of the explorer - opening up new frontiers, blazing the first trail to the new world. A 'proof-of-concept' style approach.
Once the trail has been established and marked, the private sector should move in and commericialize as much as possible. I think that this delegation of responsibility is the best possible balance in getting mankind permanently off of earth and beyond our solar system.
FedEx may be better than the USPS, but who came first? Government involvement opens doors. The private sector enlarges those doors and makes it easier to reach the next set of challenges.
Re:Again, they're on the right track (Score:5, Informative)
Private mail did. Check the history books.
Bob-
(Negative moderators, vent your abuse on this one and leave the rest alone.)
Re:Again, they're on the right track (Score:2)
Re:Again, they're on the right track (Score:2, Funny)
For the lazy people amongst you:
you want information? [justfuckinggoogleit.com]
Hisitory Online (Score:2)
For material online, I can whole heartedly suggest The Ludwig von Mises Institute online library [mises.org] which has numerous different authors and titles which concern the efficiencies of competitive market forces while documenting the absurd inefficiencies and disto
Re:Hisitory Online (Score:2)
Re:Again, they're on the right track (Score:1)
I think what you mean is space probes, not satellites. Launching satellites is not really a science project, and NASA hasn't been involved in it since 1986.
If NASA exists only to do science, though, how would it be any different from the NSF? Is there really a need for two government agencies that do the same thing?
Re:Again, they're on the right track (Score:2)
Industry doesn't suffer from this problem (as much) since there are real financial goals involved - they can't afford to pour a few million $ into a project
Last year called... (Score:5, Informative)
Who, exactly is wondering what Burt Rutan is up to? I mean, I realize that not everybody cares about spaceflight, but I promise that anybody who knows who Burt Rutan IS could hardly have missed the 2010 [google.com] recent news stories about what he is up to. I guess unless they are a slashdot editor...
Oh, but wait, there are pictures of his X-Prize entry [google.com]. That is amazing!
Re:Last year called... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Last year called... (Score:1, Funny)
I wonder what they do all day.
Problems with their server.. (Score:4, Funny)
cool info (Score:5, Informative)
There's Always.... (Score:1, Funny)
Google Images [google.com], I suppose.
May not be exactly what the submitter intended for us to see, but it's better than nothing, plus it helps collect lots of different images all in one neat, tidy place!
Quick victory (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Quick victory (Score:2)
As you'd expect given the nature of the guy running it, Armadillo has an impressive physics simulator designed to test their new designs before they are even built (and which is apparently pretty accurate). They also have made a cone-shaped rocket land straight down on its tail without large stabilizer fins. What they lack
Desperately need the private sector (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone read "The Innovator's Dilemma"? The premise of the book is that radical changes (what the author calls "disruptive technologies") can never be supported by organizations attuned to the old technologies.
Getting into space cheaply is going to require disruptive technology -- big paradigm changes. Just the nature of large organizations will keep NASA from being able to recognize or implement it. Just look at their current ideas for "X-Prize"-like contests -- they want to spread too little money over too many technologies. Who wants to compete to make the best astronaut glove? It just goes to show the agency is not capable of the radical changes we need for our space program.
Re:Desperately need the private sector (Score:2)
NASA uses FedEx. The reason: FedEx is private and therefore more efficient than the USPS.
That's why The US Government would be better off purchasing private launch space just like everybody else.
There's no reason to think that half a dozen universities wouldn't get together and build deep space probes, either.
Bob-
Re:Desperately need the private sector (Score:2)
Numerous companies, if they can expect a money-making contract from it. Also any X-Prize competitor who wants to be able to control his craft if it should lose air pressure for some reason.
Having good spaceships is important, but having good spacesuits is just as important. Personally, I find the space activity suit [wikipedia.org] to be the most interesting alternative.
Priceless! (Score:5, Funny)
2. $1,000,000.00 for Electronics
3. $1,000,000.00 + change for Engineering
Surviving SlashDot onslaught PRICELESS!!!
Bandwidth is fine (Score:5, Informative)
The photos download just fine once their "SlideShow" software finishes rendering the HTML page that has the pointer to it. I'd recommend skipping the slide show, and getting only the thumbnails - that way you can pick and choose what photos you're willing to wait 30-60 seconds for.
http://www.rokits.org/gallery/x-prize [rokits.org]
Mirror (Score:5, Informative)
Mirror of images, all one one page. 39 images. 3.2 Megabytes total.
nm? (Score:2, Insightful)
Did they screw up there or am I deeply confused about some weird measurement scanle than just happens to look like nanometers but like, isnt?
Mod Parent Up! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:nm? (Score:1)
s/nanometers/nautical miles/
Re:nm? (Score:2)
Dude (Score:1, Offtopic)
NASA days of glory are gone for good? (Score:1)
Everytime NASA put the something in orbit, they burn that boatload of fuel, and this guy just got there in a what looks more like a giant Kite! And with what I believe being a much lower budge
Re:NASA days of glory are gone for good? (Score:2, Informative)
What he did was hit an altitude of 100km, barely, and fell back.
Re:NASA days of glory are gone for good? (Score:3, Informative)
Everytime NASA put the something in orbit, they burn that boatload of fuel, and this guy just got there in a what looks more like a giant Kite! And with what I believe being a much lower budge
Re:NASA days of glory are gone for good? (Score:2)
More accurately said: It doesn't create as big of a problem with reentry
The ride down is still fraught with much potential peril and opportunity for stuff to go wrong..
Re:NASA days of glory are gone for good? (Score:2)
You call it a toy, I call it a prototype. Burt, et al will unveil an orbit-ready design within two years.
No Good Pilot (Score:4, Interesting)
...would dare take off without his trusty West Bend timer! (Picture at http://sd-mirror.dumitru.com/scaled/sso042a.sized. jpg [dumitru.com])
West Bend timers...IN SPACE!
(Yes, I know that's actually White Knight's cockpit. Smile and nod.)
Re:No Good Pilot (Score:1)
It seems your flight school [flight-instruction.com] uses the little beast [flight-instruction.com]. Strange, no?
Re:No Good Pilot (Score:2)
Strange, no?
Well, no, not really; no good pilot would do without...
Hey! That wasn't nice!
Time Flies :-) (Score:2)
I guess y
Spaceflight video, with floating M&Ms! (Score:5, Interesting)
I wonder if Mars, Inc. [wikipedia.org] is going to try to license that video for a commercial.
Re:Spaceflight video, with floating M&Ms! (Score:5, Informative)
What's downright scary is two things.
One, no military pilot in his right mind would deliberately FOD the cockpit - release Foreign Object Debris - even as small as an M&M - it's a surefire way to cause problems later. You'd be amazed at how little it takes to induce seriously Bad problems in an airplane cockpit. Even chocolate. Even three or four flights later, when that ONE M&M you didn't find post-flight just happens to melt or stick in an unfortunate spot.
Two, watch the silhouette of the vehicle carefully during the external footage of the thrust phase. Boy, the thing is rocking back and forth badly. Serious controllability problems. Yeah, I know, we already heard all about that - but this video drives home just how nasty it was. I can distinctly see four roll oscillations greater than 90 degrees in just about five seconds. Ouch. Any pilot in a military jet would be reaching for the ejection handle right then. Interesting they didn't include the over-the-shoulder footage for THAT.
Oh, and IAAAE (I AM an aerospace engineer) and DO happen to have experience working with both military pilots and jets.
M&M's in space. (Score:1)
Re:M&M's in space. (Score:1)
Gemini 3 (Score:1)
You're right, I can't imagine this ever happening on a NASA flight [spaceline.org] either.
Re:Gemini 3 (Score:1)
idiots! (Score:3, Informative)
Yellow (Score:2)
Is it just me or does this picture [rokits.org] make it look like, with a new paint job, they've got a smiley face just waiting to happen? Somewhat related, how long before these things get commercial sponsors and start looking like race cars?
other pics (Score:3, Informative)
http://spaceshipone.airshowjournal.com
http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/006
SpaceShipOne comic (Score:1)
XTease model rocket, SpaceShipOne! [joyoftech.com]
Gorgeous job Nitrozac, imho.
What do they use for instrumentation? (Score:2)
I wonder what information he has displayed on that control panel, and what computer system they have displaying it? I mean, is there a specialist Aeronautics Display OS out there or does it run on QNX or RTLinux?
Cost-cutting where it counts (Score:1)
Re:Servers dead already (Score:5, Informative)
nice pics anyways..
http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/ [scaled.com] the official page has some stuff too like a video clip..
Re:Servers dead already (Score:1)
Re:would it kill you... (Score:4, Funny)
It's GRAMMAR.
Re:Anybody putting up a mirror??? (Score:5, Informative)
I wonder how long it'll get to kill my host :)
Re:Anybody putting up a mirror??? (Score:1)
Re:Anybody putting up a mirror??? (Score:1)
how embarrassing (Score:1)
(sigh)...
Thenks for the mirror, anyways.
Re:how embarrassing (Score:1)
While I didn't exactly split my sides in uncontrollable laughter, it was at least a change from the 427 "ha, bet their server's a pile of molten plastic now" posts.