Armadillo Aero One Step Closer To Space

RobertB-DC writes "The folks at Armadillo Aerospace have taken another step toward the X-Prize, dropping their re-entry vehicle from 2000 feet with no major problems noted. As usual, the Armadillo crew documented the event with text, pictures and video, and the story is also covered by Space.com (though without as many cool technical details). It's a bumpy ride, though -- instruments recorded some 10 G's on touchdown."

Re:Something just occurred to me

[RocketScientist]

(extremely off-topic reply follows) Governments aren't under pressure to reduce spending. Governments are under presure to increase spending to things like invading other countries, giving money and food to people who don't work, figuring out new and different ways to screw citizens out of natural resources, "saving the environment", and studies to make sure that we're all aware that drinking beer is bad for us. So they have to simultaneously tax the crap out of anybody that makes money and cut a lot of things that are really worthwhile, like pure research and rocket science.

Private enterprise really is the best way to get to space. I just hope when they colonize mars they remember exactly why a government that that could get to the moon can't even reliably send people into orbit and bring them back anymore, and set up their government with the additional checks and balances to keep from repeating those mistakes.

I'm not bitter or anything though. Just because it's right after the end of a quarter and all.

Missin the Point

[Blastus]

The X prize is about paving the way for paying customers to get to space. It's about developing a cheap re-usable space craft to do it. Lighting off hair chemicals for launches and crashing for landings? You gonna pony up for that? Go ahead. I'll call Rutan for my flight, thanks.

Re:You're absolutely right.

[RedWizzard]

but no one is going to catch up with Rutan's design

No one outside of Rutan's organisation really knows how far advanced Rutan's project is, so it's a bit hard to say if he's in the lead or not. Certainly when it was first announced and the website went up there were several pictures that had been doctored to make it look like things where more advanced than they actually were. Rutan lost some credibility in my eyes with that.

Re:10 Gs

[child_of_mercy]

thats a drogue design issue, and comes back to weight questions, its easily done if weight is no object (as with most things in spacecraft design)

but 100 yards of kevlar ribbon will bring terminal velocity down a long, long ways.

and there are better designs still.

K.I.S.S.

[jayrtfm]

That X-15ish engineering may be Scaled's achellies heel. Remember that the well financed front-runner for the Orteig prize crashed the day before Lindberg took off.

I'm hopeing that both teams get their first launch within days of eachother, so that a media frenzy occurs before the winning launch.

Re:Something just occurred to me

[fname]

It's a very good point. The government resources clearly outmatch any private company at this point, and probably will for some time. The big problem is, space stuff is risky and expensive, and no one can really see the return on capital that they need to take the risks. Boeing, Lockheed, et.al. always need some government contracts to pay for the development before it makes sense to build a new rocket.

Of course, the engineers at NASA, Boeing, Lockheed, etc., are brilliant, and I'm sure they'd love to be doing this stuff. But that's not what Boeing pays them to do. and real rockets are a lot more expensive than computers. Plus, you can try new things and let them fail fairly risk-free in the computer world; not true in rocket science.

So while these "amateur" (quotes is b/c none of these groups are really amateurs. They are professionals doing this on the side) will come up with some very clever ideas, the government may be in the best position to exploit them. Which is fine, and I bet these guys would be happy if that were there legacy. And if Armadillo, or more likely Scaled Composites, comes up w/ a sustainable business propoisition, then this will get a lot more interesting.

[ Warning: Rocket Science humor ahead. ] In fact, if things go right, after the X-prize is won, this space thing will take off like a rocket-- and more like a Delta II-heavy than a Delta IV medium, if you know what I mean!

Re:10 Gs?

[RedWizzard]

Ten Gs? That's an insane amount, enough to kill any human, that's for sure

No. Do some research.

I still think the X-Prize starlights belongs to Scaled Composities and their White Knight/SpaceShipOne

Keep in mind that Rutan's project will cost considerably more than 10 million, while Carmack's will cost a few million tops. Even if Rutan does win the X-Prize, if Carmack makes it to space then his will be greater achievement, IMHO.

Re:10 Gs

[Guppy06]

I think the weak link here for most people here would be their own posteriors. I've personally only experienced maybe 3 Gs or so on various carnival rides, and with those I'm pretty much on my back. Nobody this side of a fighter pilot does anywhere near 10 Gs, especially in a near-sitting position. Heck, not even astronauts do that any more.

as the old saying goes...

[SuperBanana]

It could be a very smooth, fast drop.

As the old saying goes about leaping off a bridge, it's not the trip down that sucks- it's the ending.

The joke among some pilots, after a hard landing, is the term "unintentional ground contact."

Re:Full text, posting as AC

[dbrutus]

Why is it that I always read about 1 or 2 X Prize competitors. Armadillo joined the race at the same time ARCA [arcaspace.ro] did but just because slashdot people like quake Armadillo gets all the glory.

Re:10 Gs?

[domninus.DDR]

so just rotate the chair? its not like orientation would matter when they were in space.

I am counting they will all fail.

[cheesybagel]

Some are too amateurish and do not have enough experience and/or money.

Others are simply pie-in-the-sky.

Rutan is trying to do things in the hardest way possible and you know what that means... However there are rumours there could be a possible government money source behind this interest by Rutan. Remains to be seen.

BTW a suborbital flight is nothing fancy. The problem is getting something in orbit or returning something back to Earth in one piece. Cheaply.

Re:Something just occurred to me

[stmfreak]

In an era when people are becoming more and more concerned with manned space flight, I think projects and contests like this are the only way possible to get humanity into the heavens. Governments will always be under pressure to reduce spending; it will only be with enthusiasts that we make it to our proper place in space.

Government is not under any real pressure to reduce spending, they are under internal pressures to maintain control. Enthusiasts are possibly the only ones that will ever find a way for humanity to get into space. Governments are only funding space projects to appease the curiosity of the masses and maintain control of the technology.

Look around the world today at the way government is actively acquiring a monopoly on force. Do you think anyone in government looks forward to an easy way for terrorists with rocks to obtain Earth orbit?