Tycho Deep Space: a DIY, Open Source, Manned Spacecraft 85
misterbarnacles writes "Can space travel be democratized? Kristian von Bengtson and Copenhagen Suborbitals think so, and they're building a DIY manned suborbital spacecraft to prove it. 'Bengtson describes the craft as "a half sized Apollo-shaped space capsule with a diameter of 2 meters capable of serving one (or two) persons." When complete, Bengtson hopes the suborbital craft will convey a human passenger higher than 62 miles above sea level, allowing him the rare opportunity to escape Earth’s bonds and view the heavens from the ionosphere.'"
nice (Score:2)
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Open source? (Score:5, Funny)
I can just see it...
Spaceship successfully launched!
OK, guys, who wants to work on the reentry system now?
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holy gravity's rainbow, Bataman! (Score:3)
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http://365tomorrows.com/08/30/backup-plan/
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"The kernel in Space Ship version 0.2 beta (Obnoxious Orangutan) does not provide the driver for your Oxygen regulator. Due to copyright restrictions, you will be unable to use your Oxygen regulator at this time. Developers will not be willing or even able to assist you in resolving your issues. "
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Oh, come on! You can always just build your own Oxygen regulator and driver. (Provided you can do it all in one breath-hold...)
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Should have enabled the restricted extras before blastoff...
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Re-entry is a relatively easy problem to solve at suborbital velocities. A parachute usually does the job just fine.
Is it parachute license GNU compatible?
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I figure that problem will eventually fix itself.
Democratized? (Score:3)
Does this mean that after he's built it, everyone else gets to vote for who flies in it?
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Why the space suit?
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No, that's communism. In a democracy, he picks two people to represent him, they travel around the country shaking hands, kissing babies, and arguing about how much to tax him. In the meantime he builds it and flies it.
Watch their video (Score:3, Funny)
They have a video of a test flight with a crash dummy in it. It is both awe inspiring and terrifying as the test dumy was pretty much shaken to death before having it's head caved in on landing.
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its pretty frightening - not sure I want my spinal column along the vertical acceleration vector, I have enough back problems as it is !
I'll pass on this - I like thrills but this seems slightly insane
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Well that wouldn't be a suborbital flight. But this could be:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-orbital_spaceflight [wikipedia.org]
That's the difference between SpaceShipOne, a 747 and a kid on a trampoline.
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I'm travelling through space right now, sitting in my cublcle.
That doesn't make it a spaceship, and it doesn't mean I'm NOT travelling through space.
It's pretty much all relative, eh?
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But launching only for governments & mega-corp (Score:2)
As long as launching capabilities are only within reach of governments and mega-corporations, which are the only ones that can afford to use this spacecraft, this is a useless waste of engineering efforts by volunteers. The rest of the 99.999999% of us will never get a chance to fly in one.
I would be much more interested in an opensource electric car design.
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I would be much more interested in an opensource electric car design.
...that can be replicated using a 3d printer 3d printer [dailymail.co.uk]
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D'oh, beaten to first car with 3D-printed bodywork!
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2395582&cid=37191660 [slashdot.org]
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I'm curious. What exactly is 'closed source' about building a car, or an electric car? All you require to build one is tools, materials, skill and knowledge.
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Just like in the software world. I don't have the code or distribution permissions for Windows or any other commercial OS. This doesn't stop Linux from existing.
Why is it any different for cars? There is nothing to stop you building your own (And lots of people do).
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Maybe that'll work but (Score:2)
http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/ [kerbalspaceprogram.com]
Eugh (Score:4, Insightful)
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Oblig. Johnny Test quote: "Cheese pants. Cheese pants were definitely the worst."
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Well the capsule is the hard part, right? (Score:2)
The rest is just bookkeeping.
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I think they were referring to the stock market, as you're right in saying they weren't referring to gravity.
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First, the guidance systems required are horribly complicated and need to be extremely reliable with almost no testing (each test is a launch and you get very few launches a year). That means you have to have competent engineers. As the Cobol-vs-Java discussion shows, competent engineers are something of a premium and always have been. The number who could actually put together a fully-functional fail-safe guidance system almost blind - no matter how much knowledge is out there - is extremely small. You als
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Re:Barely Space Travel Worthy (Score:5, Insightful)
Look at how many orbital launch failures SpaceX experienced. The failures are not due to incorrect science but rather inadequate application of engineering.
As I understand it, SpaceX have built a new rocket engine and two new launchers and a capsule and flown them into space for about the same as NASA spent to put a dummy upper stage on a shuttle SRB and fire it into the ocean.
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Indeed, most of the information needed for spaceflight didn't exist when NASA was formed! That kind of R&D takes serious dollars - billions of dollars, even back then. (and to all those libertarians out there: it was government money, and in no small part government agencies and labs, that did that R&D.)
I wouldn't exactly say that all the necessary knowledge for building and launching a spacecraft is freely available even today, b
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Billy Bob Thornton (Score:1)
Did a documentary on this a few years ago...
Its already been done back in '85 (Score:2)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089114/ [imdb.com]
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one of my favourites. This one, too [imdb.com], although I think the several trillion Dollars cost is a bit out of most peoples' reach...
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And don't forget this classic TV show from the late 70's: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078681/ [imdb.com]
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not seen that one, although the premise sounds familiar [imdb.com].
*From my recollection having watched the entire series back to back several times: Humans have colonised the Moon and Mars. Following the decision to send a manned mission to Jupiter and after a series of disasters in low Earth orbit, the decision is taken to clean up the thousands of pieces of space junk - something best left to private enterprise since it would cost Governments far too much to do it themselves...
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Yah Explorers is awesome. I bought the DVD a few years back and watched it with the kids (12,14) they loved it. Its on par with Stand By Me. Contact is pretty cool also.
Few others I downloaded in the last few months
Flight Of the Navigator http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091059/ [imdb.com]
My Science Project http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089652/ [imdb.com]
Monster Squad http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093560/ [imdb.com]
Damn the 80's had lots of cool movies for kids.
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oh yes.
Goonies
Gremlins
When The Wind Blows
Lost Boys
I could go on all night...
democratized (Score:5, Insightful)
I do not think that word means what you want it to mean.
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It won't be a problem, as all of that (charred human remains included) would most likely be at the launch site, making it a tourist spectacle able to recoup the costs and lawsuits.
62 Mile High Club (Score:1)
Part way there (Score:2)
These folk [slashdot.org] have the DIY, Open Source, and Spacecraft parts down pat. They haven't done much with the 'Manned' part, however.
I'm surprised at you Slashdot.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, it is really freaking hard, and yes it is really freaking expensive, and yes it's really freaking dangerous and probably downright defiant in the face of reason, logic and safety.... ....but IMHO, if we are ever going to colonize space, we need every attempt possible!
We need to get to the point where anybody can get to space, and STAY out there, and survive in unbelievable, unbearable conditions, with unbelievable challenges, to explore the unknown and dedicate their lives to space exploration OFF of this planet, in addition to everything else we already do.
If we want the universe to be our sandbox, we must evolve into a space-faring and space-surviving species.
Imagine where we would be if a lot of people hadn't pushed the limits beyond everything we could imagine, and yes.... even died trying to accomplish manned flight.
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Love it (Score:5, Interesting)
This is a DIY project that I would love to see more of. I just hope that in my lifetime I would be able to witness amateur space flights that are "built in the back yard" so to speak. Its a throw back to early oceanic exploration. There will be accidents and possible loss of life but hopefully that will be quite rare.
I just hope they are good with vacuum leak detection. They should have a helium mass-spectrometer leak detector, pressurize the craft with a mixture of helium and some other inert gas and sniff for leaks. Once you work with vacuum, you quickly learn that sealing a closed system to atmosphere can be a tricky business. And that is even more apparent when the vessel undergoes thermal expansion and contraction which loosens otherwise tight seals. Lots of good tig welding is needed along with electron beam or laser welding for more intricate parts.
Imagine the opportunity for engineers and students if amateur space exploration ever gets off the ground (pun intended!). I cant wait for the day when garage hot rodding turns skyward.
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this makes me think of non-biological passengers. (Score:1)