msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) (03/26/91)
Hi, What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? I'm thinking about a 20-30 ton rocket with a 900 kg payload made up of a car sized hypersonic glidder, fitted with 3 rocket engines. There will be 2 boosters of about 10 tons each, and a main liquid hydrogen-oxygen tank of about 10 tons too. I have a Chalet near a lake with some forest behind (covered with lots of other chalets and people... sighhh, but I can manage to get a 50ft X 50ft field on which to start my project) where I plan to launch this private space shuttle from an underground tunnel (Ha ha... what a surprise for my neighboors: Is it an earthquake? No, ME!). I guess I'll break the canadian law forbidding to send rocket of more than 650 gramms (20 oz) in the air... but I'll land somewhere else. Thanks in advance for any advice. Mark
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (03/26/91)
In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca> msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: > What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like >spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? First you need to locate a source of dilithium crystals. You're not going to get off the ground without them. -- "[Some people] positively *wish* to | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology believe ill of the modern world."-R.Peto| henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
minsky@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky) (03/26/91)
In article <1991Mar25.183132.15691@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: >In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca> msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: >> What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like >>spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? > >First you need to locate a source of dilithium crystals. You're not going >to get off the ground without them. How much energy does one get, in fact, by fusing lithium to carbon? And what is the potential barrier to be crossed. The design of my dilithium reactor is coming along just fine, but a few parameters need to be filled in. Oh, in case you didn't know, all you have to do is form an exponentially tapered slug of the crystalline material, and tap one end of it. If you get the taper just right, and apply the appropriate materials science to suitably increase the speed of sound in the material, then the taper will impedance-match all the input kinetic energy of the input impulse into fusion of the last few atoms at the device's tip. The power is simply proportional to the frequency of the input excitation. The whole thing is about the size of one of those overpriced Mont Blank fountain pens. Looks like one, too. Only problem is that it isn't working yet.
ardai@teda.UUCP (Mike Ardai) (03/26/91)
In article <1991Mar25.183132.15691@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: -In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca> msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: -> What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like ->spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? - -First you need to locate a source of dilithium crystals. You're not going -to get off the ground without them. That won't help. Dilithium crystals are used for energy conversion in warp drives. You need either thrusters or low impulse drives until you are well outside a planet's atmosphere... /mike (visiting from the Cochrane Institure :-) -- \|/ Michael L. Ardai Teradyne EDA East --- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- /|\ ...!sun!teda!ardai (preferred) or ardai@bu-pub.bu.edu
) (03/28/91)
In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca> msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: > What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like >spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? > Well, first, you have to understand that the terms 'space shuttle' and 'reliable' are inherently mutually exclusive. second you have to get this into your head. Space shuttles are horribly complex things, the computer systems are positively frightening! not to worry though, a good HP calculator manual from rom 1976 or earlier should tell you everything you need to know. Assuming you only want to go once, forget heat tiles. Go ablative. it worked for apollo. (a good shield is layers of cork painted white, with a rubber based paint) as for life support systems, a good vindaloo before hand and a diving (DRY) suit should do. oh, and by the way. watch for the police. this is strictly illegal, unless you happen to be NASA, when it's only technically illegal. (for explanation of HP calculator comment see sci.space.shuttle discussion along the thred Re: new (!!!??!!?!) Space Shuttle Computers, slaging off core memories and space shuttle computers in general! ) Theora. PS> remember, if you start building now, you might beat STS37 into orbit! PPS> if you start building in 15 years time, you >might< just beat freedom into orbit too! -- sig (made it through the ethernet alive!) ================================================================================ Theora Jones Strathclyde University, SCOTLAND || " I can fly higher than an CABP10@uk.ac.strath.vaxa (somewhere on JANET) || Eagle, with you as the CABP10%vaxa.strath.ac.uk (elsewhere, hopefully) || wind beneath my wings " CABP10%vaxa.strath.ac.uk@ukacrl (just might work)|| 8:-) 1990 WE SUPPORTED DESERT STORM ! KUWAIT IS NOW FREE ! || "Lets be MAWS!" ================================================================================
jms@vanth.UUCP (Jim Shaffer) (03/28/91)
In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca> msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: > > Hi, > > What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like >spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? Personally, I'd forget "shuttle-like." I'd forget chemical rockets too. There are several excellent public-domain text files explaining how to build your own flying saucer. Or you could simply look up Thomas Townsend Brown's patents. (There are also PD plans for a spacetime-warping coil, but it's dangerous -- if the power fails at high output, the backlash tends to violently disrupt any matter within the field. If you plan work along such lines, be sure to read Carl Meredith Allen's warnings in his correspondence with Dr. Morris K. Jessup.) -- * From the disk of: | jms@vanth.uucp | "You know I never knew Jim Shaffer, Jr. | amix.commodore.com!vanth!jms | that it could be so 37 Brook Street | uunet!cbmvax!amix!vanth!jms | strange..." Montgomery, PA 17752 | 72750.2335@compuserve.com | (R.E.M.)
clairday@edsews.eds.com (Matt Clairday) (04/05/91)
In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca>, msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: > > What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like > spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? > I'm thinking about a 20-30 ton rocket with a 900 kg payload made up of > a car sized hypersonic glidder, fitted with 3 rocket engines. There will > be 2 boosters of about 10 tons each, and a main liquid hydrogen-oxygen > tank of about 10 tons too. I have a Chalet near a lake with some forest Mark, this shouldn't be any problem. Just see your local nasa surplus dealer for the relevant parts. A bright guy like you should have no trouble deducing the assembly instuctions from sifting through relevant space shuttle articles of the period 1981-1990. > I guess I'll break the canadian law forbidding to send rocket of more > than 650 gramms (20 oz) in the air... but I'll land somewhere else. > Thanks in advance for any advice. > I would suggest using stealth technology to hide your project from the canadian govt. officials. good luck, and happy holidays. -- Matt Clairday EDS Technical Infrastructure Services ARPA: clairday@eds.com UUCP: {uunet|sun|sharkey}!edsews!clairday
neufeld@aurora.physics.utoronto.ca (Christopher Neufeld) (04/06/91)
In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca>, msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: > > What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like > spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? > I'm thinking about a 20-30 ton rocket with a 900 kg payload made up of > a car sized hypersonic glidder, fitted with 3 rocket engines. There will > be 2 boosters of about 10 tons each, and a main liquid hydrogen-oxygen > tank of about 10 tons too. I have a Chalet near a lake with some forest > Folks, remember Mark from the Venus terraforming discussion? Don't tell him about the new low-cost personal interplanetary shuttles being sold through mail order. I'm sure he's planning to fly to Venus to disable Magellan, since it's polluting that pretty landscape with nasty radio wave things. Do you want the destruction of Magellan on your conscience? -- Christopher Neufeld....Just a graduate student | Flash: morning star seen neufeld@aurora.physics.utoronto.ca Ad astra! | in evening! Baffled cneufeld@{pnet91,pro-cco}.cts.com | astronomers: "could mean "Don't edit reality for the sake of simplicity" | second coming of Elvis!"
rivero@dev8a.mdcbbs.com (04/08/91)
In article <33015@edsews.eds.com>, clairday@edsews.eds.com (Matt Clairday) writes: > In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca>, msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes: >> >> What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like >> spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays? >> I'm thinking about a 20-30 ton rocket with a 900 kg payload made up of >> a car sized hypersonic glidder, fitted with 3 rocket engines. There will >> be 2 boosters of about 10 tons each, and a main liquid hydrogen-oxygen >> tank of about 10 tons too. I have a Chalet near a lake with some forest > > Mark, this shouldn't be any problem. Just see your local nasa surplus > dealer for the relevant parts. A bright guy like you should have > no trouble deducing the assembly instuctions from sifting through > relevant space shuttle articles of the period 1981-1990. > > >> I guess I'll break the canadian law forbidding to send rocket of more >> than 650 gramms (20 oz) in the air... but I'll land somewhere else. >> Thanks in advance for any advice. >> > > I would suggest using stealth technology to hide your project from > the canadian govt. officials. good luck, and happy holidays. Now that we've all had a small chuckle over this gentlemans ambitions (You're sailing WHERE, Christopher?), may I ask if anyone has seen of or heard from Robert Truax lately. He is the ex-NASA rocket scientist who was building his own 1 man orbital rocket a few years back. Last I heard, he had the booster completed, and was trying to fund the actual vehicle. Michael
heskett@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Donald Heskett) (04/09/91)
>[stuff deleted]... may I ask if anyone has seen of or heard from >Robert Truax lately. He is the ex-NASA rocket scientist who was >building his own 1 man orbital rocket a few years back. Last I heard, >he had the booster completed, and was trying to fund the actual >vehicle. If I remember correctly, Truax had built a vehicle, based on surplus Atlas vernier engines, to loft a person to 100km (about 62-miles), the IAF's definition for the threshold of space, thus qualifying that person as an astronaut. Recovery was to be via parachute. Last I heard, the vehicle was complete, ready to carry the first person with the $1,000,000 ticket price. Truax claimed, at one time, that he would put an American woman into space before NASA could. Truax had earlier built a steam powered rocket that Eveil Kneivel (spelling?) used for a widely publicized, partially successful (premature parachute opening), crossing of the Snake river canyon. I haven't read anything about Truax in perhaps five years and am also curious about what he is up to these days, if anything.
dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) (04/09/91)
In article <HESKETT.91Apr9073355@polymnia.titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu> heskett@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Donald Heskett) writes: > >If I remember correctly, Truax had built a vehicle, based on surplus >Atlas vernier engines, to loft a person to 100km (about 62-miles), the >IAF's definition for the threshold of space, thus qualifying that >person as an astronaut. Recovery was to be via parachute. Last I >heard, the vehicle was complete, ready to carry the first person with >the $1,000,000 ticket price. ... >I haven't read anything about Truax in perhaps five years and am also >curious about what he is up to these days, if anything. Truax sold his "Volksrocket X-3" to the US Navy in the fall of 1988 for $750,000, to be used as a test vehicle for part of the SEALAR program (a program investigating using a two-stage sea-launched rocket to put 10,000 lb. into low orbit, with the recoverable first stage recovered 400 miles downrange in the ocean). What's the status of SEALAR, guys? Paul F. Dietz dietz@cs.rochester.edu
3001crad@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Charles Frank Radley) (04/10/91)
Truax is in southern California, developing a small sea launched recoverable rocket for the US Navy, on a substantial contract - a couple of $M
3001crad@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Charles Frank Radley) (04/10/91)
oops, I think you are right about $ 750 K contract c vlaue. He is still working on that job, he had an ad in AW&ST a couple of months ago to hire some more people.
john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) (04/11/91)
In article <HESKETT.91Apr9073355@polymnia.titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu> heskett@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Donald Heskett) writes: > > [stuff deleted]... may I ask if anyone has seen of or heard from > > Robert Truax lately. > Truax had earlier built a steam powered rocket that Eveil Kneivel > I haven't read anything about Truax in perhaps five years and am also > curious about what he is up to these days, if anything. I just read an article about Truax. I don't recall whether it was in Air & Space, Ad Astra, or the Planetary Report. The article was mostly history. -john- -- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications ...uunet!tcnet!wd0gol!newave!john