Not actual explosion, but could be!!
Underdogs’ spacecraft explodes on 1st launch. United Airlines got started because it took people from place to place, not for a joyride.
The spectacular mishap rained debris on the beach and into the Pacific Ocean, and probably ended the duo’s long-shot attempt to win a $10 million space race.
But Phillip Storm, president of the two-man company called Space Transport Corp., said they will continue trying to build rockets that can ferry tourists and payloads into space cheaply.
John, Here’s a picture link @ Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2004/08/08/2002000036.jpg
I wonder what happened to the body. You have to wonder if one of these things will eventually come crashing into your house or hit a mall or something. There’s a reason NASA has that complex series of mission control centers. Space isn’t a low budget business. To do this kind of stuff right costs billions of dollars and
the thing can still crash and burn. It reminds me of Cheech and Chongs, “Up in Smoke’ movie. Cheech and Chong were out of work, deep in debt, and hustling for a buck by doing anything the law disallowed. Maybe they’ll launch into space next.
The outrageous pair begin their search for green pastures and good grass and the rest is history. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078446/
Reminds me of Skylab falling… somewhere. Even the honest-to-God “rocket scientists” weren’t sure where it was going to fall. 🙂
Back in my radio-contolled car days, I used to read articles about how the RC-plane flyers were worried about the dwindling number of places they could fly – safely. And for the people building the huge, 1/4-scale planes (using lawnmower engines, not little RC-plane engines) insurance was becoming a problem (this was years ago, btw). As articles mentioned, having your light-weight. balsa-wood and foam RC-plane crash on your neighbor’s roof was one thing, but to have a 1/4-scale plane come crashing through someone’s roof would be a legal nightmare (for the hobby, in general, and not just the “pilot”) – and God forbid anyone in the house being injured.
Yea Mike, I hear you. I was just reading a story about a guy who ran his RC chopper into a parked car. I think NASA should take care of space launches and stuff like that. If government is good at anything, it is space. It’s not as if the private sector is going to exceed NASA in spending or technology development. Boeing couldn’t even compete in the space race and Boeing is huge. I guess people like to dream. Why not just build a rocket car or something more down to Earth?