Non-Profit to Launch Human Into Space Using €50,000 Spaceship(copenhagensuborbitals.com)
copenhagensuborbitals.com
Non-Profit to Launch Human Into Space Using €50,000 Spaceship
http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/
8 comments
The thought of going into space on something built in a shed has a definite appeal..
It is like the old sci-fi stories from the 1950's, when writers expected that in 2000 space travel would be as common as airplane flight. I think that more private, low budget efforts such as this one could drive expanded space travel development.
So far only huge commercial companies with billions of dollars have attempted such as thing, but that could change with projects such as this one. On the website it says that they plan to release as much of their designs as are allowed under export rules. It would be nice to see more home-brew projects. The danger of course, is that if this space launch fails and somebody dies it could be a Hindenburg for private, low budget space rockets.
So far only huge commercial companies with billions of dollars have attempted such as thing, but that could change with projects such as this one. On the website it says that they plan to release as much of their designs as are allowed under export rules. It would be nice to see more home-brew projects. The danger of course, is that if this space launch fails and somebody dies it could be a Hindenburg for private, low budget space rockets.
Lots of interesting detail on this page:
http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/boosters.php
http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/boosters.php
I'd like to note the freakin' awesome submarine that is also in the picture. Judging from other comments, I guess that's the homemade submarine these guys made!
Makes me feel ashamed- I have a hard time building a wooden table in my garage. :(
Makes me feel ashamed- I have a hard time building a wooden table in my garage. :(
[deleted]
That homemade submarine leaks (there's a youtube video and the guy says "don't worry about it")
I don't think that kind of error will be so forgiving in space?
I don't think that kind of error will be so forgiving in space?
Outbound: €50 000
Return: €10 000 000
Return: €10 000 000
Given that it's suborbital velocities they're aiming for, the return trip is free. (And making it safe is pretty cheap, because there's not much energy to dissipate. The horizontal motion at reentry will be small, as opposed to several times the speed of sound for the space shuttle.)
The first test flight, with a crash dummy instead of a human, goes up in eight days, off a floating platform that will be towed into place using a submarine built as the group's previous project.
The members of the group met each other on Something Awful.
There is more info on the group's Wikipedia Page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_suborbitals
The members of the group met each other on Something Awful.
There is more info on the group's Wikipedia Page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_suborbitals
Homepage:http://www.uc3nautilus.dk/
Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC3_Nautilus
Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hobonerd/sets/72157604823470166...