Baby steps.

[trekkiedane]

Later this week the private (and volunteer operated) Copenhagen Suborbitals (linky) plans to launch their first rocket from a floating platform just east of Bornholm.

Engine test earlier this year:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YX-WzUMGZI[/yt]​

The Tycho Brahe is intended as a one person spacecraft.

Here it is with a dummy:

And fully assembled.

Watch out NASA! -here come the Vikings!

 

[B.J.]

Talk about claustrophobia! Not that the Mercury spacecraft was any better, but still!

Interesting start, but they have a long way to go yet. If I read right, they're only planning on going 30km straight up with this one (space *officially* starts at 100km).

 

[trekkiedane]

Talk about claustrophobia! Not that the Mercury spacecraft was any better, but still!

Not my cup of tea either but, hey, each to his own I suppose.

Interesting start, but they have a long way to go yet. If I read right, they're only planning on going 30km straight up with this one (space *officially* starts at 100km).

Correct, hence the thread title... there's still a looong way to go.

 

[sojourner]

My first thought on seeing the dummy through the plexiglass:

"Do you expect me to talk?"

"No, I expect you to fly Mr. Bond!"

 

[B.J.]

Didn't they do something just like this in one of the Bond movies?

 

[trekkiedane]

Dunno - haven't watched Bond since Connery.
(And I don't even remember much of those)

 

[STR]

Wow. That seems like a hella stupid thing to do as a passenger.

 

[trekkiedane]

Well... the passenger is a dummy...

 

[RobertVA]

It looks like something Mythbusters would build!

 

[sojourner]

Didn't they do something just like this in one of the Bond movies?

Never Say Never Again, launched from the missile tubes of a submarine.

 

[farmkid]

Dunno - haven't watched Bond since Connery.
(And I don't even remember much of those)

Didn't they do something just like this in one of the Bond movies?

Never Say Never Again, launched from the missile tubes of a submarine.

...which was a Connery Bond flick, although not an "official" Bond movie.

 

[trekkiedane]

^I realised that the moment I read sojourners post -still can't remember it though...

 

[sojourner]

^Remake of Thunderball.

 

[trekkiedane]

Everything went exceedingly well at the test site this Sunday -until the batteries that supplied the electricity to heat the main LOx valve died and the valve froze shut.

No other launch attempts scheduled this year.




ETA: more images of nothing happening here.

 

[B.J.]

Sorry to hear that. So, the obvious question - do they need a jump-start?

 

[trekkiedane]

Since it was the battery on the submarine -they probably did!


Anyway, they knew the hair-drier they used to heat the valve was a drain on the batteries so I suppose they just had it running too long.

There's a lesson in here for all would-be astronauts though: keep your hair short!

 

[RevDMV]

Well good first try, they can talk to SpaceX about launch failures and eventual success.