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Space

To the Moon, Alice 305

Posted by michael from the it's-the-sudden-stop-at-the-end dept.
Wa7ly writes: "An amateur rocket scientist in the US hopes to blast off into space this autumn in a $250,000 rocket he built in his back yard. This seems to be a really great idea if he can successfully pull it off and come back to earth safely!" *cough*Darwin Award*cough*
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To the Moon, Alice More

To the Moon, Alice

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  • website (Score:5)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:19PM (#241517)
    The guys got a website http://www.rocketguy.com
  • > The Wright brothers were the first people to fly. This guy isn't.


    No they weren't; not even close. But they were the first to have a controlled, powered, heavier than air flight--but gliders (unpowered), balloons (lighter than air), and I think a couple of failed attempts by others (not controlled :) went up before them.


    While I"m at it, the Wright brothers claimed that building an autogyro (helicopter) would have been easier, but the problem was making it move forward once it was up . . .


    hawk

  • the wright brothers (Score:3)

    by hawk ( 1151 ) <hawk@eyry.org> on Monday May 07, 2001 @05:51AM (#241521) Journal
    Wait a minute, wasn't it Wilbur who flew, nah Orville. Wilbur. What the heck, either one is Wright . . .


    hawk

  • It looked like he had a whole bunch of experiments going on in a whole bunch of things but couldn't stay focused long enough to finish any of them. Now 3 months later it looks like his web site is one of them, with the last photos from February before taking another diversion and traveling to Russia. Even if he could finish just one of the things in his back yard, it would definitely take more concentration than he's shown to test it and learn to fly it.
  • The soviets were also smart enough to kick the pants off the US during the first decade of space missions.

  • Re:Darwin? (Score:3)

    by Tet ( 2721 ) <slashdot@a s t r a d y n e . c o.uk> on Monday May 07, 2001 @04:11AM (#241526) Homepage Journal
    Thus, if he dies, he will have eliminated from the world his own lack of ability to assess his own ability

    For more information on this phenomenon, see the scary article at http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp7761121.html [apa.org].

  • How does he deal with thrust imbalance? (Score:4)

    by Morgaine ( 4316 ) on Monday May 07, 2001 @11:10AM (#241530)
    As a close friend of Rocket Guy ...

    You might be the right person to ask this to then. How does he intend to prevent the rocket from going up and over and straight back down into the ground, or else up and around and around like a catherine wheel?

    The mere fact that the rocket outlet is in front of the centre of mass of the vehicle does not guarantee anything at all about the direction of travel. If the thrust is sufficient but not perfectly balanced on the line between the centre of mass of the rocket and the gravitational centre of the Earth, the leading rocket can easily pull the whole vehicle up and around and down or into a rapid catherine wheel spin.

    There could be absolutely nothing the pilot can do about this manually because the potentially huge inertial forces could pin him (or any mechanical devices) into immobility. And it could all happen so fast that he wouldn't have time to balance the upward thrust nicely.

    The time to think about this is now.
  • It wasn't a failure. I already knew he killed himself, which is why I'm doing justice to his memory. They guy felt like flying. He flew. End of story.

    --

  • Re:Cool (Score:4)

    by drix ( 4602 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:11PM (#241532) Homepage
    Ahem... the guy (AKA Larry Walters, e.g. "Lawn Chair Larry") who put baloons on his lawn chair and flew up into the sky had it go off like a charm, if I remember correctly. He got up to about 16000 feet, drifted for 14 hours, drank beer, and ate sandwiches, before finally drifting into an LAX approach lane, at which point he descended, got caught in some power lines, and climbed down. He survived, and got probably the coolest, quietest, and most serene bird's eye view of Los Angeles (parts of it at night, no less) that anyone in history has ever gotten. How do you call that a failure?

    --
  • For those who aren't familar with it, it is worth stating that the New York Post, although once a respectable paper in the 19th and earrly 20th centuries, is currently little better than the National Enquirer or Weekly World Sun, and generally prints stories like "Aliens kidnap hamster". Unless somebody can find a version of the story in a more serious source, I can only assume it is fictional.
  • Oh, come on! This has nothing to do with politics. The Wall Street Journal is a reputable right-wing paper -- The Post is a tabloid.
  • The shuttle has a max altitude of about 400 kilometres, which is a lot less than 400 miles.

    http://www.friends-partners.org/mwade/lvs/shuttle. htm [friends-partners.org]

  • I mean, come on, just because the guy did not complete a college degree doesn't make him an idiot.
    Indeed. The first time I had to professionally interact with an engineer permanently cured me from whishing I had taken engineering.

    --

  • Re:slow down (Score:3)

    by Detritus ( 11846 ) on Monday May 07, 2001 @12:52AM (#241543) Homepage
    One of the issues that the FAA is going to be concerned about is range safety. This means that the people who are launching the rocket will have to convince the FAA that the rocket is not going to nose over and crash into an elementary school. For NASA, commercial and military launches, there is a Range Safety Officer (RSO) who is responsible for sending a destruct command to the launch vehicle if it deviates from the planned trajectory.

  • I still think you're going to see interesting angular momentum problems. You have to be going around lots faster to go around once every 24 hours if you're 30 miles farther away from the center of the earth.

    I was impressed in the article noting that the propulsion system was actually thought out and not something totally half baked. :-)

    Good luck to your friend. I hope he makes it. :-)

  • It might be very appropriate. This could be something which would make him rather famous, and that has noted benefits, as well as penalties.

    Caution: Now approaching the (technological) singularity.
  • Hooters must be different in Oregon. Here in Indy, Hooters doesn't seem to employ attractive women, or women with breasts, hooters if you will.

    --
  • I went to the guys site, and the tech is at the very least plausable. The Silver/H2O2 tech has proven itself (rocket powered dragster Sprit Of Australia - 300+ MPH/4.11 second 1/4 mile), and the rest seems not without merit. I think he'll land using the chute on his back - but he'll land.

    Yes, he has a good shot at the Darwin Award [darwinawards.com] to be sure, but he might actally be the first to collect the X Prize [xprize.com]. What he proposes isn't any sillier than what these inventive people [davinciproject.com] from my country intend to use to collect the $10M US (about $20CDN).

    I myself salute his moxy and entrepreneurial spirit. No way I'd hit the button to light that candle.
  • He's running Apache on Linux, so he'll probably make it. I mean if it was Windows I'd think the guy was a kook, but he's gotta be alright if he's running linux, right?

  • Comment removed (Score:4)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @10:03PM (#241558)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Need I remind you that the ship that brought us into first contact with the Vulcans was made by one hick (not counting interferance by future generations). Oh wait, I'm confusing imagination with reality again. Just like everybody who thinks this story is genuine.
  • Exactly what the Darwin Award is all about.

    If you just sit on your couch like a lump you can never achieve the acclaim of your peers or do something blindingly stupid enough to win the Darwin Award. The line between the two is success.

    If this guy does what he says he will do, he will be famous. If he screws up... well, let's just say that he'll not be worrying the rest of us with the proliferation of his DNA ;)

    I wish him the best, and hope he does it. Amature spaceflight might just be the only way to wake up corporations to the value of private space exploitation.
  • You're afraid an engineering degree would make you dumber?
    --

  • Don't know if it has been said yet... (Score:3)

    by cr0sh ( 43134 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:21PM (#241575) Homepage
    I know it was mentioned on the older article:

    This guy would do well to look over this [geocities.com] web page, and understand why rockets are inverted, rather than hanging, pendulums.

    If he continues with his current plan, about all he'll end up doing is making a nice crater in the lake bed...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • Well the art of sending a rocket up has been long mastered by thousands of amateur around the world. I'd say the hard part is more about following a price tragectory (like going to orbit), maintaining life conditions aboard, etc...

    This guy is not trying to do anything like that - he just want to go as high as possible, then get back alive. He isn't aiming for a precise tragectory ("up" is the flying plan) and isn't planning on staying in space either. Doesn't sound all that impossible to do. Remember we are not in the 60s anymore, a lots of modern technology and materials are available for cheap and in quantity.


  • some fucking bike shop owners from north carolina trying to FLY, for god's sake, FLY!

    This would be very like /. considering the brothers weren't from North Carolina. :-)

  • Deja Vu (Score:3)

    by dsb ( 52083 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:14PM (#241585) Journal
    This story was reported on Slashdot [slashdot.org] over 6 months ago with a link to a seattletimes.com story having slightly more information.

  • Re:uhhh.. (Score:3)

    by norton_I ( 64015 ) <hobbes@utrek.dhs.org> on Sunday May 06, 2001 @10:33PM (#241591)
    Well, that is you. But some people would rather be a captain than a tourist.

    I am not planning on following either of these guys, but I have more respect for this guy than Tito.

    Tito is basically a spoiled rich guy who has figured out that for enough money you can get almost anyone to do almost anything. But designing and building the rocket yourself on another level.

    They should make a Mastercard commercial about it :)
  • Too bad most people don't remember Robert Truax. He gained fame in the '70s by building a single-man rocket and selling rides in it (I don't know that it ever launched, but it was intended to). You can find Mr. Truax's website at http://www.rctruax.com/ [rctruax.com], where he and his company will be able to sell you one of his "Excalibur" low cost space launch vehicles. According to the website, these vehicals have the capability to place payloads ranging from 200 to 1,000,000 lbs to LEO and other space orbits.
  • The space capsule doesn't have room for his balls which clearly are the biggest on Earth.

  • Re:what's with the stereotypes? (Score:3)

    by selectspec ( 74651 ) on Monday May 07, 2001 @01:16PM (#241604)
    The fact that this guy didn't go to college is irrellevant. What makes him certifiable, is that he is going to launch himselve 36 miles into the outer atmosphere. Of course his celebration plan is to get drunk at Hooters, which makes him some kind of crazy-idiot-genius all at the same time.
  • The point is, placing the engine at the top is not any easier to balance than placing it at the bottom. That's not to say that it is harder, but it isn't any easier. So in reference to your question, yes you can. Whatever works with one design works with the other as far as aerodynamics are concerned.

    That said placing the engine at the top is a losing design. You don't gain stability but you add complexity and weight in that you have to get the trust to the bottom of the rocket and pump your fuel against gravity.

  • Re:This is in the New York Post, people! (Score:5)

    by jsewell ( 86485 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:45PM (#241614)
    How about the February issue of Space Illustrated, the magazine produced by the space.com people?

    http://www.space.com/mag/contents_february.php3

    (Now granted, space.com may not be a reputable source either, to those in the space biz, but it's at least better than the NY Post...)
  • I can see it now "Teams you have 10 hours to build a rocket to bring you to the moon and back using only parts in the junkyard!!!!"
  • From his website, at the top of the "Updates" page:

    "4/25/01 Due to increased demands on Rocket Guy's time by the media the launch will be delayed until May 2002."

    Is it just me or does this sentence sound a little absurd? Demands on one's time by the media? More likely there's a simpler explanation...

  • I wish him well, but this sounds crazy. I mean, I don't know how easy it is to teach yourself the engineering involved in this kind of adventure. Also, how well did he compensate for the non-ideal reality compared to the ideal world of a physics text?

    I mean, I'll grant that most of NASA's expense is our desire of safety beyond the point of diminishing return. I mean, the 80-20 rule probably applies, 80% of the cost is the last 20%... I mean, NASA can't risk a casualty, he may be willing to risk a 80% survival rate.

    However, this still seems insane, I can't imagine that he has figured EVERYTHING out... Well, good luck and God-speed.

    Alex
  • he might actally be the first to collect the X Prize

    The X-Prize goes to someone who can create a vehicle that can send three people into space. This one seats only one.

    However, I really salute this person and I hope he makes it. Good luck!

  • We need to get a couple more of these amature rocket scientists together, paint a big circle in the middle of the desert and turn this into a big game of lawn darts.

  • Darwin? (Score:3)

    by Michael Woodhams ( 112247 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:04PM (#241634) Journal
    I don't know about the Darwin Award - it takes quite a lot of skill and intelligence to kill yourself like this.

  • This is his reward? (Score:4)

    by (void*) ( 113680 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:12PM (#241635)
    According to his plans, a pickup truck will be waiting to drive him to a group of bleachers where fans and 12 Hooters bar girls will pour champagne all over him.

    Considering the odds, he should be asking for more Hooters girls, and he should be getting more than beer and champagne from them! No offense to the girls too - they should feel safe making this bet with him. ;-)

  • I wish him luck but I fear the only change he will make to the world will be the crater he leaves behind!

    And the legacy of his exploits documented in email forwards for years to come...
    --

  • Yeah, well, someone does *not* need to go up in this thing on the VERY FIRST FLIGHT! As far as I can tell, there are no test flights of the full system unmanned in the planning.

    Flying on the thing after a successful test flight is risky. Flying on it before one is just plain stupid.

    If he blows himself up, he deserves a Darwin Award not for trying it but for not testing it first.

  • No, the Write Bros. did *not* just get in their plane and try to fly it. They had numerous manned and unmanned test flights of gliders before they tried the powered plane. They performed tests on the engines to make sure the motor wouldn't explode.

    I think there is an award for the first person to manage a flight like this and if he succeeds, he'll get it. I, as an engineer, just can't envision trusting my life to something that hasn't been tested because about 90% of the time, that is a disaster.

  • That's a really frustrating link. It gives the contents of the issue, and the items look clickable, but there's no content there. You have to buy the print magazine.
  • This thing has neither big fins nor active guidance. It's going to be all over the sky. As someone else pointed out, putting the exhaust near the top doesn't help stability.
  • I like how he says he's just going to shoot 32 miles up in the air, then drift back down and land in roughly the same place he took off from. Think he's heard of "wind"?
  • What about support staff? Capcoms and the like? Orbit calculations?

    Sounds a lot like the guy who put baloons on his lawn chair and flew up into the sky... in other words, I don't expect it to end up working too well.

    It would be cool to land 100% civilian people on the moon, though... but that will cost more than $250k.

  • carrying on after wilbur and orville (Score:5)

    by small_dick ( 127697 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @10:10PM (#241649)
    Many people called the Wright brothers nuts, and they made their stuff out of bicycle parts.

    Both dropped out of High School.

    They acheived flight w/o government/public money -- only what they earned via a printing business, then a bicycle shop.

    I think he is carrying on a fine tradition where one person with guts can make a big impact on the world.

  • This mission is far too dangerous to risk a valuable human life on. I believe that, instead of Brian Walker, we should put Jon Katz in the rocket. Even if the rocket explodes the mission will still be a success!

    ...it also removes the second airbag requirement.

  • The best one I've seen is JP Aerospace [jpaerospace.com]. Their progress may be slow, but it's steady .. and they're certainly targeting some pretty high altitudes! Hopefully we'll see some information on their May 5/6th launch soon.
  • According to his plans, a pickup truck will be waiting to drive him to a group of bleachers where fans and 12 Hooters bar girls will pour champagne all over him.

    Hahaha, sounds to me like buddy has it all worked out.
    :-D
  • hey, you never know, he might be ok.. this isn't rocket science or anythi... oh, hehe...
  • I might be missing something here (my physics is total crap), but don't all objects accelerate downwards due to gravity at the same rate, regardless of mass?

    Not unless they are in a vaccume.

    Rate me [picture-rate.com] on picture-rate.com
  • Acceleration is the derivative of velocity which is the change in position over time. Acceleration is the change in velocity over time. Every object is pulled on with a force of ~9.8 Newtons, and would accelerate at that rate if there were no other forces But there are (wind resistance). Objects are not 'accelerated' equally by gravity they are pulled equally by gravity. Acceleration is the result of the pulling, not the cause.

    Rate me [picture-rate.com] on picture-rate.com
  • "If I die, I die," he scoffs. "I'd rather die trying this than spend the next 40 years bitter than I never made the attempt."

    "Funny, I'd rather live for those 40 years."

    He'd rather do somthing significant with his life. You apparantly don't. What's the problem? The only glitch could be the Federal Aviation Administration, which has demanded that Walker produce a flight plan and details of his rocket design before it issues a permit for his launch. "If they are not going to grant me permission to launch, I'll just take the whole thing across the border to Mexico," Walker says.

    "Great, and then Tostitos can sponsor the flight. That's all we need: corn chips and salsa raining down in the Pacific instead of Mir..."

    How the hell did you come to that conclusion? The article doesn't say anyone is sponsering him at all. And just because he's launching from Mexico doesn't mean a producer of Pseudo-Mexican food would be sponsering the thing and insisting he load his rocket with their products instead of things like fuel. Besides, corn chips and salsa won't damage the Pacific ocean nearly as much as the space slime growing inside Mir.

  • --Someone somewhere told me (maybe I read it):

    Intelligence is knowing what you don't know.

    (and by extension learning those things.)

    --I wish the guy luck, and the ability to not turn into Tomatoe Surprise.
    ---
  • Because hydrogen peroxide is extremely inefficiant and extremely dangerous to handle.
    One flake of the wrong kind of substance in the fuel tank and the whole thing blows up. I would rather store my oxidizer seperately from the fuel.

    --
  • Wouldn't Dennis Titto have the altitude record for a private citizen now though?
  • Yes, he may well make quite a big impact on the world should this not go favorably... a noble goal nontheless :>.

    ExInferus

  • Creationist Award (Score:3)

    by slyrp ( 160909 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:16PM (#241681) Homepage

    I don't know about the Darwin Award - it takes quite a lot of skill and intelligence to kill yourself like this
    Maybe "they" should invent a new award called the creationist award which celebrates skilful and intelligent people who kill themselves - Proof that evolution doesn't provide the best of breed necessary to have created the race we are now.

    pah!

    slyrp

  • Re:Darwin? (Score:4)

    by AndyChrist ( 161262 ) <andy_christ@NoSpAm.yahoo.com> on Sunday May 06, 2001 @11:43PM (#241683) Homepage
    It takes a lot of skill and intelligence to NOT kill yourself and do it. It takes a bit of skill and intelligence to kill yourself like this. But it also takes the immense amount of stupidity that is required in order to not realise that you don't have the skill and intelligence to survive it.

    Thus, if he dies, he will have eliminated from the world his own lack of ability to assess his own ability, and hopefully any potential genetic causes it might have. He will be a perfect darwin award candidate.

  • Flight plan? (Score:3)

    by magarity ( 164372 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:16PM (#241685)
    What kind of flight plan does the FAA expect?

    Waypoint 1: Up
    Final destination: Back down

  • First - I share the belief with some others that this story is fake, considering the source. However, if it is true, then I think his chances of survival are tiny.

    That said, I think it'd be incredibly interesting to browse through a detailed website showing how he came up with his ideas, what he used to make it, and how and with whom he built it. I want to see pictures of this thing. I'd love to see pictures/video of it blast off (assuming this is all real, of course).

    Also, if he had that $250k back in 1990, he coulda easily made $20 million by 1999 with it (with stocks like Cisco and Dell). Then he'd have had a nice cozy ride with cosmonauts for 6 days like our buddy Tito. Then again, he makes toys for a living, he's not your average businessman (his loss).

  • Nevermind. I stand corrected (even though nobody flamed me, yet). Rocketguy [rocketguy.com] has a website. Time to browse.

  • Re:This is in the New York Post, people! (Score:3)

    by searleb ( 168974 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:33PM (#241693) Homepage
    How about the Oregonian [oregonlive.com], Oregon's largest paper.
    Also, St. Petersburg Times [sptimes.com] and the guy was supposedly on CBS "The Early Show", too.
  • I guess.

    But I'll believe it when I see it.

    I'd say the cost of the materials alone would easily exceed $250k.

    It'd be cool if the guy poseted to /. some of his ideas.

    And as for "moving across the border", I severley doubt that you can pack this up into a truck and move it over the border.

    What the hell happened to all these private space projects? The stratospheric skydiving seemed to die out, as did the manned launch to space a while back, they were going out to launch out of the ocean or something.

    Perhaps a comprehensive slashback would be cool.

    I have a shotgun, a shovel and 30 acres behind the barn.

  • I'd like to see this. Seriously. (Score:3)

    by loraksus ( 171574 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:14PM (#241697) Homepage
    The only glitch could be the Federal Aviation Administration, which has demanded that Walker produce a flight plan.

    I fell out of the chair laughing.

    Incidentall, did Nasa have to file flight plans during the shuttle launches? They'd be interesting to see.

    I have a shotgun, a shovel and 30 acres behind the barn.

  • Some people apparently can't take a joke.
  • One thing I keep learning as I get older, there are a lot of idiots with degrees out there,
    [snip]
    My step-father on the other hand can do about anything he wants.

    True, although you're comparing two different aptitudes ... the theoretical realm and the practical realm. Historically, the owners of the most brilliant theoretical minds have had quite some difficulty applying these wonderful ideas.

    This does bring up the always intriguing argument about what actually defines intelligence. Currently, one of my favorite definitions is "The ability to relate two unrelated thoughts/items/etc.".
  • The comedian was seinfeld, and it was a comedy special, I believe his tour immediately following the end of his series.

    On the other hand, I hope Robert Goddard smiles on this guy, and we get to see amatuer rocketry take a leap forward.

    A host is a host from coast to coast, but no one uses a host that's close

  • In all seriousness... (Score:5)

    by glowingspleen ( 180814 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:02PM (#241709) Homepage
    Of all the famous people that we get an Ask _____ about, why not this guy? Seriously, someone from /. should contact this guy and set him up with an interview. By the sound of his intent, I bet he'd be happy to do it. And we could get some great info from him about his attempt (since we realistically might not be able to talk with him AFTER the attempt, God forbid)

  • He might make it... (Score:5)

    by Karl_Hungus ( 180893 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:20PM (#241710)


    After all, this is rocket science, not brain surgery.

  • At an altitude of about 30 miles, the fuel tank will detach and parachute back to Earth, hopefully to be used again.

    Momentum will carry Walker and his capsule up to 32 miles, where he will experience several moments of weightlessness and then begin to fall back toward Earth.

    I might be missing something here (my physics is total crap), but don't all objects accelerate downwards due to gravity at the same rate, regardless of mass? In which case, if this nutter does get up to 32 miles in his capsule, won't his fuel tank follow him (since both objects are moving at roughly the same velocity, ignoring the minor delta-v imparted during detachment)? Unless, of course, his capsule has boosters (or his tank has retros) we aren't being told about.

    Needless to say, this may cause problems of the collision kind when both start falling to earth together...

  • I severley doubt that you can pack this up into a truck and move it over the border

    Why? It's powered by steam and hydrogen peroxide (common for first aid or bleaching hair, and easily aquired at the drug store), and made of steel. I'm simplifying, but the materials sound quite legal, and it doesn't sound to me like it would be classified as drugs, dangerous chemicals, weaponry, or explosives.

    Albeit his invention is pretty unconventional, but does someone with experience or from Mexico know if there's actually a Mexican law that this contraption would break? Or once down there, is there a Mexican "FAA" to worry about?
  • I heard a comedian say once (name escapes me at the moment) that all great inovations have been made my man in order to get laid. The whole walking on the moon thing was so those guys could go into a bar and say "see that moon walk, that was me baby!"

    I have a sneaking suspiscion that this falls into that same category if he is expecting Hooters girls at the end.

    And frankly if it was me I would drink the champange BEFORE I got into the rocket, not a lot of driving involved with going up and coming down and it would do wonders for me actually performing this stunt...
  • A Severe Strain on the Credulity

    As a method of sending a missile to the higher, and even to the highest parts of the earth's atmospheric envelope, Professor Goddard's rocket is a practicable and therefore promising device. It is when one considers the multiple-charge rocket as a traveler to the moon that one begins to doubt... for after the rocket quits our air and really starts on its journey, its flight would be neither accelerated nor maintained by the explosion of the charges it then might have left. Professor Goddard, with his "chair" in Clark College and countenancing of the Smithsonian Institution, does not know the relation of action to re-action, and of the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react... Of course he only seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.

    -- New York Times Editorial, 1920
    In short, doubt not without a reason. If he splats, at least he tried. Me, I am developing callouses in rather uncomfortable places from sitting in front of a screen all day. Which is a better way to go is open for discussion.

  • More from Before (Score:3)

    by QuantumFTL ( 197300 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:14PM (#241720)
    This article [slashdot.org] previously on slashdot provides a useful prospective. It's interesting to look at where he was then, and how close he is now. I honestly hope it works.... would be nice to see that you can get into space without being an astronaut, or more money than a small country. Just my two cents.

  • Watch out... (Score:3)

    by amanb ( 197498 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:06PM (#241721) Journal
    A college dropout who attended just two semesters of engineering school, Walker will be staking his life on how well he has been able to teach himself rocket science.

    I'm staying indoors

  • I would have ... (Score:3)

    by AndrewD ( 202050 ) on Monday May 07, 2001 @02:42AM (#241724) Homepage

    ... a higher opinion of this man's engineering skills and intelligence if he'd planned an unmanned test first.

    Bad enough you should ride in a vehicle with untested fabrication. Sheer lunacy to ride in one with untested design as well...

  • The facts are a little different. He only spent 2 hours aloft, not 14. He soon felt numb from the cold, sent out a Mayday over citizens band radio. After shooting a few balloons, he lost his pistol overboard. Finally, he crashed into a power line, briefly blacking out a small area in Long Beach. (source: The New York Times 3 July 1982)

    He was fined by the FAA. A decade later, he killed himself.

    From The Los Angeles Times, 24 November 1993 (by Myrna Oliver, Times Staff Writer)

    Larry Walters, who achieved dubious fame in 1982 when he piloted a lawn chair attached to helium balloons 16,000 feet above Long Beach, has committed suicide at the age of 44.

    Walters died Oct. 6 after hiking to a remote spot in Angeles National Forest and shooting himself in the heart, his mother, Hazel Dunham, revealed Monday. She said relatives knew of no motive for the suicide. "It was something I had to do," Walters told The Times after his flight from San Pedro to Long Beach on July 2, 1982. "I had this dream for 20 years, and if I hadn't done it, I would have ended up in the funny farm."

    Walters rigged 42 weather balloons to an aluminum lawn chair, pumped them full of helium and had two friends untether the craft, which he had dubbed "Inspiration I."

    He took along a large bottle of soda, a parachute and a portable CB radio to alert air traffic to his presence. He also took a camera but later admitted, "I was so amazed by the view I didn't even take one picture."

    Walters, a North Hollywood truck driver with no pilot or ballon training, spent about two hours aloft and soared up to 16,000 feet -- three miles -- startling at least two airline pilots and causing one to radio the Federal Aviation Administration.

    Shivering in the high altitude, he used a pellet gun to pop balloons to come back to earth. On the way down, his balloons draped over power lines, blacking out a Long Beach neighborhood for 20 minutes.

    The stunt earned Walters a $1,500 fine from the FAA, the top prize from the Bonehead Club of Dallas, the altitude record for gas-filled clustered balloons (which could not be officially recorded because he was unlicensed and unsanctioned) and international admiration. He appeared on "The Tonight Show" and was flown to New York to be on "Late Night With David Letterman," which he later described as "the most fun I've ever had."

    "I didn't think that by fulfilling my goal in life -- my dream -- that would create such a stir," he later told The Times, "and make people laugh."

    Walters abandoned his truck-driving job and went on the lecture circuit, remaining sporadically in demand at motivational seminars. But he said he never made much money from his innovative flight and was glad to keep his simple lifestyle.

    He gave his "aircraft" -- the aluminum lawn chair -- to admiring neighborhood children after he landed, later regretting it.

    In recent years, Walters hiked the San Gabriel Mountains and did volunteer work for the U.S. Forest Service.

    "I love the peace and quiet," he told The Times in 1988. "Nature and I get along real well."

    An Army vetern who served in Vietnam, Walters never married and had no children. He is survived by his mother and two sisters.

    If something can go wrong, it will. That is why I think RocketGuy [rocketguy.com] won't have a smooth ride, either. I wonder what safety factor he's building into his system?

  • On RocketGuy's website, he writes (in third person, no less) that his goal is "to set the altitude record for a private citizen".

    I don't want to shatter his dream, but Dennis Tito [yahoo.com] became the first space tourist this past week. He paid $20 million to Russia to loft him into orbit.

    Another civilian who attempted to go into space, Christa McAuliffe, died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986.

    Finally, death didn't stop Timothy Leary, Gene Roddenberry, and 22 other space enthuasists. Their ashes were launched into space on April 1997 aboard a Pegaus missile.

    Alive or dead, for free or for a fee, civilians have already gone into space.

    Just not from their own backyard. Gotta give him credit for that.

  • good thing Columbus didnt think that...
  • I live a couple hours away from Bend... interesting that I haven't heard a WORD of this on local news... Maybe as the time grows closer things will start heating up in terms of press coverage.

    Crazy as it may seem, though, I wish this guy the best of luck. NASA and its international equivalents have held the monopoly on space flight for too long. I'll never be a NASA astronaut, but I'd love to be in space at least once in my life. If this fellow makes it back, and others are heartened by his attempt... it might mean the beginning of a whole new era, where not only military men, scientists, and rich people can experience the majesty of space.

  • Well there is a Mexican "FAA" to worry about, but I don't think that's much the issue here. Neither is there any law (as far as I can remember) against space flight. But there are legal permits to be obtained regarding the use of explosives, even for fireworks, maybe those would have to be cleared beforehand.


    Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I

  • what's with the stereotypes? (Score:4)

    by puck01 ( 207782 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:23PM (#241733)
    I mean, come on, just because the guy did not complete a college degree doesn't make him an idiot. It seems too many people are down on this guy just because he doesn't have a degree behind his name. Don't get me wrong, I do find the magnitude and risks of this undertaking quite high. That's a no brainer. But who here is to say he won't pull this off. If its because he has no degree, I say think again.

    One thing I keep learning as I get older, there are a lot of idiots with degrees out there, engineers and computer scientists included. I have a neighbor who works for Boeing, has a masters engineering. He supposedly designs the consoles in F15's. This same guy has his pilot light go out a few years ago in his water heater, and had no idea how to relight it! So he came over and ask my step-father, who has no degree, to come over and fix it for him.

    My step-father on the other hand can do about anything he wants. I've seen him build computers, write his own programs, fix cars, build cars from scrap, build an in ground pool of his own design, add on to our garage, repair air conditioners and heaters, wire commercial building, and build a network at his work...he's supposed to be the maintenance guy. Did I mention he only had a high school graduation?

    Of course there are idiots w/o degrees and geniuses with several, but there is no good correlation (ie. degree=intelligent) that I have noticed in my admittedly short time on earth. Just a lot of idiots that think they know something because they have a degree.

    Mr. Walker should be commended for his ambition, its people like this that change the world.

    puck
  • UN International law assigns responsibility for all space launches to the national government of the launching facility. If, for example, he took a nuke with him, the U.S.A. would be considered to have broken international law.

    So, whatever government permits a launch from their territory is responsible for any consequences.

  • Wait a second... (Score:3)

    by agentZ ( 210674 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:49PM (#241738)
    I know Earthstar I isn't the Phoenix, but doesn't this sound like the plot of Star Trek: First Contact [imdb.com]? Amateur guy builds a rocket part. I mean, I assume he's not telling anybody about the warp drive part.

  • Re:jeez, people... (Score:4)

    by rabtech ( 223758 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:50PM (#241743) Homepage
    I can imagine Orville Wright saying the same thing...

    "If I die, I die", he scoffed. "I'd rather die trying this than spend the next 40 years making bicycles, bitter that I never made the attempt."


    -------
    -- russ

    "You want people to think logically? ACK! Turn in your UID, you traitor!"

  • jeez, people... (Score:5)

    by Johnny Starrock ( 227040 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:07PM (#241745)
    Darwin Award, Schmarwin Award. At least he's out there trying instead of sitting around mocking people for expending effort.

    "'If I die, I die,' he scoffs. 'I'd rather die trying this than spend the next 40 years bitter that I never made the attempt.'"

    Godspeed and good luck, Mr. Walker..

  • Re:This is in the New York Post, people! (Score:3)

    by reezle ( 239894 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:06PM (#241758) Homepage
    I caught in in the Local news shows the last few weeks. People are taking it seriously, here...

  • Several moments of weightlessness... Worth it? (Score:5)

    by Bonker ( 243350 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:12PM (#241759)
    Momentum will carry Walker and his capsule up to 32 miles, where he will experience several moments of weightlessness and then begin to fall back toward Earth.

    Reporter: Since you've miraculously survived your voyage in Earthstar 1, we'd like to ask a few questions. Looking back on your project, what would you have done differently and what will you do differently when and if you try again.

    Walker: (In a body cast) I think I'm going to spend a less time concentrating on those few moments of weightlessness and a little more time packing some reentry parachutes.


  • Rocket Guy is for real (Score:5)

    by rasper99 ( 247555 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @10:38PM (#241767)
    This guy is for real. As a close friend of Rocket Guy and webmaster of his site I can tell you he does plan to do this flight. He would prefer to survive.

    Before you judge get a few of the facts straight.

    He is NOT going into space. Space starts at 58 miles up. The goal is to go straight up 30 miles. There are no plans for orbit just to set the altitude record for a private citizen. Orbit requires going at least 170 miles up and going 17,000 MPH around the earth. Lots of up and lots of sideways. Going up to a straight up to a stop and dropping back down is different.

    The rocket will be fueled by 90 percent pure hydrogen peroxide. It reacts with a silver catalyst screen to produce thrust. This is the same thing the Bell jet belt used. Footage of the Bell jet belt was used in the TV series "Lost in Space" the TV series. This fuel only has about 1/3 the energy of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. That's why it usually isn't used for a rocket. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are also very dangerous to deal with.

    What about re-entry? Since he is going up and not sideways re-entry isn't as much of a problem as going 17,000 MPH and hitting the atmosphere at an angle. It's up, up, up to basically a stall and falling back down with parachutes to slow you down. He is going to have an option to eject and use a conventional backpack parachute.

  • Comment removed (Score:3)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @09:42PM (#241774)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Re:what's with the stereotypes? (Score:4)

    by geomcbay ( 263540 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @11:08PM (#241775)
    Agreed! If Slashdot was around back in the day, there'd be 1000 people flaming the Wright Bros...hah hah, some fucking bike shop owners from north carolina trying to FLY, for god's sake, FLY! Can you imagine? Imagine a beowulf cluster of these imaginary flying machines? Hah hah!! Standard Oil is EVIL DARK EMPIRE!!! We must produce Open Source OIL!!! Louise Brooks naked and petrified!

  • You moron. (Score:3)

    by doubtme ( 313660 ) <cgf.spam1@NOSpam.syntilect.com> on Monday May 07, 2001 @02:02AM (#241784) Homepage
    You moron.

    Lets see.
    Bill Gates are Larry Ellison perhaps the two most famous uni drop outs. Obviously their life works deserve to be mocked.

    He's a multi-millionare due to the numerous childrens toy's he's invented through his own creativity and entrepreneurship. Naturally, that is an "achievement" worthy of mockery.

    He's now spent two years of his life attempting to do something only government agencies have previously suceeded at.

    If he fails, so what? At least he's acted on his dreams, and not spent his life cutting down tall poppies.

    F**k the armchair generals.
    Doubtme

  • The science of naming things (Score:4)

    by screwballicus ( 313964 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:43PM (#241785)
    He's going to exit the atmosphere in a capsule named "Earthsar 1", eh? This is a fabulous venture, but if he's going to risk his life and spend his livelyhood on an attempt like this, he might have taken more care in picking a name for his vehicle that isn't already taken by a fungus [polaris.net]. You'll notice that NASA carefully employed the tactic of not naming its own vehicles after parasitic organisms. The Mildew VII and Mold X never made it to the Cape Canaveral launch pad, I'm afraid.

    Russia was similarly successful in avoiding fungal monikers. Sputnik, however, might be considered only a minor success, mind you, as it makes the mistake of being most easily likened to a sound you make when you sneeze.

  • Re:Ha (Score:3)

    by JediTrainer ( 314273 ) on Sunday May 06, 2001 @08:18PM (#241786)
    Last I heard, Taco Bell was planning on giving everyone in Oregon a free Fajita if Walker lands on one of the Hooter girls.

    Apparently it won't matter if he's intact or not.

  • Re:Flight plan? (Score:5)

    by tdsotf ( 316796 ) on Monday May 07, 2001 @12:52AM (#241788)
    Not too far off :). He could go to http://www.duats.com [duats.com] and fill out an FAA Flight Plan. It'd end up looking something like this:

    1) Type (IFR/VFR/DVFR): IFR
    2) Aircraft Identification: EARTHSTAR1
    3) Aircraft Type: ROCKET, Heavy, No Transponder
    4) True Airspeed (kts): 2,200
    5) Departure Point: Oregon Desert
    6) Proposed Departure Time: May 2002
    7) Cruising Altitude: 158,400ft
    8) Route of Flight: Up, Down
    9) Destination: Oregon Desert
    10) Est. Time Enroute: 100 seconds
    11) Remarks: "It may be a technical dream but he's just crazy enough to push that button."
    12) Fuel on Board: Lots
    13) Alternate Airport: Mexico Desert
    14) Pilot Name: Brian Walker
    Address: 2002 Darwin Award Ave, Oregon
    Phone: 555-RKIT-GUY
    Aircraft Home Base: Oregon
    15) Number aboard: 1
    16) Color of Aircraft: Rocket-Gray
    17) Destination Contact: Hooters girls
    Phone: 555-4HOOTERS

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